Credit crunch fails to dampen Bloom

BLOOM, the country’s premier gardening and lifestyle event, which opened in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, yesterday, aims to banish the doom and gloom of the economic recession for thousands of green fingered visitors – at least for the Bank Holiday weekend.

The five days of flowers, food and family fun, organised by Bord Bia, includes 28 show gardens, an artisan food market, a floral pavilion and other attractions.

But there was no escaping the impact of the credit crunch as many of the colourful gardens and exciting exhibits were designed with the changed economic circumstances in mind.