Today, Tuesday, May 5th, Bord Bia Bloom has announced the gardening and horticulture line-up for its landmark 20th year, certain to impress green-fingered attendees. With 20 spectacular Show Gardens from top Irish and international garden designers, 14 Postcard Gardens, 17 plant nurseries and floral artists, two brand-new horticulture and gardening features, 35 interactive talks and demos on the Garden Stage and much more, Ireland’s largest gardening festival promises another buzzing five days in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Commenting, Kerrie Gardiner, Show Gardens and Horticulture Content Manager for Bord Bia Bloom, said, “Bloom has always been about bringing people together and connecting them to nature, and this year’s programme really demonstrates that. This is a special year, as we mark 20 years of the festival, and we have added some exciting new gardening features that we think attendees will really enjoy. Our aim is to inspire people to implement concepts from Bloom within their personal gardens or communities.”
2026 Show Gardens – The ‘Jewel in the Crown’ at Bloom
The value of communities – and how to nurture it both locally and globally – is explored in Fingal Nurturing Communities Through Nature, designed by Daibhí Mac Domhnaill and ÁIT team and sponsored by Fingal County Council alongside Shared Roots, Common Shade, designed by Oliver and Liat Schurmann and sponsored by the European Commission. Other designs focus on evolving family life, such as the Citroën Family Flexible Garden, designed by Joshua Fenton and sponsored by Citroën Ireland as well as gardens that champion hands-on learning, like the I Can Create That Garden with Q102 designed by Carleen Osborne.
Wellbeing is another core theme at Bloom, with impactful gardens that focus on support, resilience and changing care structures, including Empowering at Every Step, designed by Robert Moore and sponsored by Marie Keating Foundation in association with AstraZeneca and Gilead; Rooted in Resilience, designed by David Negus and sponsored by Myeloma Ireland, and The ‘Future In Mind’ Garden, designed by Joe Eustace and sponsored by the Mental Health Commission. A Moment for Myself, designed by Kakha Gigauri and Michael O’Connor and sponsored by Leaf 2 Leaf Landscapes, also highlights how small, daily habits can support overall health and wellness.
Environmental stewardship is also evident across this year’s programme, with gardens highlighting climate, circular living, and biodiversity. These include Met Éireann’s 90th Anniversary: Past, Present and Future, designed by Paul Dunne and Padraic Woods and sponsored by Met Éireann; ‘Recycled, Reused and Refilled’ Sculptural Garden, designed by James Purdy and sponsored by Repak and Alltar, designed by Jack Donovan, Bord Bia Bloom Cultivating Talent Winner which will celebrate nature ‘on the margins’.
Sustainable food systems including organic farming and local producer networks are brought to the fore in Nature in Balance, designed by Linda McKeown and sponsored by Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, alongside Where Trust Takes Root, designed by Scott D. Renwick and sponsored by Marks & Spencer.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty of design inspiration for gardens of every size. Bord Bia’s ‘Easy Steps to Dream Gardens’ (which enables people to recreate their own Show Garden at home) returns this year with a fresh twist. The Celebrity Dream Garden, inspired by Brendan Courtney, designed by Declan McKenna and sponsored by Bord Bia, will bring the presenter’s dream garden to life. There are also three balcony gardens which demonstrate how to maximise outdoor space, including The Master Gardener’s Balcony, designed by Debbie Brophy; The Plant Collector’s Balcony, designed by Tom Bradford; and The Birdwatcher’s Balcony, designed by Barry Kavanagh and sponsored by RTÉ Radio 1 and Mooney Goes Wild. Attendees can also take a trip down memory lane with the 20th Edition Bloom Gallery Garden, designed by Maeve O’Neill in collaboration with Bloom partners.
Highlights for garden lovers at Bloom
The popular Postcard Gardens, supported by Tirlán CountryLife will return to Bloom. Built in one day by community groups nationwide, 14 designs will showcase imaginative spaces on topics like native bat habitats, growing community and belonging through gardening, and celebrating biodiversity in rural locations. The full list can be found online.
Meanwhile 17 plant nurseries and floral artists will exhibit in the Nursery Village, in association with Smartfence, where attendees can meet expert growers and representatives, while purchasing quality, specialist plants. The Botanical Hub Demo Space in association with Tanners Foliage will be back with live demonstrations and hands-on workshops. Visitors can also expect the return of the popular Ask the Expert Plant and Tree Clinics, the Garden Design Clinic, and Plant Créche.
New horticultural features introduced to the festival this year are the Make Your Mark Market, which will see some of Ireland’s most talented growers come together to showcase fresh, seasonal produce, and the launch of the Plants Showcase, where leading nurseries and plant breeders nationwide will offer an inspiring first look at the colours, forms and resilience shaping the future of Irish gardening.
The Garden Stage sponsored by Sunrise will host 35 talks from leading horticultural experts such as Diarmuid Gavin, Adam Frost (BBC Gardener’s World), TJ Maher (Patthana Gardens), Peter Dowdall (The Irish Gardener), Ealma Purcell (The Poppy Garden), Jimi Blake (Huntingbrook Gardens), Niall McAuley (Niall Gardens), Harrison Gardner (TV Presenter & Eco-Builder) and Marie Staunton. Presenters David Maxwell (BBC Radio Ulster ‘Gardener’s Corner’), Kitty Scully (RTÉ One’s Homegrown) and award-winning designer and columnist Leonie Cornelius will MC the lively discussions over the five-day festival.
At the Horticulture is Life exhibit in the Food Village, Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Teagasc will demonstrate how each of the agencies works to support the Irish horticultural industry and growers to deliver top quality, local, sustainable produce and plants. Horticulture is Life is located next to the Eat Well Garden which will showcase a range of fruit, vegetable and amenity plants. Here attendees can participate in regular walk ‘n’ talk sessions to learn about a range of topics, from organic production to managing key pests. In addition, a series of ‘Polytunnel Talks’ will take place over the five days of Bloom, covering all aspects of gardening.
To discover the full event programme, visit bordbiabloom.com or follow @bordbiabloom on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.
