Growers Avenue 2026: Bigger, Bolder, and Bursting with Local Blooms

What a year.

Growers Avenue 2026 at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show has come and gone — five big days from the 25th to the 29th of March — and I'm still buzzing from it. We had some truly wonderful growers come on board this year — so many that I'll be giving them each their own moment in the spotlight over the coming weeks. They deserve it.

The planning started back in 2025, almost as soon as the last Growers Avenue wrapped up. I knew straight away that this one had to be bigger. So when we were handed the central stand — 30 metres by 16 metres of space to fill — I'll admit it was daunting, to say the least. That's a lot of room to bring to life. But it turned out to be exactly the canvas we needed.

Here's why having growers at the show matters so much to me. It's not just about putting beautiful flowers on display. It's about the conversations. Growers get to talk, face to face, about locally grown flowers — where they come from, how they're grown, and what it really takes to get a bloom from the paddock to the vase. They share their experiences with each other and with the public, and that exchange is where the magic happens.

This year we also took to the stage, which was a first for many of us. We got to talk about local flowers — some grown right here in Victoria, others coming down from New South Wales — and what makes them special. It was a chance to remind everyone walking through that Australian-grown flowers aren't a niche curiosity. They're seasonal, they're stunning, and they're grown by real people just down the road.

That's what I keep coming back to: how important it is for the public to see this. To understand that the flowers they buy can have a story, a season, and a grower behind them. Once people see what's possible with local blooms, they don't forget it.

To every grower who came on board, gave their time, and helped fill that enormous stand with colour and life — thank you. You made Growers Avenue 2026 everything I hoped it would be, and more.

Stay tuned. I can't wait to introduce you to each of them properly.