It’s 10 out of 10 for Bloom competitors
WICKLOW’S GARDEN DESIGNERS AND FLORAL ARTISTS WIN 10 MEDALS AT POPULAR FESTIVAL
THE MEDALS have blossomed again at Bloom for competitors from the Garden County.
In all, ten medals have been won by garden designers and floral artists from Co Wicklow at the prestigious festival in the Phoenix Park over the June bank holiday weekend.
Ashford landscape designer John Durston is the county’s sole winner of a coveted gold medal for his showgarden ‘Nature’s Resurgence’. Created in partnership with Ria Organics, the garden is designed to encapsulate and present the ethos and values of its skincare sponsor.
The showgarden’s circular form represents society’s return to nature as a source of goodness and healing, while the inclusion of salvaged materials reflects modern day life’s constant struggle for balance and equilibrium. A ripple effect is created by a series of layers moving outwards from the garden’s centre. The subtle use of water adds to the sensory experience while the brash use of rusted metal highlights the beauty that remains in reclaimed materials.
Tunde Szentesi is taking home not one, but two medals from this year’s Bloom festival. The Kilcoole-based landscape artist won a silver-gilt medal for her ‘My Land, Your Land – Ireland’ showgarden, created in collaboration with Agri Aware. The garden brings the story of Ireland’s agri-food industry to life, telling the story of the Irish agriculture and food through a farm to fork circle. The garden tips its hat at a number of farming practices, including the grass-fed dairy and beef system and horticulture. Traditional hedgerow wildflowers are also included, as are references to water conservation and composting.
As co-designer of the ‘Marie Keating Foundation Heroes of Hope Garden’ with Paul Dunne, Tunde is also bringing home a silver medal from this year’s festival. The garden aims to raise awareness of the key cancers affecting men as well as highlighting the fact that more and more men are surviving cancer. The garden has flowers in all different shades of blue and the crossword theme portrays the key words and messages representing the cancer journey.
Clive Jones of landscape company Newtown Saunders in Baltinglass, is a fellow silver medal winner, thanks to his ‘Dementia Friendly Garden – an idea that’s a first for Bloom. Clive is part of the design team along with Tom Grey, a research fellow at TrinityHaus, and Sinead Grennan from Sonas apc. The dementia friendly garden features a clever use of layout, planting and customised garden fittings to create an attractive, safe and therapeutic outdoor space designed to tap into a person’s retained skills, abilities, interests and memories.
Hugh Ryan, a landscape designer from Aughrim, and his showgarden ‘Stem Cell’ come away from Bloom with a bronze medal. The garden refers to Ireland’s monastic tradition of the ‘cell’, which is seen as a retreat from the world. Creating a modern retreat with stems (i.e. plants), Hugh has exploded the walls of the cell and rearranged them to give a semi-enclosed space where screening is provided by both walls and plants.
A number of floral artists were also celebrating success when the medal winners were announced last Thursday.
Carol Bone from Bray received a gold medal for her A.O.I.F.A Floral Art Competition submission ‘Perfectly Formed’.
Holly Somerville from Baltinglass received a gold medal for her Botanical Art entry ‘Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Black Tulip’’ and a silver medal for her Botanical Art entry ‘ Turning’.
Lynn Stringer from Kilcoole was another double-medal winner receiving a silver-gilt medal for her Botanical Art entry ‘Rosebay Willowherb/Chamerion angustifolium’ and a bronze medal for her Botanical Art entry ‘Moss Rose ‘William Lobb’’.
The judging panel for Bloom 2017 comprised of 14 Irish and international horticultural experts, who awarded more than 100 awards to show garden designers, amateur postcard garden designers; nurseries and floral artists including 28 Gold, 18 Silver Gilt, 21 Silver and 21 Bronze medals.