Gardening Australia presenter Sophie Thomson was in Perth recently to visit the inaugural Guildford Open Gardens Festival and host a series of events for community groups.

Sophie is best known for her role as a presenter on ABC’s popular long running gardening show, and is also highly regarded in her native South Australia for her work as a radio host and guest speaker. Sophie Thomson’s love affair with the environment and gardening was inherited from her plant loving parents whilst growing up and working at the family nursery in the Adelaide Hills. Sophie is known for her resilience, environmental outlook, infectious enthusiasm, vitality and love of sustainable gardening. She believes gardening can provide a solution to many of life’s challenges, and she is passionate about the role gardening can play in people’s lives as a stress reliever.

As part of an event at Trillion Trees, she spoke on the topic of “Saving the World with Gardening.” Her one hour presentation touched on a wide range of social issues. She spoke passionately about the role of gardening in building community and helping to combat loneliness. She is a huge advocate for community gardens, and their role in building community as people work side by side building connections while bonding over a common love for gardens and nature. She is an ambassador for Neighbour Day, an initiative of Relationships Australia, that provides the perfect opportunity to increase social connection in local areas.

She began her talk by discussing the difficulties created by poor urban planning, with urban sprawl and tiny treeless blocks contributing to the urban heat island effect. She travels widely with a temperature probe in her luggage, and is fascinated by observing the different materials in urban landscapes and their devastating heat effects. She shared that heat is the biggest killer of older Australians who are disproportionately impacted by higher suburban temperatures. Older people are less likely to use air conditioning to stay cool due to cost concerns, and are also more likely to be dehydrated as they tend to limit their fluid intake.

She spoke at length about her dislike for artificial turf and the high temperatures it creates in Summer, plus the huge issue of wastage in landfill. She also shared her efforts to campaign for the use of turf over artificial surfaces for sporting fields, sharing anecdotal reports of parents witnessing the melting of glue in childrens’ sneakers due to the high temperatures of the playing fields on which they compete. She noted the false economy of installing artificial sporting surfaces at huge cost, justified by water cost savings which don’t add up against the installation costs of a surface with a limited lifespan.

She shared her joy at visiting a favourite community garden for a shared meal, where the diverse group of members spoke dozens of languages. She enjoys visiting community gardens across Australia, enthusiastically supporting their work in building connections within local communities.

She reflected on the Covid era, and its impact on our awareness of food security. She noted how easy it can be to grow your own food with limited space – currently she is renting but was still able to grow and eat her own salads and leafy greens from portable raised beds within 8 weeks of moving house.

Sophie concluded the event with a question and answer session, warmly engaging with the gathered gardeners and sharing friendly advice. Tune into Gardening Australia Friday evenings on ABC to see Sophie on screen.