31st May 2012: Bloom, Ireland’s largest gardening, food and family festival brought to you by Bord Bia will begin its five day run when the gates open to the public this morning at 10am. The festival, which runs through to Monday 4th June takes place on the grounds of the Visitor Centre in the Phoenix Park, Dublin which is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year. The event includes 27 show-gardens, 100 Irish food and drink producers, 40 nurseries and 160 retailers all on a 70 acre site.
Bloom Medal Winners
Judging of the show gardens, nurseries and floral displays was conducted over a two day period by a panel of independent judges comprising of garden experts from Ireland and the UK. This morning a total of 81 medals were awarded including 24 Gold, 14 Silver Gilt, 22 Silver, 17 Bronze and 4 Special Commendations.
The overall large garden category award went to Jane McCorkell from Killsallaghan, County Meath for her entry “Growise ‘My Garden’. The garden which was designed as a space that can be recreated by visitors in their own homes incorporating a working garden for horticultural enthusiasts while offering an engaging space for all the family. This is Jane’s fifth year competing at Bloom and is her fifth Gold medal and second time to win the overall large garden category award.
Speaking about the show-gardens at Bloom 2012, Gary Graham, Bloom Show Manager said
“We have never had such a diverse range of styles and themes from traditional cottage gardens to ultra modern, from sedate Japanese to dramatic sculptural installations. Most gratifying for me is how designers have used both the ‘concept’ and ‘show garden’ categories as communication platforms in highly creative, engaging and fun ways to add to the debate on wider health, socioeconomic and environmental issues”.
Jane McCorkell’s winning garden revolts against ostentation and garden gimmickry. She celebrates the traditional garden where the physical activity of gardening is as important as the beauty and aesthetics achieved with deep flower borders and magnificent specimen trees. This is not a garden for corporate Ireland or the public; this is a private personal space aptly called ‘my garden’“.
Overall winners were awarded in each of the categories as follows:
• Large Garden: Growise ‘My Garden’ by Jane McCorkell
• Medium Garden: Cookie and Creams Reclaimed Sanctuary (RTE Supergarden winner) by Leonie Cornelius
• Small Garden: Greenhouse by Patricia Tyrrell and Deirdre Prince
• Concept Garden: Angel’s Fishing Rods, Mermaids Tears – A Tale of the Sea by 3Design Gardens
• Best Nursery: Mount Venus Nursery, Dublin
• AOIFA Floral Art Winner: Marie Dodrill from Portmarnock Flower Club for “Where the Dragonfly Dreams”
VIP Visitors
VIP visitors to Bloom on opening day will include Bloom Patron President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina who will officially open the event. The President will be brought on a tour of the show-garden area, meet with medal winners and judges and finish with a visit to the Bord Bia Food Village where he will deliver a Presidential address (available to download from www.president.ie .
Other visitors of note throughout the day will include Actress Caroline Morahan, Miss Ireland, Rebecca Maguire, Minister Shane McEntee, TD, Celebrity Chef Neven Maguire and Newstalk’s Sean Moncrieff who is broadcasting live from the event.
Additional Features at Bloom
Other features at Bloom include Bord Bia’s Food Village which will host the best of artisan food and drink, a Farming for Life feature and the Chef’s Summer Stage; children’s entertainment, games and an animal farmyard; a tree-climbing exhibition; daily workshops and a craft retail area from the Crafts Council of Ireland; an entertainment stage; picnic area and large retail pavilion.
Sponsors
New and returning sponsors for this year’s event include Fáilte Ireland, Love Irish Food, Bord Na Móna, Irish Times, OPW, Rehab, Woodies, Nissan LEAF, Viking, Robert Roberts, Atlantis, Popcorn Ireland, Newstalk, Irish Greyhound Board, Universal Studios, Bewleys Hotel, Lyric FM and Glenisk.
