Gardens and Horticulture
Bord Bia Bloom is a horticulture, food, and drink experience with nature and sustainable living at its heart. Read more about garden, horticulture and sustainability initiatives.
Show Gardens
The show gardens are the heart and soul of Bord Bia Bloom. They bring some of Ireland’s most talented designers together to create spectacular gardens that not only illustrate how to make the most of your outdoor spaces, but also shine a spotlight on some of the most important issues of our times. The impact of climate change and making better use of the outdoors also feature as recurring themes.
Previous show gardens
Postcard Gardens
Our small but perfectly formed Postcard Gardens are one of the most popular visitor attractions at Bord Bia Bloom each year. Created by amateur gardeners from community groups, schools, and training groups from across Ireland, they showcase their locality or highlight the issues that matter to them. They are proof that size doesn’t matter when it comes to creating wonderful outdoor spaces!
Previous postcard gardens
Cultivating Talent
In a bid to support the next generation of garden designers and horticulture professionals, Bord Bia Bloom launched Cultivating Talent, a new initiative to bring one newcomer to Bloom, last autumn. The programme provides financial support and one-to-one mentoring to an emerging designer, helping them to design and deliver their first show garden at the festival.
Cultivating talent
Garden Stage in association with Nature Safe by Hygeia
At the outdoor Garden Stage, sponsored by Nature Safe by Hygeia, you will find plenty of advice to help you create your own show garden at home. Fiann Ó Nualláin, the Holistic Gardener, returns to host the stage programme again this year and as well as his MC duties, he will also share his knowledge on the therapeutic benefits of gardening and nature.
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Eat Well Garden
See a range of seasonal crops, enjoy cookery demonstrations using fresh local fruit and vegetables and watch practical organic gardening demonstrations at the Eat Well Garden, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
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The Conservation Area and Sustainable Living Stage
The Conservation Area is an important feature within Bord Bia Bloom, providing and empowering space where visitors can meet with leading conservationists and environmentalists and learn how we can all take action to improve the world around us.
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Sculpture in the Park
The annual Sculpture in the Park feature garden, which is designed and curated by The Kildare Gallery and sponsored by Currys, provides visitors with an opportunity to interact with the best of Irish outdoor art in a tranquil garden setting. In 2023, Sculpture in the Park featured a special sculpture from the winner of the Currys Garden Sculpture Competition alongside striking pieces from accomplished Irish artists. The Currys Garden Sculpture Competition is open to budding sculptors who are undertaking Post Leaving Certificate creative courses or apprenticeships in Ireland. It challenges them to create a sculpture from recycled waste electrical and electrical equipment (WEEE). By working with WEEE materials, sculptors can encourage the viewer to question sustainability in today’s world. The winning sculpture is displayed in the Sculpture in the Park feature garden.
Sculpture in the Park
AOIFA Floral Exhibit
Helen Battigan, Frances Cosgrave, Brigid Kinsella, Mary Somers, Jill Swift and Margaret Woodbyrne from County Wexford Garden and Flower Club created 2023's feature exhibit for the Association of Irish Floral Artists (AOIFA) in the nursery village at Bord Bia Bloom. Their installation is inspired by the theme of “High Rise Living” and how vertical gardens of living walls, planted balconies and window boxes can transform urban areas and improve quality of life. The exhibit will feature succulents and greenery from their own gardens along with Irish-grown flowers from the Flower Farmers of Ireland.
OPW Victorian Walled Kitchen Gardens
Bord Bia Bloom visitors can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden next to the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre. This formal garden was originally part of the Under Secretary’s Demesne and later the Papal Nuncio’s residence and was used to supply fresh fruit and vegetables to these households. It has been restored by the Office of Public Works in recent years and contains colourful summer planting that is worth viewing during your visit to Bloom.
