Notebook

• Now in its 11th year, Bloom Ireland, the festival of horticulture, plants and garden design features 22 show gardens, including an innovative design by Liat and Oliver Schurmann of Mount Venus Nursery that celebrates the Irish tidal landscape. 1-5 June, bloominthepark.com • Don’t miss Arne Maynard’s talk Evoking the Spirit of Place in the Gardens of Haddon in which he explains his design philosophy for the regeneration of the gardens at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. 8 June, 5.45pm, £45. haddonhall.co.uk • View sculpture from 88 artists, working in a wide range of styles and materials, exhibiting at Fresh Air, the 13th Biennial Quenington Sculpture Exhibition at Quenington Old Rectory, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. 11 June – 7 July, 10am-5pm. freshairsculpture.com • Joe Swift is giving two talks on Designing a Chelsea Gold Garden at Braxted Park in Essex on 12 June, when the gardens open for the NGS to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden. Talks at 12pm and 2pm, £10. horatiosgarden.org.uk • The venue for the third Gardens in the Wild Festival is Whitfield Gardens, Herefordshire, where formal borders have recently been re-designed by Arabella LennoxBoyd. Speakers include Sarah Price, Mary Keen and Jinny Blom. Nearby private gardens, including The Pant, Brockhampton Cottage and Nant y Bedd will open for the Festival. 24-25 June. gardensinthewild.org • Book now for a guided tour of two Somerset gardens, the Oudolf Field at Hauser & Wirth art gallery and Stavordale Priory, on 19 September. £90, including lunch at Hauser & Wirth; gardendaysout.com