THE WATER bottle refilling points were not in great demand at the opening day of the Bloom festival yesterday, as there was enough water coming from the sky to keep the visitors hydrated.
But it took more than a little rain to dampen the spirits of the gardening enthusiasts and they came in their thousands to the festival in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
This is the sixth year of Bord Bia’s gardening, food and family festival, which continues until Monday evening. The 70-acre site was awash with colour from the vibrant flowers and plants in 27 show gardens.
Hibiki Kubo brought a Zen-like calm to the proceedings as he sat in the Japanese tea garden strumming an instrument called the shamisen.
But there was a brief flurry of activity beside him as President Michael D Higgins arrived to view the winning garden in the overall large garden category.
It was designed by Jane McCorkell from Killsallaghan, Co Meath, and was a gimmick-free area with deep flower borders, a lawn and garden seat, glasshouse and a potting area.
In an era of flamboyant design she admitted it was “brave to put in a central lawn and go back to being just a garden”, but the risk paid off. This was her fifth time to win a gold medal at Bloom.
A keen gardener, Mr Higgins was in his element as he opened the Bloom festival, just across the fence from his home at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter promised him they would not be rowdy neighbours, but Mr Higgins said the coming of the festival heralded the arrival of summer. “I see it in the same way as one season follows another. Bloom is coming again and that’s the way it should be.”
Allowing himself “a reflection on absurdity”, he called for a national day for all those north- and east-facing balconies that never get the sun. “What an extraordinary thing for our builders to do, to place so many opportunities facing due north,” he said to laughter.
Mr Higgins said all the good news he was hearing recently was about Irish success in food and our natural resources.
“It’s where the sun is breaking in our prospects after a dark time . . . Ireland is recognised as producing some of the best food and beverages in the world.”
Earlier he met Fiann Ó Nualláin, who designed the “Stream of Consciousness” garden following a conversation he had with Mr Higgins when he was on the presidential campaign trail last year. And the President praised Mr Ó Nualláin’s 10-year-old niece, Miah Ní Nualláin, Bloom’s youngest garden designer. She won a silver medal for her pet-friendly garden.
Mr Higgins said his second Bernese mountain dog was due to arrive at the Áras any day now, “so I want to say to Miah I’ll be looking at your efforts with particular interest”.
The Bloom judges have awarded 81 medals to show gardens, nurseries and floral displays. Bloom show manager Gary Graham said the festival had never seen “such a diverse range of styles and themes, from traditional cottage gardens to ultra-modern; from sedate Japanese to dramatic sculptural installations”.
BLOOM OVERALL WINNERS
Large Garden: Growise “My Garden” by Jane McCorkell Medium Garden: “Cookie and Creams Reclaimed Sanctuary” 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”
For the full list of winners see bloominthepark.com
