MIFGS 2023 wrap

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show holds an important place on the state’s cultural calendar and offers a range of opportunities for the industry. We caught up with some of the key players from MIFGS 2023 to reflect on this year’s Show and the significance of the event.

Once again, the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show proved to be an exceptional success – what a great showpiece our industry. Even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of those in attendance.

While the show gardens have always been the standard, the Achievable Gardens raised their profile and quality this year, standing out as a highlight. Congratulations to all the students and educational institutions involved.

The involvement of school children was also impressive, with over 3,500 students participating in hands-on activities, posing with scarecrows, and learning about horticulture as a potential career in the Grow Your Future zone.

MIFGS serves as an excellent advocacy platform for NGIV, and I was pleased to see such high engagement and interest from Victorian Members of Parliament. The presence of key Victorian Ministers, such as the Hon. Gayle Tierney MP and the Hon. Natalie Hutchins MP, during the week was also encouraging. I am confident that one day MIFGS will receive financial support from the Victorian Government.

Craig Taberner, NGIV CEO

Well, what a superb Show! A near-record crowd of 108,500 smiling faces has shown us where MIFGS sits within the mindset of the people of Melbourne and Victoria.

Poor weather on opening morning and huge crowds at other weekend events did not deter our target market from attending in droves – just think of what’s possible if the sun comes out!

The IMG team run a great Melbourne event and NGIV continue their focus on encouraging engagement in horticulture. As members, we should feel inspired to support the wonderful opportunity MIFGS presents to our industry and allow your business to take full advantage of this truly unique promotional vehicle.

The Show was full of interesting and interactive content and the gardens and floral exhibits were of such high standard. MIFGS 2023 certainly delivered on its aim to inspire, educate, and entertain.

Michael Warner, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show Chairman

“This year's event was truly remarkable, with an amazing vibe from customers. The display gardens were fantastic, and I appreciated how each one was distinct and unique. The layout of the display gardens, which were spread out, resulted in many customers returning for a second visit or even a full day. As our major annual marketing event, it is critical to have this event for our industry. This event showcases all the different things that our industry has to offer, and this year’s Show proved that more and more people are eager to get involved.

Mario Diaco, Retailer, Managing Director Diaco’s Garden Nursery

“It was a real honour to be part of this year’s International Flower and Garden Show. I was lucky enough to receive an award for my design ‘Tea in the Woods’ and enjoyed extremely warm and encouraging recognition from so many industry professionals, organisers and fellow designers. The whole Show was a credit to the openness and collaborative nature of this wonderful industry, and was testament to what can be achieved within this creative and inclusive culture.

The Melbourne Flower and Garden Show is a wonderful platform to showcase creativity, originality and flare. By creating moments of inspiration and delight for the visiting public we were able to share our love of nature and planting design with a wider audience. I believe we were able to show the possibilities of what innovative garden design can offer and provided the opportunity for designers like myself to interact directly with the public and potential future clients.

Oliver Ashworth-Martin, Achievable Gardens Designer

“Over the five days in the VSGP marquee, over 4200 lettuce variations, kale, beetroot and kohlrabi seedlings were potted by children, to take home, watch grow and eat, and another 1000 seedlings potted by adults. Others stopped to partake in exploring and investigating insects and flower parts under the microscopes.

Seventy-three Victorian schools took advantage of the free school excursion to the Show, with 3000 students and 400 teachers/supervisors in attendance from Wednesday to Friday. Teachers were provided with worksheets to assist with educational outcomes prompted by the Bug and Bloom Garden – a biodiverse world of mini-beasts and pollinating bees, which included the Wheen Bee Foundation, Urban Plant Network, and the Home Grown Patch – an abundant and productive garden and home to the Sustainable Schools Scarecrows competition entries.

A big thanks to the Bug and Bloom exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers – the VSGP could not have done it without their generous donations and support!

Tania Karamitos, Victorian Schools Garden Program Coordinator