“I will keep going as long as the interest is there”

Jane Edmanson got her big break on TV on the now -defunct ABC gardening show Sow What? in 1989.

“I took over from Kevin Heinz on Sow What? He became a mentor but he wanted to retire. He wanted someone younger and a woman, which was very good of him in those days,” she tells TV Tonight.

“Then it became Garden Australia and then Gardening Australia.

“I started in the nursery industry for many years, growing plants from cuttings, and that’s how I got to know the ins and outs, but I had been a teacher beforehand.

“And I really enjoyed talking to people.”

Thirty years later, Edmanson is now the only original cast member of Gardening Australia, and undoubtedly one of ABC’s longest-standing presenters on air.

“There were no scripts in those days.”

Edmanson became the Victorian face of the show, originally produced in Hobart with host Peter Cundall who continued until 2008.

“They would send a producer, cameraman and a sound person from Tasmania to each state and do 4 or 5 days of stories. They would go all around Australia doing stories. By the end of it they must have been exhausted!

“There were no scripts in those days. They would always ask me to do voice-overs, but they would never write them out. You just sort of did it!” she recalls.

“It’s very well organised now. The research is more streamlined.”

“Everyone says to me they love the new format.”

Today the show is based out of Melbourne with charismatic host Costa Georgiadis. Edmanson is contracted for 40 – 45 programmes a year, still as the show’s Victorian expert along with Millie Ross.

“The big difference is it’s an hour, not just half an hour. Everyone says to me they love the new format. So they’re sitting down longer and watching nice things on the telly!

“People used to blink and miss it if they went to grab a coffee,” she suggests.

“Last year I travelled a little bit, but the biggest travel was to Lord Howe Island in June. It was fantastic. But generally we do everything in a day.”

Other state presenters include Josh Byrne (WA), Tino Carnevale (Tas), Jerry Coleby-Williams (Qld)
and Sophie Thomson (SA). Outdoor filming conditions can sometimes test even the most experienced of experts, as Edmanson recalls, filming an episode on 35 degree heat.

“We work rain, hail or shine!”

“It was stinkin’ awful, but the garden looked really good. It was (photographer) Bill Henson’s garden and he has a beautiful walled garden in Northcote. You wouldn’t even know it existed. It was well-watered but it was pretty bloody hot. We work rain, hail or shine!

“I enjoy it because of the variety: there is practical, inspirational, there are people in the gardens …that’s what I love, talking about what makes gardeners tick.

“In the home or the industry people all have their passions. To me it doesn’t matter what the passion is: whether it’s for dahlias or native plants. As long as they love what they’re doing.

“I’m just lucky enough to be able to show it to people whose fancy is tickled by gardening.”

The 30th Anniversary special brings presenters together for a special filmed at Heronswood Gardens on the Mornington Peninsula.

“It looks beautiful. There’s a big celebration and there are a whole lot of segments. One of them is about how the programme is made. People always ask ‘How long does it take to film?’ so all the questions are answered,” she continues.

“I do a story on the history of gardening, filmed at the Botanical Gardens, looking at how people used to garden and how they do now. There’s a story on Costa and you see him before the beard!”

“My life has been very lucky.”

And while she may not commit to another 30 years, Edmanson will continue with the show as long as it offers a mix of practical and inspirational gardening tips for viewers.

“As long as there are interesting stories -and there are- that’s what keeps me interested. So I will keep going as long as the interest is there.

“But you have to go out gracefully, so as long as I can recognise the time.

“I have to pinch myself that 30 years has been and gone. But then I look at myself and I think ‘Yes 30 years!’ I’m not precious, it doesn’t worry me that I have grey hair or anything like that.

“I always count myself very lucky, not just for being on the telly, but having the pleasure of telling people what’s happening in gardening. My life has been very lucky.”

Gardening Australia 30th Anniversary Special airs 7:30pm Friday on ABC.