Bloom Day 1 Review: Buzz is back as local exhibitors medal

The Return to Hallowed Ground for the Gardener. The Bloom Girls - Sinead and Alicia Kavanagh report for the Meath Chronicle

Day 1 of Bord Bia Bloom 2022, was all we hoped it would be. The wonderful buzz at the box office, was indicative of the hive of excitement, awaiting the first visitors to the annual Irish horticultural, food and beverage festival. Sporting a slightly new look with the introduction of the now outdoor nursery village and separate floral art exhibition from AOIFA, this year’s Bloom has been a couple of years coming.

RTÉ Super Garden

First things first, down in the Show Gardens we had the chance to see Super Garden 2020 winner Mark Hoey’s ‘Reflection’ garden. Mark’s design was inspired by a family loss and his garden was a personal labour of love. In a shift to previous year’s, this year’s winning Super Garden was right next door. Designer Mary Anne Faranden created the ‘Enchanted Playground’ for the Devine family in Kells, Co. Meath, inspired by their desire for a fairy-themed festival vibe. It was lovely to see these two medal winners enjoy the wonderfully positive reactions from the public, side-by-side.

Meath-based designer Jane McCorkell brought her Dream Garden to Bloom, which was one of two (also see Nicola Raines’) which were specially commissioned for visitors to be able to emulate at home. The lockdowns created a renewed, and in some cases brand new, sense of love for our private outdoor spaces. Realising that for those of us who have gardens, yards, and balconies, this is indeed an extension of the home. Many have embraced nature fully, to create a space of health and wellbeing that benefits us hugely during challenging times. It’s well worth a viewing, and don’t forget to say ‘hi’ to Jane if you see her in situ.

The medals are awarded on the morning of Day 1 and then the judges deliver important feedback to the designers and exhibitors. The festival is also officially opened by An Uachtarain, Michael D. Higgins and Sabina Higgins, so things are a bit busy throughout the day.

Other Areas

Remember it’s not just the show gardens that receive the coveted accolades. The nursery designers, floral artists, and others are vying for those all-important Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Gilt medals too. There are the also the commended or highly commended honours such as in the Postcard Garden area. Any award from the judges at Bloom are well deserved and highly prized. Several the judges, like newly appointed RHS Ambassador Mark Gregory, have even travelled from Chelsea to celebrate the best of Irish with us.

Nursery Village exhibitor Boyne Garden Centre and Nursery, run by Aileen Muldoon and her immensely supportive family including husband Frank, took yet another Gold from the judges. This makes a grand total of 12 gold medals for her beautiful Irish grown and lovingly nurtured plants, 9 of which are from Bloom!

Kells-born artist Betty Newman Maguire who now works from her studio in Carnaross, is exhibiting her piece ‘The Couple’ in the stunningly curated, outdoor gallery that is the Sculpture Garden. Betty’s use of the hugely symbolic oak leave in her artistry of this piece, makes it even more special, especially to use as we revere the oak tree and its beauty.

Food & Beverages

The Bloom Girls hosted a national coffee morning for female professional business owners’ organisation Network Ireland and Áine Lawlor and Marty Morrissey came by for a chat with us. Did anyone see the group on the RTÉ Bloom Special?

We managed to say a quick hello to most of our Meath business owners, however the longer chats will need to wait a day or two. In the Fresh Produce Market are Clarke’s Fresh Fruit, Finnegan’s Farm and in the Bloom Inn, Boann Distilleries have cocktails for those getting into full festival mode.

Visiting

Bloom is a full day festival opening at 9am and closing at 6pm. As you can imagine, traffic can become a bit congested, so the longer you leave it to get there, you will spend time in queues which eats into your time to explore. We recommend being there for 9am and grabbing a cuppa and something nice as you leave at 6pm, to enjoy in the carpark while the immediate rush peters off.