What happens to the gardens after Bloom?

Our Show Gardens and Postcard Gardens are top attractions at Bord Bia Bloom each year, enjoyed by thousands of visitors over the five days of the festival. But what happens when the curtains close on another great show?  

The Bloom team remain on-site for a few weeks to breakdown all the festival’s features and garden designers and sponsors are actively encouraged to rehome their gardens in their entirety or reuse as many elements of their designs as possible. Not only does this help to ensure that the gardens are designed and built as sustainably as possible, it also gives us great joy to see these wonderful gardens live on in the community.  

Here’s what’s planned for some of this year’s Show Gardens: 

Into The Forest 

Designed by Sarah Cotterill, winner of the 2025 Cultivating Talent initiative, and sponsored by Westland Horticulture 

Many of the garden’s elements, including plants, the sculptural bench, and the mossy boulders, will be donated to the Ballina Sensory Park. This community-led project is currently in the build phase and aims to support the needs of people who are neurodivergent while also adding nature value to the local area. It is designed around a series of sensory spaces creating areas for engagement and places for introspection. 

The Grass Advantage 

Designed by Robert Moore and sponsored by the National Dairy Council 

Every element within this garden will be reused, replanted, or repurposed with immediate effect after the festival. The alder, hazel and field maple trees will be rehomed in an inspirational ancient woodland setting in Wicklow which is frequently used for educational discussions on Ireland’s native woodlands and horticulture sustainability. 

The weathered corrugated steel will be put back on the side of a dairy shed in Stamullen, County Meath. The milk churn structure will be reused as a focal point in a community garden and will promote discussion around sustainability. The stone walls and stone-pave paving will be reused in a community allotment. 

Fostering Is For You 

Designed by Pip Probert and sponsored by Tusla Fostering 

Tusla Fostering intends to redistribute the plants and shrubs in this garden to foster teams around the country. The graffiti wall will also be given a new home at one of Tusla’s fostering locations. 

The European Commission’s ‘Renewed Blooms’ Garden 

Designed by David Negus and sponsored by the European Commission (Representation in Ireland) 

Elements of this garden will be rehoused at the Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy, based in Ballymun, Dublin. 

The Estate’s Essence 

Designed by Patrik Weisser and sponsored by Abbeyleix House and Farm 

All elements of the garden will be brought back to Abbeyleix House and Farm in County Laois where they will be used to build on the gardens at the estate. 

Nourish – The Caragh Nurseries Garden 

Designed by Leonie Cornelius and sponsored by Caragh Nurseries 

Nourish garden’s plants will be relocated to Caragh Nurseries’ wellbeing garden in County Kildare after the festival, ensuring their continued growth and contribution to a nurturing environment. The furniture from Finn & Elder will be sold after the show as a limited edition set. 

How to Train Your Dragon Garden 

Designed by Tünde Perry and Barry Kavanagh and sponsored by Universal Pictures Ireland 

The planting from this garden will be used in a rewilding project after the festival. The sculpture of the character, the dragon Toothless, will be used in the marketing campaign for the film. 

The Pot Gallery Garden 

Designed by Alan Rudden and sponsored by the Alan Rudden Collection 

Everything in this garden will go on display in Alan Rudden Collection’s new showroom and studio in Dublin 15 following Bloom. 

Some Postcard Gardens will also be rehomed this year. This includes: 

The TY Sensory Transcendence which is created by Transition Year students in Our Lady of Mercy College in Beaumont, Dublin, who wanted to create a safe, accessible place where students can take a break from overwhelming environments. This important sensory garden will relocate to the school following Bloom. 

Turning Back Time in our Garden, created by the Ballyfoyle Pastoral Group, County Kilkenny, emphasises the importance of gardening with the seasons and pays homage to gardens of old which were almost self-sufficient. After Bord Bia Bloom the garden will feature in a proposed Sensory Garden in Ballyfoyle. 

More plans for this year’s gardens will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can read about our other sustainable initiatives at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 here.