HEIGHTENED INTEREST in sustainable gardening and “growing your own” has attracted large numbers to this year’s Bloom festival.
Now in its fourth year, Bloom has established itself on the festival calendar and with ideal weather conditions forecast for this weekend, organisers are expecting attendance numbers to surpass previous years.
Avid gardeners John and Patty Holland have visited both the Chelsea Flower Show and Bloom in previous years and believe the latter has developed a brand that appeals to a wider audience than its British equivalent.
Ms Holland said: “In the short period of time Bloom has been running it keeps improving. It includes children by showing them how to plant and care for plants, which is really very impressive.”
Mr Holland noted: “There has been a big push in recent years for people to grow their own vegetables and get their fingers dirty. It’s nice to see everybody going back to basics now.”
Sure to catch the eye is the winning design of RTE’s Super Garden competition, which incorporates ducks, a scarecrow and a vegetable plot in a small suburban back garden.
Amateur gardener James McConnell, who created the design, said: “People have been charmed by the garden and especially by the ducks. I’m a completely self-taught gardener. Often the best gardeners are the ones who try to do things for themselves by trial and error.”
Those attending Bloom can see 24 professionally designed gardens, including, amongst others, gold medal designs by Jane McCorkell and Colm Doyle of Doylescapes.