By Bronwyn Hastings

Plants, giftware, live music, food, activities, displays and lifestyle features will be on show at Horsham Spring Garden and Lifestyle Festival’s 35th annual event at the weekend.

Organiser Graham Gerlach said the event, suitably located at Horsham Botanic Gardens, would feature the favourites of past years, as well as some new exhibitors and performers.

“Musician Leah Briggs is set to perform at times between 11am and 3pm both days,” he said.

“And Blossum Blend Nursery, who is new to our festival, will be doing a children’s activity during the weekend.

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“We’ve also got nurseries and plant suppliers including Plant Passion, Wimmera Aquatrail’s nursery, Unbeleafable, and Wail nursery Dalki Garringa – whose Elizabeth Mace will speak. That’s a bit of a coup, she’s going to take people around the gardens and talk about the native garden that’s there.”

Mr Gerlach said other exhibitors include Mt Stapylton Wines, Lop the Top, Blue Dragon Crystals, and Cluck n Go chickens.

“We’ve also got Warracknabeal Pottery, Wimmera Mallee Ag, and Ambulance Victoria promoting Shocktober – they had a great response to their campaign last year,” he said.

“Horsham Rotary is doing coffee, Timboon Ice-cream will be there, as well as Spuddy Good, and Horsham Motor Sports Club is doing a barbecue with an extended menu, to give people more choices.”

Mr Gerlach said Horsham’s pipe band would appear at about lunchtime on Sunday, and the weekend-long photograph exhibition would add some interest.

“Hundred-year-old photos in the lifestyle section will be interesting,” he said.

“They date back to the early 1900s and feature all kinds of places around Horsham.”

Mr Gerlach said there would also be a raffle, supported by the event’s sponsors. 

The festival will run from 9am to 4pm both days and costs $6 to enter. Children under the age of 16 can attend free of charge. 

“We feel so blessed that we can run this at the botanic gardens, it certainly adds to the atmosphere of the event,” he said. 

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