Bord Bia Bloom set to return to the Phoenix Park for 2022
Postcard Garden applications now open to amateur gardening and community groups from all over Ireland
Print24 February 2022
Ireland’s favourite gardening and lifestyle festival Bord Bia Bloom is set to return to the Phoenix Park this year. Now in its sixteenth year, the festival will return to a physical event from 2 to 6 June following two successful virtual #BloomAtHome events.
With consumer spend on gardening reaching a record €1.2 billion in 2020, Bord Bia Bloom is a fantastic opportunity for the Irish horticultural industry to continue to engage with both new and experienced gardeners who embraced green spaces and gardening during successive lockdowns.
To ensure people enjoy the Bord Bia Bloom experience they know and love in a safe environment, even more event features will be outdoors in 2022 and the expected daily number of visitors to the festival will be capped. Bord Bia is encouraging the public to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment and guarantee attendance on their preferred day over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
“The festival is the perfect opportunity for the public to experience and sample the very best of Irish horticulture, food and drink directly from our world-class designers, suppliers and growers, as well as engage with important topics like sustainability, biodiversity, and mental health through beautiful floral design, expert talks and family-friendly exhibits,” said Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy. “The entire team is looking forward to welcoming both new and returning visitors back to the park for the first time in two years.”
“New gardening enthusiasts have emerged over the past two years as many people discovered the mental and physical benefits of gardening for the first time during Covid-19,” said Mike Neary, director of horticulture at Bord Bia. “With restrictions now lifted, the sector will continue to harness this increased consumer interest in gardening and what better place to do so than in the magnificent surrounds of the show gardens and horticultural features in the Phoenix Park.”
Postcard Garden
Further, gardening and community groups from all over Ireland have been invited to apply for the popular Postcard Gardens category at Bord Bia Bloom. The Postcard Gardens are small but perfectly formed 3m x 2m plots that can be used to represent a club, locality, or special person from a community.
Gardening clubs, community groups, schools and resource centres can all apply to enter a Postcard Garden and each year a wide range of themes, including mental health, climate change and children’s literature to name a few, are brought to life through the use of plants, creative design and woodwork.
Kerrie Gardiner, Bord Bia Bloom show garden manager said: “The Postcard Gardens are a personal favourite of mine! They offer aspiring gardening groups who may have honed their skills during lockdown a chance to demonstrate their talents, while also inspiring the public to get involved and experience the many benefits of gardening.”
Early bird tickets are now available to buy from bordbiabloom.com until 27 March. Providing a discount of 28% for a full price adult ticket, early bird prices range from €15 to €18 and don’t forget – two children under 16 can attend for free with each ticket.
For more information on the Postcard Gardens and to download an application form, visit BordBiaBloom.com. The closing date for applications is 2 March 2022. To stay up to date with #BordBiaBloom2022 news, sign up to the Bloom Ezine at bordbiabloom.com
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