With just two weeks to go until the gates open, organisers of Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s most celebrated festival of gardening, food, and sustainable living, have announced the full details of this year’s stunning Show Gardens at the heart of the show. Bord Bia Bloom Show Garden designers are currently putting the finishing touches on 21 magnificent gardens which communicate a range of important issues while demonstrating how to nurture wildlife, encourage biodiversity and protect the local environment. The gardening showcase, in conjunction with over 300 live talks, demos and workshops, promises to offer attendees another spectacular experience over five days in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Laura Douglas, Head of Bloom and Brand Partnerships at Bord Bia, said, “Bord Bia Bloom is all about celebrating nature, gardening, and the fresh products our land provides. Protecting our environment connects everything we do at the festival—from the amazing Show Gardens to the talks, workshops, and other activities designed to inspire and educate visitors. We’re thrilled to see this year’s gardens take shape, offering practical ideas for people’s own gardens, raising awareness about important issues, and sparking creativity. There’s truly something for everyone!”
Key Themes for 2025 Bord Bia Bloom Show Gardens
A number of gardens this year are intended to provide safe, nurturing, and engaging spaces for children such as those by Tusla Fostering and Make-A-Wish Ireland in association with The Smurfit Westrock Foundation. Others are demonstrating innovative design solutions with ideas for downsizing, balcony gardening, and incorporating naturalistic planting from Citroën Ireland, Alan Rudden Collection, Bord Bia, Abbeyleix House and Farm and Caragh Nurseries.
Environmental awareness is also a keen focus with gardens from the European Commission and Repak highlighting sustainability, circular economy principles, and waste management; while others are celebrating Ireland’s diverse food landscape, such as those by Kerrygold, GIY Ireland, Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Gardens sponsored by the Marie Keating Foundation and Decision Support Service will focus on promoting awareness of proactive health planning and prevention while joyful and creative gardens will engage and inspire visitors including the ‘How to Train your Dragon’ garden from Universal Ireland, and a garden made entirely of Lego bricks!
Crowds
The Buzz for Gardening Enthusiasts at Bloom
In addition to the Show Gardens, Bloom will once again welcome 11 pop-up Postcard Gardens, supported by Tirlán CountryLife, which are built in one day by community groups and schools across Ireland. These showcase the importance of gardening sustainably and the soothing power of nature.
Seventeen plant nurseries and floral artists will exhibit in the Nursery Village, in association with Elite Garden Products, where visitors can meet growers and representatives, while purchasing quality, specialist plants.
A number of new horticultural features will also be introduced to the festival this year. These include the Botanical Hub which will host live demonstrations and hands-on workshops on a range of topics, and Ask the Expert Tree Clinic, in association with Crann – Trees for Ireland where visitors can ask Crann’s tree experts for advice. Popular features return such as Westland Horticulture’s Potting Shed, The Plant Créche and Ask the Expert Plant Clinic.
Food, Family and Sustainable Living Features
Bord Bia Bloom offers food, shopping, entertainment, sustainable living talks and demos, crafts, kid’s activities and much, much more! With so much to see and do, Bord Bia is encouraging visitors to plan their day in advance by visiting bordbiabloom.com.
To discover the full event programme, visit bordbiabloom.com or follow @bordbiabloom on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.
Show Gardens 2025
1. Fostering Is For You, designed by Pip Probert and sponsored by Tusla Fostering. It features a “safe haven”, offering interactive play and cosy nooks where children can bond and grow.
2. The Make-A-Wish Garden of Hope, designed by Linda McKeown and sponsored by Make-A-Wish Ireland in association with The Smurfit Westrock Foundation, provides a rich sensory experience that creates an atmosphere of tranquillity and possibility.
3. The Citroën Downsizers’ Garden, designed by Louise Checa and sponsored by Citroën Ireland, which provides inspiration for those downsizing their homes and gardens.
4. The Pot Gallery Garden, designed by Alan Rudden and sponsored by the Alan Rudden Collection, which demonstrates how freestanding and vertical pots can green spaces such as terraces, roofs or balconies.
5. The Plant Lover’s Garden – Easy Steps to Dream Gardens, designed by Patricia Tyrrell and sponsored by Bord Bia, which demonstrates how to incorporate an abundance of naturalistic planting to give year-round interest.
6. The Estate’s Essence, designed by Patrik Weisser and sponsored by Abbeyleix House and Farm
7. Nourish – The Caragh Nurseries Garden, designed by Leonie Cornelius and sponsored by Caragh Nurseries
8. Into The Forest, designed by Sarah Cotterill, Bord Bia Bloom Cultivating Talent Winner 2025, and sponsored by Westland Horticulture
9. The European Commission’s ‘Renewed Blooms’ Garden, designed by David Negus, which embodies EU circular economy principles by repurposing materials and blending nature with human-made elements.
10. The Repak Most Sorted Garden, designed by James Purdy, which will show that waste is not an inevitability but a design flaw; one that can be solved through thoughtful recycling and regeneration.
11. ‘Nature’s Symphony: Celebrating Organic Growth’ designed by Oliver Schurmann, sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
12. Nature Wrapped in Gold, designed by Ailish Drake and Conor Hourigan and sponsored by Kerrygold.
13. The Grass Advantage, designed by Robert Moore and sponsored by the National Dairy Council
14. Manor Farm – 250 Years Taste and Tradition, designed by Tünde Perry and sponsored by Manor Farm
15. The GIY Balcony Garden, designed by Barry Kavanagh, sponsored by GIY Ireland
16. The Pink Lady Balcony, designed by Cornelia Raftery and sponsored by Pink Lady
17. The Support Garden, designed by Joe Eustace and sponsored by the Decision Support Service embodies the deeply personal journey of advance planning, reflecting themes of strength, trust, and care.
18. The Early Bird Detection Garden, designed by Benny Magennis and sponsored by the Marie Keating Foundation in association with AstraZeneca and Gilead, which raises awareness of cancer prevention and the importance of early detection.
19. How to Train Your Dragon Garden, designed by Tünde Perry and Barry Kavanagh and sponsored by Universal Pictures Ireland
20. The Rainbow Brick Balcony Garden designed by Limerick artist, Gary Kirwan, as a tribute to LEGO, and is built entirely with the iconic brick.
21. Super Garden: the final Show Garden will be designed by the winner of the current series of RTÉ 1’s Super Garden with the winner yet to be announced.
