Episode: Five
Date: 2nd May
Story: Great Garden Workshops
Presenter: Neville Passmore

Neville speaks to Chris Ferreira of ?Great Gardens? with aim to promote the ?Great Garden Workshops?-designed to inspire, inform, educate and empower participants to live sustainably within their region.

About Great Gardens

• The Great Gardens program was created in 2003 by Chris Ferreira and Garry Heady, both independent environmental consultants.
• This award winning program has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the most successful privately run community education programs in Australia.

Great Garden Workshops

• The workshops are the largest and most successful program of its kind in Australia.
• The aim of the workshops is to inform, educate, inspire and empower people to garden at a more sustainable level.
• Over 32,000 people have attended the Great Garden Workshops. Another 15,000 have attended the Heavenly Hectares program since it creation in 1999.

• Unique free program with 3 hour workshops run throughout WA-full of humour and information for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.
• All workshops provide an online forum with fact sheets, videos and post a question section.

• Research has shown the program is very successful in getting people to make significant changes in the way they think about, use and manage their garden and natural resources.

• Significant savings in money, water, power and nutrient use have been recorded by past participants who adopted changes recommended through the workshops.

• There are 6 different types of workshops to attend including, ?Great food gardens,? ?Water efficiency in the home? and ?Synergy energy efficiency? workshops.
• The workshops outline the seven principles of sustainable gardening:
• Plan: how to make your garden more beautiful and manageable.
• Save: time and money.
• Create: a garden that is water, energy, waste and fertilizer wise.
• Improve: the value and appearance of your property.
• Attract: birds and wildlife.
• Understand: your soil and how to make the most of it.
• Deal: effectively and safely with pests and diseases.

Membership

• You can enrol for the free workshop by either calling their hotline, 1300 36 98 33, or going to their website, www.greatgardens.info
• ?This updated website provides free independent advice and information on goods and services that will help you to achieve a great and sustainable garden.

Contact

Great Gardens
Phone: 1300 36 98 33
Email: landcare@southwest.com.au
Website: www.greatgardens.info

Great Gardens workshops sponsored by Swan River Trust.

www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au