Blooming success for Wexford
County Wexford picked up several medals at the Bloom flower and food festival which drew an estimated 120,000 visitors to the Phoenix Park over the recent bank holiday weekend.
County Wexford Garden & Flower Club won a Best in Show Award for their postcard garden entitled ‘Caoga Bliain ag Fás -Fifty Years a Growing’ depicting a rural garden which was one of 13 small but perfectly-formed gardens created by passionate amateur gardeners from all over the country.
The entry paid homage to the cottage gardens of 50 years ago and incorporated the traditional county colours of purple and gold.
The Garden & Flower Club was joined by NCCWN/ACCESS 2000 Community Development Project in Wexford whose ‘Nurture and Nature the Path to Wonder’ postcard garden received a Certificate of Distinction.
Seamus Furlong, a native of Ballinaboola and a co-founder of Brennan/Furlong Architects and Urban Planners was also celebrating as his show garden ‘A Space to Collaborate’ which was co-designed with Tricia Harris and sponsored by Chocolate Factory Collective, received a Silver Medal.
The urban garden was designed as a creative sanctuary providing the inhabitants with a multi-sensory experience.
Two Gorey garden centres Kilmurry Nursery and Springmount Garden Centre both won a coveted Gold Medal in the Nursery Garden category of the Bord Bia Bloom Festival.
Artist Elizabeth Kenny from Enniscorthy won a Bronze Medal in the AOIFA Floral Art Competition for her painting High Summer while Wexford watercolourist Anne McLeod won two Bronze Medals in the Botanical and Floral Art category for her paintings Apple Blossom and Primroses.
Meanwhile, the Gorey-based artist Kate Cos joined in the celebrations by Fingal County Council and Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown whose garden representing Fingal won a bronze medal in the show garden category.
Kate spent two days painting a massive mural as a backdrop to the winning garden at the request of the garden architect Jane McCorkell.
The judging panel for Bloom 2017 comprised 14 Irish and international horticultural experts. The annual event attracted a constant stream of visitors from all corners of Ireland during the weekend.