29 Mar Stilla loved being at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Every March for the past 23 years tens of thousands of people from all over Australia and overseas have flocked to the southern hemisphere’s largest flower and garden show at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building and the surrounding Carlton Gardens.

The historic venue, where Australia’s first Parliament took shape 117 years ago, is taken over for a week in autumn by people who love gardens and gardening, so it made sense for Stilla to put in an appearance with our best-of-breed garden sheds.

Steve Thrush manned the Stilla display at the 2018 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show from Wednesday March 14th, and here are some of his observations:

People were fascinated by Keter sheds

“We had four Keter sheds set up and a lot of people were both surprised and impressed.

“We’re so used to metal sheds in Australia, so many people were pleasantly surprised to come across an alternative that looks so much nicer in your yard, that also won’t rust, dint, or rot.

“Of course, a very common question was ‘What are the plastic sheds made of?’. Again, this was no great surprise to us because that’s one of the first questions we’ve been asked ever since we started stocking Keter sheds.

“For the record, the answer is UV-resistant polypropylene, like your wheelie bin or a domestic water tank. It’s specifically manufactured and treated to withstand the harshest conditions without the material deteriorating.”

People who care about gardens like nice sheds

“One of the things we noticed about the people who came through over the five days – and there were about 150,000 of them – is that they were people who want a nice garden.

“Maybe some of them are a long way off getting one, but quite a lot of people we spoke to were already well on the way. They were putting in some effort and investment of their time and money to make their garden look great.

“That meant they were more than receptive to the idea of getting a nicer shed.

“While the market for our sheds is quite diverse – just as we have a number of different types and sizes of sheds for different needs – it makes a lot of sense that people who are passionate about their gardens are open to the idea of looking for and buying a better shed.”

Basic questions are fine, too

“As well as asking about the material of our sheds – both the UV-resistant polypropylene of the Keter sheds and our high-quality Western red cedar – we always get three other questions.

“The first is where are we based, which often goes along with ‘Where can I get one?’ (you can locate your nearest stockists via our website).

“The second question is usually ‘How soon I can get it?’ – and the answer to that is usually pretty quickly, for most sheds.

“Then the follow-up question is ‘Can someone help me install it?’, and we can help you with that, as well.

“We actually love it when people are asking questions like these, because we know that we can make them happy and get them the shed they want without too much trouble.”

We’re already looking forward to next year

“It would be fair to say that having a display at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show was a great idea, because we had a number of people go straight home and put in an order.

“Next year, we’ll probably have a bigger presence with more sheds on display.

“We’ll most likely have a way for people to order on the spot, too. We know most people will still want to take home the brochure and have a think before making their decision to buy, but if someone wants to place their order on the spot, we’ll look to make that possible.

“No matter where you are in Australia, if you have a bit of an interest in gardens, I recommend you make plans to visit the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show next year if you can.

“It’s truly an amazing event with the most spectacular displays showing off some impressive creativity.

“If you live in Melbourne, or really within a few hours’ drive, you should think about going every year. And make sure you come to see us.”

(By the way, thanks to Brian for his hard work with the ‘bump in’ and ‘bump out’ of our display).