Bloom, Ireland's largest and most spectacular gardening showcase, hosted by Bord Bia, gave visitors a voice as they voted in their thousands for their favourite garden. "A Taste of Memory" was today awarded the People's Choice Award. Garden designers Bernadette and Eamon Doran from Wexford were delighted with the win, coupled with the accolade of Garden Designers Choice Award they received the previous day. "A Taste of Memory" is based on the idea of a ‘grandmother's garden', one where memories are fondly reminisced.
Some 50,000 visitors swarmed to the Phoenix Park over the June Bank Holiday weekend, meeting Bord Bia's targets for the event, ensuring a win for Bloom in its inaugural year. Despite some bad weather the crowds were undeterred as they rooted themselves in Dublins' most famous park, gathering ideas from the inspirational gardens, enjoying the entertainment and sampling some of Ireland's finest food and drink. Bloom is now set to become an annual event in the heart of Dublin.
"As Bloom enters its final day and the crowds are still arriving, it is safe to say that this showcase has surpassed all expectations. Bord Bia is delighted with the phenomenal success. It is my belief that Bloom will enrich the Irish summer for many years to come" commented Aidan Cotter, CEO, Bord Bia.
"I would like to give a special thanks to our premium sponsors, Keelings, Tesco, Fáilte Ireland and Pfizer and also to OPW for allowing us the use of the Phoenix Park, a stunning setting for an event of this scale. Congratulations to all our award winners, from medal winners in the Show Gardens to those in the Nursery and Floral Pavilion and of course the Gardeners Choice and People's Choice award winners. Our garden designers and exhibitors have excelled this year and are the undeniable heroes of Bloom 2007. It will be most interesting to see how this high standard can be built upon next year" added Mr Cotter.
Orla Woods from Kilmurry Nursery, Co Wexford and coordinator of the Nursery and Floral Pavilion commented on the huge crowds arriving on a daily basis "many of the exhibitors travelled through the night, to the four corners of the country in order to collect more stock to keep up with the demand from Bloom visitors, who all wanted a piece of Bloom to take home".
Over 300 people were involved in the logistics of running Bloom and the onsite build began thirty six days ago. Despite the stunning setting of the Phoenix Park, in order to transform the 70 acres of parkland into a premier gardening experience, plenty of materials were shipped in. These included 22 tonnes of bark mulch, over 72,000 litres of water, 300 running metres of car park track and 300 metres of walkway, 120 temporary toilets, 10 power generators, a temporary mobile phone mast, 5 lighting towers, the creation of 3,000 carpark spaces and even 2 bridges from World War II to allow visitors to drive over a moat to gain access to the car parks at different locations.
Bloom has also been a launch pad for a few horticultural newcomers, including a lavender on display at Paul Martin's "A Tuscan Paradise" garden that has never been seen before in this country, Oliver and Liat Schurmann's "Infinity" garden used a one-of-a-kind grass and Paul and Orla Woods in the Floral Pavilion have included the Camanula-Blue Bloomers, grown only by Kilmurry Nurseries.
Bloom is a timely event with the horticulture sector growing by 71% in the past four years, reflecting Irish consumers' spending habits, their move outdoors and investment in all associated aspects of gardening.
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For further information or a spokesperson on Bloom 2007, please contact:
Rosaleen O'Shaughnessy, Corporate Communications, Bord Bia
01 614 2245