Bord Bia has announced that Ireland’s gardening festival Bloom is back in the Phoenix Park in Dublin over the June bank holiday weekend. Now in its 16th year, the festival returns to a physical event after two virtual #BloomAtHome events. With consumer spend on gardening reaching a record €1.2 billion in 2020, Bloom is a major event for Irish horticulturists.
Entries are now open to gardening and local groups across Ireland to apply for the postcard gardens at Bloom. These gardens are small, 3m x 2m plots that can be used to represent a club, locality or a special person from a community. Each year themes like mental health, climate change and children’s literature are brought to life using plants and woodwork.
Bloom was created by Bord Bia in 2007 to provide a showcase for Ireland’s indigenous horticulture, food and drink industry. The event attracts around 110,000 visitors. Created by Ireland’s top garden designers, the show gardens are the centrepiece of Bloom. Visitors can also find Irish plants, garden products and design in the Floral & Nursery Pavilion.
Above: President Michael D Higgins in one of the show gardens at Bord Bia’s Bloom festival
