Coming into Bloom this summer

Peter Dowdall looks forward to the world of wonder that awaits all ages at Bloom 2018.

Last week I faced a new challenge, I had to transform three gardens in three counties in three days.

It was a bit of a tall order but in fact it turned out that the most difficult part of the challenge was organising the logistics — ensuring that plants and materials got to the right location at the right time, not to mention trying to remember where I was supposed to be.

It was a week that I enjoyed immensely — because what I was doing wasn’t big budget great gardens but the opposite — I was living by my word.

I am constantly espousing that even the smallest and seemingly most unusable of areas can be ‘greened’ and to do this does not take any huge level of skill or knowledge.

As was the case with two of the three areas in question, they were pretty bleak and grim completely enclosed urban spaces.

The importance of turning these areas into gardens cannot be overstated for in city centre locations promoting and encouraging any kind of biodiversity is vitally important for insect life and, in particular, the pollinators such as bees and hoverflies, who have far less to feed on than in rural locations. Birds have fewer places in which to nest and so too with other wildlife which may be about.

The other values of having a garden, such as the mental health benefits and opportunity to grow our own food, are also lost from us when we live in concrete cubes. The good news is that even a small bit of soil and plant life will give us these benefits which are so crucial in our lives.

The areas which I revamped were all part of a Bord na Móna Growise competition, the purpose of which was to highlight the potential that lies in even the smallest of spaces. Through social media voting, a winner will be picked and elements of that garden will be recreated in Bloom this year.

Ireland’s horticultural showcase exhibition takes place once more in the Phoenix Park in Dublin and even though it may feel like we have only just begun to enjoy the spring, such was the cold and wet weather we endured until recently, the weather looks good for Bloom, which takes place next weekend, running from the 31st May to the 4th June.

The jewel in the crown of Bloom, which is organised by Bord Bia, are the show gardens created by leading garden designers worth some €1 million (accounting for plants, materials, sponsorship and labour etc). These magnificent works of art have become an engaging, colourful platform for many organisations to communicate strong health and charitable messages.

For 2018 these include ‘Moments in Time: Dementia Understand Together’ a multi-sensory garden for dementia sufferers; ‘A SunSmart Garden’ to raise awareness of skin cancer by the Marie Keating Foundation designed by the UK based ‘Hairy Gardeners’; the ‘Enable Ireland Beyond Boundaries Garden’ which caters for people of varying abilities; the ‘No Limits – GOAL’s Garden For Women’ which highlights the issue of gender inequality in the developing world; and Trócaire’s ‘Peaceful Resistance’ garden representing the plight of Human Rights and Environmental Defenders.

Eoin Marks (8), Anthony McCabe (6), Lee Weldon (9), Megan Infangir (9), and Paul Gore (11), who attend Phoenix Park Specialist School pictured in preparation for Ireland’s first nurture garden at Bloom 2018.

In a nod to popular culture, UniversalStudios will host a Greek-style garden inspired by ABBA songs to celebrate the cinema launch of Mamma Mia, Here we go again! while Woodies will celebrate 30 years in Ireland with a garden which chronicles pivotal points in Ireland’s social and cultural evolution in the ‘Moving Statues to Marriage Equality’ garden.

The challenges of urban living and the need for access to outdoor space and cycle routes will be explored by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council’s ‘DLR-Fernhill — An Exercise in Sustainability’ garden and ‘The Greener Way for Fingal’ by Fingal County Council, while BIM’s ‘Sustainable Seafood Garden’ will tell the story of the journey from tide to table of the fish and seafood that surround and inhabit our island.

Another matter very close to my heart is the need to educate children from a young age about the joy of gardening and I am delighted to see that the ‘Budding Bloomers’ children’s area will host a vibrant mixture of family-friendly features to keep children of all ages entertained and active in an effort to play, learn and grow at Bloom.

I will be speaking on the Garden Expert stage at the show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursday and Friday at 12.30pm, I will give a demonstration aimed exclusively at kids. No adults welcome unless of course, you allow the child within you to take over!

‘A World of Wonder Awaits’ is my working title for what I will be hoping to talk to the kids about and I can’t wait, do please bring along any of your smallies on those days if you’re about.

Later on each day and on Saturday I’ll have to remember that I’m an adult once more and I’ll be speaking about plant combinations and how to use plants to get the best out of your garden.

In addition to the show gardens and the Garden Expert Stage, there will be a large number of floral installations and gardening features including 13 postcard gardens designed by community groups.

The Floral & NurseryPavilion will be brimming with flowers and plants from more than 30 of the best plant nurseries in Ireland along with the AOIFA Floral Art Stage; a Botanical & Floral Art Exhibition; and the Office of Public Works’ Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden located at the centre of the site, which will allow visitors learn about the design and layout of this traditional garden structure.