For virtual Bloom 2021, Bord Bia worked with seven Bloom award-winning show garden designers to create seven designs that the public could implement in their own gardens. Easy Steps to Dream Gardens included a full suite of plans, planting plans, and hints and tips available on the Bord Bia Bloom website.
The initiative was supported by a concerted social media campaign, and with point of sale in 103 garden centres nationwide. All of the plants listed were readily available from Irish nurseries.
To demonstrate how the designs work in reality, how they would suit the average-sized garden, and to encourage the public to engage with their gardens at home, Bord Bia brought two of the Dream Gardens to life at Bloom 2022: The Nature Enthusiast’s Garden by Jane McCorkell, and The Shared Spaces Family Garden by Nicola Haines. They were not judged as show gardens.
This campaign has proven to be a huge success, with both the industry and the public. It resulted in more than 19,383 visits to the Dream Gardens section of the website alone, and over 18,500 downloads of the garden designs and planting plans in the 12 months from June 2021 to June 2022. ✽
