Ireland has been Blooming this weekend as the country's largest gardening event enjoys its seventh year. The Bloom gardening festival has become one of the most anticipated events in the Dublin calendar with almost 80,000 visitors enjoying the show gardens, workshops and advice on offer at Phoenix Park.
This year the 28 show gardens set a particularly high standard, with top honours going to Gerard Mullen from Dungarvan, Co. Waterford for his modern evocation of the wetland habitats of the Comeragh Mountains of Waterford.
Best Medium Garden was Jane McCorkell's edible garden 'Love to Grow', while best Concept Garden was won by Paul Martin's 'Concern Worldwide 1000 Days Garden', exploring how to break the cycle of poverty. In the Floral Marquee, best nursery display went to Mount Venus Nursery of Dublin.
You can recreate the look of your favourite show gardens long after the show has ended, too. Look out for the 'It's Garden Time – Create the Bloom Look' banner now in garden centres around the country and you'll find plants featured at the show to create a little bit of Bloom in your own garden.
Bloom 2013 runs from 30 May until 3 June, and tickets are available from bloominthepark.com.
