Garden festival continues to evolve and innovate, says President

Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan admitted yesterday a lot of work needed to be done to reassure the public that lessons had been learned. Last week, the Policing Authority expressed “unease” at garda culture and management in the wake of the O’Higgins Report into allegations of malpractice in the force.

Bandon is abloom — from today the town’s main street will be festooned with hanging baskets and window boxes full of summer blossoms.

Discussions on the future of the food industry, featuring more than 30 experts, will form a new addition to next week’s Bloom Festival in Dublin thanks to the Grow It Yourself movement.

The Irish Food Writers’ Guild announced the annual selection of the best of Irish producers and food heroes.

A talk by Mary Angela Keane, historical geographer, on ‘Springtime in the Burren’ takes place on April 9 at Ashton School at 8pm.

Lots of hardy annuals at Ireland’s biggest garden festival got a good watering yesterday.

Summer waited for Ireland’s biggest garden festival to unfurl yesterday.

A naked man has been arrested outside Orlando Bloom's home, it has emerged.

Ireland’s biggest garden festival is a feast for the senses, President Michael D Higgins declared when he opened Bloom 2012 yesterday.

For Darina Allen it’s the pond at the end of her garden, for Donal Skehan and Trevor Sargent it’s their vegetable plots, and for Peter Kelly it’s his polythene tunnel. Ahead of Bloom, Áilín Quinlan peeks over the fence into the gardens and personal oases of four well-known Irish faces.

THE sky’s the limit, the Earth is the canvas, natural materials are the tools and the imagination is the architect.

A 29-YEAR-OLD office manager from Lucan, Co Dublin, mixed high street fashion with tasteful accessories to win the best dressed lady award at a sun drenched Bloom ’09, the country’s premier gardening showpiece.

THE flowering beauty of Bloom 2007 will be used this weekend to help participants in the Dublin mini-marathon relax.