Medal Winners
Show Garden Winners 2012
Gold
Growise ‘My Garden’ by Jane McCorkell – LARGE
Super Garden – Cookie and Creams Reclaimed Sanctuary – by Leonie Cornelius MEDIUM
Summertime and the listening is easy by Paul Martin – MEDIUM
Table for 4 by Gary Hanaphy – MEDIUM
Greenhouse by Deirdre Prince and Patricia Tyrell – SMALL
Angel’s Fishing Rod’, Mermaid’s Tears – A Tale of the Sea’ by 3 Design Gardens- CONCEPT
Silver Gilt
The Cystic Fibrosis Garden, in Association with CF Ireland by Erika Reeves – MEDIUM
The Viking garden ‘green room’ by Frazer McDonogh – MEDIUM
Departures – by Cillian McDonald and Luke Byrne CONCEPT
Silver
Japanese Tea Garden by Kate Kurevleva – MEDIUM
Amach agus Isteach by Alan Rudden and David Ryan – MEDIUM
Machnamh / Reflection by Deirdre Pender – MEDIUM
Reigning Cats and Dogs by Miah O’Nuallain – SMALL
Ar Ghairdin Cuil by David Gallagher and Senior College Dun Laoighre- SMALL
NCBI Sensory Garden by Brieffni McGeough and Francis Doyle – CONCEPT
Bronze
Cavan Crystal Hotel Wedding Garden by Jason Stubbs – LARGE
Starberry Paradise by Andy Kelly – LARGE
Worlds apart, school together by Dominic Loughran – MEDIUM
Changing Perspectives by David Shorthall – MEDIUM
The Birds & The Bees by Ben Landers – SMALL
The Glenisk Lorax Garden by Fiann O’Nuallain – CONCEPT
Wild Metal by Jack Harte and Frank McGeeney – CONCEPT
Special Commendation
Woodies Garden 1 by Theresa Grady
Woodies Garden 2 by James Brady
Woodies Garden 3 by Clem Spratt
Nursery and Floral Display Awards
Gold
Camolin Potting Shed, Co. Wexford
Mr Middleton Garden Shop – Vegetables, Dublin 1
Glens Garden, UK
Devine Nurseries, UK
Boyne Garden Centre, Slane, Co. Meath
Peninsula Primulas, Ards., Co. Down
Kilmurry Nursery, Gorey, Co. Wexford
Fushsiavale Nurseries, UK
Dicksonia Direct Inc. Kells Bay Gardens, Leopardstown, Co. Dublin
Institute Of Technology Blanchardstown
Mount Venus Nursery, Dublin 1
Forest Produce Ltd., Tralee, Co. Kerry
The Indoor Plant Store, Dublin 8
Riverlane Nurseries, Trim., Co. Meath
Association Of Irish Floral Artists Floral Display
Silver Gilt
Hughes Roses, Ardcath, Dublin
Tree & Environmental Academy, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Shady Plants, Youghal, Co. Cork
Heritage Bulbs, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath
Blackwater Floral Accessories
Harrington Exotics, Saggart, Dublin
Leamore Nursey, Ashford, Co. Wicklow
Silver
Herb’s On Thyme, Rathangan, Co. Kildare
Ballyrobert Cottage Garden & Nursery, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim
Ashbourne Climbers, Navan, Co. Meath
Three Gates Florist & Nursery, Naul, Dublin
Rare Plants – Ireland, Dublin 22
Mr Middleton Garden Shop – Bulbs, Dublin 1
J & Jr Nurseries Nursery Display, Ballygowan, Co. Down
Two Lions Nursery, Downpatrick, Co. Down
Doran Nurseries (Irish Plants), Naas, Co. Kildare
Royal Horticultural Society Of Ireland
Seaview Nurseries, Bray, Co Wicklow
Bronze
Flannerys Nurseries Ltd Nursery Display, Naas, Kildare
Premium Pelargoniums (Fuchsiavale)
Garden Direct, Naas, Co. Kildare
Landbarn Nursery, Gorey, Co. Wexford
Dublin School Of Horticulture
A.O.I.F.A Floral Art Competition
Gold
Karen Robinson, Doddervale Flower Club
Marie Dodrill, Portmarnock Flower Club
Marie Dodrill, Portmarnock Flower Club
Silver Gilt
Karen O’Farrell, Sutton Floral Art
Marta O’Kelly,Bray Flower Club
Richard Delmar, A.O.I.F.A
Richard Delmar, A.O.I.F.A
Silver
Roseann Heaney, Navan Flower Club
Eithne Duffin-Moynihan, Doddervale Flower Club
Angela Kelly, Doddervale Flower Club
Moira Watchorn, Doddervale Flower Club
Bronze
Christine Hughes, Naas Flower Club
Orla McGrane, Doddervale Flower Club
Violet O’Brien, North Dublin Flower Club
Margaret Nevin, Bray Flower Club
Christopher White, Naul Gardening & Flower Club
