READY TO BLOOM

MOUNT VENUS: DESIGNER’S BACKYARD MARKS OLIVER SCHURMANN’S RETURN TO BLOOM. HAVING CREATED SOME OF THE EVENT’S MOST MEMORABLE GARDEN EXPECTATIONS WILL BE HIGH. KEY INDUSTRY EVENT OF THE TRADE CALENDAR.

READY TO

With May just around the corner, Bloom Show Garden Manager, Kerrie Gardiner explains how a number of new initiatives will help to make this year’s event the best yet

Joining the Bloom team last year was a fantastic feeling. The opportunity to work on such an important event in the Irish horticultural calendar is a real honour. I work closely with the Bord Bia team and there’s a real feeling that Bloom 2016 will be really special! One of the most satisfying things for me has been working with the team to develop new ideas as to how we might go about making the show even better than previous years. Here are some of the ideas we’ve come up with and are in the process of rolling out for Bloom 2016.

WORKSHOPS:

In preparation for 2016 we have run a series of workshops for both show garden designers and nursery and floral pavilion exhibitors. In addition to our annual designer’s workshop held in the autumn we had a very well attended ‘How to plant your show garden’ workshop in February with key speakers including Bloom’s show garden head judge, Andrew Wilson and Bloom’s multi gold medal and best in category winner Jane McCorkell. Both speakers shared their own experience of designing and building show gardens, sharing tips which ranged from logistics and strategy - the importance of planning, large orders of plant stock, etc. – to the finer details such as factoring in time to allow plants to bed into the finished garden before the show opens. The planting workshop was a great success with lots of positive feedback from designers.

MENTORING:

We’ve launched a mentoring programme whereby experienced garden designers from previous festivals will support new designers during their preparations for the

BLOOM’S

NURSERY & FLORAL PAVILION

This summer, Bloom’s Nursery & Floral Pavilion will host fifty different nurseries and florists from around Ireland all seeking to create wonderful floral BLOOM 2016 3D SKETCH: A VISUAL exhibits using plants in OF ALAN COFFEY AND ALAN their prime. BATTERSBY’S SERENE SANCTUARY In early February we held a Nursery and Floral show. Be it advice on planting, sourcing Pavilion Workshop with key speakers materials or scheduling for the build, including Bloom’s Nursery & Floral the programme will allow newcomers Pavilion judges, Frances McDonald and to benefit from their mentor’s valuable Jim Buttress and multi-gold medal and experience and lessons they may have best in category winner Orla Woods. learned over the years. This unique support will help to make this year’s THE SHOW GARDENS festival one of the best! This year’s Bloom Festival will include over 25 show gardens, often referred to NEW PLANTING MEDAL: as the jewel in the crown of the Bord Bia Also new for 2016 will be the Best festival. The designers have continued Planting Medal within the show gardens. the tradition of repeatedly raising the bar To assist judging this award we have on previous years, to develop beautiful, leading Dutch garden designer, author imaginative and thought provoking lecturer and nursery owner, Cor van designs. The gardens will vary in size Gelderen. With his experience Cor from large, medium and small gardens, will provide a valuable addition to our each developed with a unique theme already stellar judging panel. and style to inspire those who wish to create their own garden at home. Some OPPORTUNITY TO SELL show gardens already confirmed include PLANTS USED IN THE “Serene Sanctuary”, “Bridge the Gap” SHOW GARDENS: and “Sharing the Load” as well “The This year we are exploring the Designer’s Backyard”. possibilities of facilitating a plant sale The design for “Bridge the Gap”, by opportunity within the Plant Village for Chicago Parks Department, features nurseries supporting the Bloom show two large living sculptures that can be gardens. This is a new opportunity for seen as two sides of a bridge however the suppliers to sell plants at Bloom they do not connect. One side of the without the commitment of taking an bridge features planting known for entire stand. its Irish heritage and history while the

BLOOM 2016 PADRAIC WOODS: SHARING THE LOAD BY PADRAIC WOODS’ EXPLORES THE COMPLEX ISSUES OF MENTAL HEALTH IN IRELAND other side of the bridge will have plants seen in Chicago and used throughout the Chicago Park District Conservatories. The two sides are separated by a negative space and in using two viewing areas to observe the structure, visitors will be able to see through the bridge and notice patrons viewing from the other side.

“Serene Sanctuary”, a medium sized show garden, by Alan Coffey in association with Alan Battersby of Ashbrook Landscaping, seeks to renew the adage of the garden as a sanctuary in creating a contemplative space as a retreat from busy lives or a meeting space for family and friends. Each area of the garden will provoke different emotional and sensory responses. The dominant structure within the garden will be a wooden pergola which allows the space to be enclosed.

In the small garden category “Sharing the Load” by Padraic Woods with St. John of God Hospital and Councillors Association of Ireland, will highlight mental health awareness in Ireland and the support available. The main structure within the garden is a seesaw depicting the highs and lows associated with mental health. Oliver Schurmann, who has previously won a gold medal and best in show at Bloom, will bring “The Designer’s Backyard”, a garden that is built for a designer who lives in a built-up, urban area. It is intended to provide habitats for various plant species and house materials and ornaments from other jobs, all while making the space appear larger than it is by creating a sunken area, a water cascade and vertical layers of plants. ✽

KERRIE GARDINER,

Kerrie Gardiner CMLI BA (Hons) is a Galway based Landscape Architect who has worked on the design of commercial, public and private landscapes for over 12 years. She now divides her time between her successful design practice and her role as Bloom Show Garden Manager.