The Garden and Home Expo is returning to Lardner Park this weekend for the first time since 2019.
The expo will feature guest speakers, nursery, plant and garden pot exhibitors, home and leisure items, garden tools and garden art exhibitors and Craft Markets Australia exhibitors.
The Bandolier Brewing bar will be open and there will be food and coffee vendors to help fuel patrons as they wander amongst the many stalls.
This is the first year the Drouin Lions Club have not run the event - however, they have helped Lardner Park get it up and running and will be in attendance over the weekend.
Lardner Park chief executive officer Craig Debnam said the Lions Club let staff know they would not be able to keep the event running for various reasons including membership numbers.
Mr Debnam said Lardner Park did not want to see the expo die.
"The Lions Club have created a beautiful legacy event, it had been running for 19 years right up to COVID, which is amazing," he said.
"We just felt there was a responsibility from our perspective to keep it going... it's a community event."
Mr Debnam said 150 exhibitors were originally expected to attend the event, however, a lot of businesses did not make it through the pandemic, so that total now sits at 120.
"They are one and two-man shows, they're not big businesses...some of them are a bit bigger," Mr Debnam said.
There will also be some local builders and contractors attending and exhibitors from Craft Markets Australia.
Guest presenters include Bonnie-Marie Hibbs from The Garden Gurus and Prue Metcalfe from Prue Metcalfe Garden Designs.
Prue Metcalfe is a local award winning landscape designer creating beautiful gardens and play spaces throughout Gippsland and metropolitan Melbourne.
Prue has been designing and creating gardens for more than 20 years for residential and commercial clients, schools and kindergartens.
Prue said she had been fortunate enough to have a career that was deeply satisfying that she was passionate about - "making my every working day pleasurable."
Bonnie-Marie Hibbs from The Garden Gurus, is a passionate horticulturist with more than a decade of experience within the industry.
She began her career working at one of Victoria's largest retail nurseries.
She has since gone on to produce many articles featured in magazines and blogs, is a freelance producer and is a regular presenter for Channel Nine..
The Latrobe Valley Beekeepers Association will also be making presentations on the benefits of attracting bees and pollinators to gardens.
Exhibitors include Berwick Potteries, Bunyip Saddlery, Allambee Flower Farm, Dream-Time Wholesale Nursery, The Jam Ladies, Flicker Candle Co, Kingbuilt Designer Homes, Mirboo North Garden Centre, Gaffke's Gardens and Landscaping, and Di's Delightful Plants.
Lardner's North Pavilion will house the Home Interest Zone and the Home Builders and Trade Zone. The Baw Baw Pavillion will feature the All Things Gardens and Nurseries Zone and the presentation stage.
Dogs are not permitted at the event.
The Lardner Park Garden and Home Expo will run from Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th October 2022.
The Expo starts at 9am and will continue until 4pm.
Online tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for children, $38 for a family (two children, two adults) plus a booking fee.
At the gate, tickets are $16 for adults, $9 for children and $44 for a family.