While some people go to Bord Bia’s Bloom festival for food and family fun, I go for the plants and gardens. One of my favourite things to do is to talk around the show gardens early in the morning and break apart the planting (not literally that would be frowned on!) and find elements of gardens which would work in my own garden.
While all the show gardens are fantastic and I would love to have nearly everyone from this year as my own garden but it is not really possible. To have one of these gardens you would really have to restart your garden from scratch. This is why I break apart the gardens and find elements of my favourites that would work with what I already have in my garden.
The really great thing about Bloom is that once you have found the plant or combination of plants you like you can go to the Floral Marquee or Plant Village and often find the very nursery that supplied the plants to the garden. You also have the added bonus of being able to talk to the growers and find out all the information that you need.
This year at Bloom there were a few plants which really stood out and that I think will prove very popular this summer in gardens around the country.
Lupins
Lupins have gone in and out of fashion over the past few years but this year they really had a resurgence in popularity appearing in a number of different show gardens. Karen Butler used them very well in her garden and showed how they can not only be a very beautiful flower but structural too.
Foxgloves
Foxgloves are a very underrated flower in my eyes so I was happy to see them featured heavily in Jane McCorkells garden this year and then popping up in a number of different floral displays around the show. Foxgloves are a great plant for any garden and when left alone can self-seed through a flower bed to great effect.
Fuchsia
Fuchsias are always a massive hit at Bloom thanks to the giant fuchsia wall just inside the main entrance to the Grand Pavilion. While fuchsias in general are a very good shrub for a garden this year there were a number of different coloured varieties on display which caught my eye. Fuchsia Pink Galore was just one which offered something different with its pale pink flowers.
Alliums
Just like fuchsias Alliums always have a strong presence at Bloom. This year however they had a strong presence in a few gardens and displays around the show. Alliums are quickly becoming one of the most have plants in the gardening world and I think it is a trend that people should jump on as they are a very interesting flower which can help lift a lack lustre border.
My Name is David Corscadden and I have just finished my degree in horticulture from UCD. I have a keen interest in wildlife friendly gardens or as I like to call them “Wild Gardens”. I have in the last year taken a u-turn in what I thought I would do after college. I have moved more in to the literature side of horticulture and plan to do a masters in journalism next year.
Source: Beyond The Wild Garden – Plant Highlights From Bloom
