Altar
Jack Donovan
Garden Sponsor
About the garden - Concept garden
This garden by Bord Bia Bloom’s 2026 Cultivating Talent winner, Jack Donovan, explores the idea of landscape colonisation. It is inspired by French garden designer and botanist, Gilles Clément’s concept of spontaneous vegetation and the resilience of plants that establish in disturbed ground. The design celebrates the ecological processes through which nature reclaims overlooked spaces.
A fractured ground plane and rammed earth base evoke disturbance and exposure of the soil profile, while a predominantly native planting palette demonstrates early ecological succession. A timber pavilion incorporating bat habitats offers refuge for wildlife and a quiet focal point for visitors.
This concept garden highlights how biodiversity can emerge through minimal intervention and thoughtful use of natural materials.
About the Designer
Jack Donovan
Jack Donovan is the 2026 winner of Bloom’s Cultivating Talent programme, which provides one rising star in horticulture with an opportunity to design their first Show Garden at the festival. He is an emerging architectural, landscape and spatial designer, with work spanning across architecture and set design for large-scale events.
Jack’s work explores the relationship between built form and ecological processes, with a particular interest in non-human actors and landscape succession. Drawing on the theories of Gilles Clément, his approach focuses on natural processes and how landscapes evolve over time. His designs aim to feel both intentional and naturally established.
Designer Information
