"It's a wonderful part of the world but I think most gardeners would realise to have a thriving garden in Warrnambool you need to have wind-tolerant plants, especially on a day like today," he laughed.

The television gardening guru was in town on Saturday as the keynote speaker for the Smart Living Sustainable Lifestyle Expo held at Deakin University.

Burk e pulled no punches during his one-hour speech, criticising elements within the environmentalist movement, the Kyoto Protocol and the management of water by local councils across the country.

"We are living in an age of false messiahs. I don't claim to be the 'green' messiah but I try to practice what I preach," he said.

"This is the time to be cautious. There's a lot of commendable people (environmentalists) that have drawn attention to environmental issues but now is not the time for theatrics.

"Boring people like you and me are the ones that actually get out there and instigate changes to our lifestyle and to our gardens to better our surrounds."