WEXFORD TO BLOOM AT FESTIVAL
A GROUP of Wexford women have been invited to create a small, but perfectly formed garden at this year’s Bloom Festival, the equivalent of the Ploughing Championships for urban dwellers.
‘ The Postcard Garden consists of 2m x 3m plots where people can create a showpiece representing their work or organisation,’ said Marian Donegan, Project Coordinator of the ACCESS 2000 Community Development Project.
The garden will be one of seven creations by Wexford garden designers, nurseries and floral artists included in the line-up for Bloom 2017.
‘Our garden is entitled “Nurture to Nature the pathway to Wonder”,’ said Marian, who said that for the past five years, those on a horticultural course run by ACCESS 2000 have been receiving complimentary tickets to visit the Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park, but never imagined they would be exhibiting at it.
‘For some of these women it would be their biggest annual outing. Part of this festival is the Bloom Postcard Community Garden, where community projects are invited to submit an application to design, produce and erect their own garden.
‘So because of their enthusiasm for this event, in March of this year women from our horticulture course and various craft groups came together to complete and submit an Application to Bord Bia for the Postcard Community Garden for the Bloom in the Park Garden Festival.
‘Imagine our surprise when we were chosen! Only seven projects are selected ever year for this event. This show is one of the largest garden shows in Europe and is actually akin to the Ploughing Championships for urban dwellers. It achieves attendances of up to 90,000 per day,’ Marian told this newspaper.
Marian said the design for the postcard garden will symbolise what the organisation is about – women supporting each other in friendship and learning and the individual and personal growth that blossoms from that participation and involvement.
‘ This is a very prestigious event and a huge achievement for the women and it can bring enormous personal satisfaction, personal growth and a wonderful sense of achievement,’ said Marian.
‘ACCESS receives no funding for this particular type of project and we will be appealing to the business people of Wexford to support us and so far we have verbal commitments of up to €3,000,’ she said.
Bloom 2017,which takes place from June 1 to 5, will feature 22 show gardens created by award winning garden designers.
The other Wexford exhibitors taking part are: * Seamus Furlong, originally from Ballinabola, who founded Brennan | Furlong Architects & Urban Planners with friend Gareth Brennan in 2015. For Bloom 2017, he has teamed up with Tricia Harris, a furniture designer creating unique, contemporary, design-led furniture to create the ‘A Space to Collaborate’ urban garden. This garden will be a creative sanctuary which is focussed on its inhabitants and the interaction that is fostered through collaboration. * Les Knowles from County Wexford Garden & Flower Club will create the ‘Caoga Bliain as Fás - Fifty Years a Growing’ garden which pays homage to the cottage gardens of 50 years ago, incorporating the traditional Wexford colours of purple and gold The Floral & Nursery Pavilion will be brimming with flowers and plants from more than 30 of the very best plant nurseries in Ireland. Exhibitors from Wexford include: * Kilmurry Nursery, Gorey * Landbarn Nursery, Gorey * Springmount Garden Centre, Gorey
The Botanical and Floral Art Exhibition will display in excess of 50 pieces of inspiring art and Anne McLeod from Wexford will be among the exhibitors in the floral art category. The AOIFA Floral Art Stage will be home to over 38 exhibits from some of Ireland’s top floral artists including Elizabeth Kenny, from Enniscorthy.