The ‘Future In Mind’ Garden
Joe Eustace
Garden Sponsor
About the garden - Medium garden
The ‘Future In Mind’ Garden embodies a shift toward a mental health system that is welcoming, safe, inclusive, and integrated into everyday community life. It represents Ireland’s transition from institutional mental health care to a trauma-informed, recovery-focused, community-based system.
A fractured concrete wall symbolises the high grey asylum walls of the past, now breaking apart. From this, a gentle water rill flows, creating a calming presence and representing the movement away from institutional care toward community-based support. The water weaves through soft planting and subtle level changes, guiding visitors to a central space that places the individual at the heart of the garden. Here, a simple seating area offers a place to pause, reflect, and connect.
The garden reflects the Mental Health Commission’s role over the past 20 years in regulating inpatient services and its growing responsibility in shaping standards for community care and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
About the Designer
Joe Eustace
Joe Eustace, co-founder at Online Garden Designs, won the inaugural Bord Bia Bloom Cultivating Talent programme in 2023, and has participated in Bloom every year since.
The 24-year-old has worked on numerous projects both in the private and public sphere, nationally and internationally. In 2025 he was named on the ‘Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation’ list as a promising young designer.
Joe’s passion for aesthetics and ecology drives his design, creating outdoor spaces for both people, and the environment, to enjoy.
About the Sponsor
The Mental Health Commission is the independent statutory body responsible for promoting, encouraging, and fostering high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services. It inspects approved centres and works to safeguard the rights of service users.
What is planned for this garden after Bloom?
The steel water troughs will be upcycled into linear planting beds, allowing for planting to be grown following the festival. Plants will be reused in other gardens.
Designer Information
