Garden gala unveils man inside Sydney's green heart

 The seeds of spring have been well and truly planted in Sydney's iconic Centennial Park as the transformation begins for the annual Australian Garden Show with a local-legend leading the way.
Running early September, Australia's outdoor mindset has made the Garden Show an international festival.
But with the announcement Monday that local garden-guru, Costa Georgiadis will join the fascinating cast of famous Australians with a hidden passion for turning the earth, the show is also being tipped to revive Australia's community gardening.
If one man has ever changed the way a nation looks at its own backyard, it's the beaming, boyish and extremely hairy gardening maestro.
Georgiadis' one-man mission to return Australia to a garden- farming nation of "green thumbs" has made the diminutive household face almost an institution himself.
For years before becoming one of the most easily recognizable television personalities here, Georgiadis peddled a rattling bicycle up and down Sydney's iconic Oxford Street -- running from Bondi to the CBD -- his extraordinary bedraggled beard and hair.
Half of the city thought his rejection of modern living methods the product of a homeless hippy until seeing his unbridled passion for nature across national TV. Today, he is a admired and adulated across Australia. "I grew up in (Centennial) park" he said, "so it has always been a magical place for me from childhood to today.
"What's great about the show is that it's got something for everyone, including children, our next generation of budding gardeners and educated nurturers of our planet,"Georgiadis said.
The state's Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Andrew Stoner, told Xinhua organizers had sought to open the event to as many people as possible, cutting entrance fees and catering for families. "The event, in its second year, has now doubled in size and caters not only for garden enthusiasts but all members of the family."
Kids under 15 years have free entry to the 2014 show including a dedicated area (aMaze) building on the already resplendent parklands, offering 'a magical space for children,' -- a dirt mountain, spiral hands on garden, kids yoga and pink hens that lay blue eggs.
Catherine Stewart of Australia's popular Garden Drum said the scale of the event dwarves anything on the environmentally- obsessed nation's horticultural calendar.
"I can't quite imagine how you go about pulling off a show this size, especially in such a crazily short time frame."
"Given that, to see seven large, plus six smaller show gardens appear in the Centennial Park location seems like a miracle."
In a show that also features lifestyle and wellbeing themes, international event ambassador, Andrew Fisher Tomlin (UK Garden Designer of the Year), who arrived in Australia on Sunday, is preparing to bring his unique "dementia-friendly" garden to life.
In cahoots with Sydney's St Vincent's Curran Foundation, Tomlin ' s garden is designed specifically to "provide therapeutic benefits and create a place where sufferers feel comfortable and safe".
According to the deputy premier, something of a green thumb himself as leader of the agriculturally minded national party, the show aims to "set a new standard for horticultural events in the Asia Pacific region."
Giving it his best plug, Stoner said"Visitors to Sydney's international garden show at Centennial Parklands will be inspired by the very best in display gardens, be able to listen to and ask questions from horticultural experts, and learn about the latest in garden design and innovation from a wide range of exhibitors."
According to the event's director, Anthony Bastic, Aussie gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and many Australians are getting on board the program.
"People are installing veggie gardens on their balconies, our backyards are our havens in a sometimes hectic world."
With Georgiadis at the helm, the show is certain to boost Australia's ailing affection for the beauty of the great Aussie backyard.
The Australian Garden Show Sydney begins on Sept. 4.