Garden Digest: Get set for Bloom and other fun events 

Spring has well and truly sprung — check out all the garden festivals, visits, tours, talks, and campaigns

(Left to right) Laura Douglas, Bord Bia Bloom, Brand Partner, Donal Skehan, Dunnes Stores, and Ailish Drake, garden designer, announce the final line-up for Bord Bia Bloom which takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, from May 29 to June 2. Picture: Chris Bellew/Fennells

• The festival of flowers, food and fun returns to its home in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, from May 29 to June 2. Visitors to Bloom can meet 100+ of Ireland’s top food and craft drink producers at the Food Village and Bloom Inn, enjoy delicious food from plenty of food trucks, the BBQ Bliss area or Bloom’s four on-site restaurants: The Garden View Restaurant, Bistro Bloom, Country Crest Restaurant and The Seafood Terrace. New for this year is ‘A Taste of Bloom, curated by Neven’ a three-course dining experience celebrating quality Irish produce designed exclusively by chef Neven Maguire for Bloom.

(Left to right) Donal Skehan, Dunnes Stores, Laura Douglas, Bord Bia Bloom, and Alan Rudden, garden designer, announce the final line-up for Bord Bia Bloom which takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, from May 29 to June 2. Picture: Chris Bellew/Fennells

• Clonakilty Flower Club meets on Monday, April 14, at 8pm in the GAA Pavilion, Ahamilla, Clonakilty, where Breda Keohane (AOIFA) will give a teaching demonstration.
• Cork Flower Club meets on Tuesday, April 15, at 7.30pm in Douglas GAA Hall (T12 N2TH). Rose Hickey (AOIFA) will be giving us a demonstration titled “Spring into Summer”. All welcome. Visitors €5.
• Mallow Flower and Garden Club will hold an Easter floral demonstration by Jasmine O’Gorman (AOIFA) on Tuesday, April 15, at 7pm in Mallow College of FET. Non-members welcome, admission €8.
• Conna and District Flower and Garden Club presents Nora Gallagher (AOIFA) with ‘Easter Delights’ at 8pm on Wednesday, April 16, in Conna Hall. Admission is €15, including refreshments, a plant sale, a raffle and a sales table.
• The Lough Flower and Garden Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary with lunch followed by a floral demonstration by Melanie Harris (AOIFA) on Saturday, April 26, at 1pm. Venue: Sunday’s Well Boating and Tennis Club, Mardyke. Tickets €50. Contact: 086-3307975.
• Bord Bia Bloom has announced its final line-up for this year’s festival, with homegrown heroes Donal Skehan, Diarmuid Gavin, Neven Maguire, Darina Allen, rising star Aishling Moore, Holly White, award-winning designers Alan Rudden, Leonie Cornelius, Ailish Drake, garden expert Jimi Blake and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost among the faces appearing over the Bloom bank holiday weekend. Bloom provides visitors with countless opportunities to grow, taste and learn with over 100 talks, demos and performances.

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