I visited “Bloom” in Dublin’s Phoenix Park in early June this year – a little while after it’s English cousin “Chelsea” inspired millions of horticultural enthusiasts around the globe.
A local bus company took myself and a party of keen Donegal gardeners to our Irish floral heaven, and back home again – all in one day.
The floral marquee was my first stop, where I purchased a pot filled with 10 Candelabra Primula for just 8 euros, an Echium pininana which could reach a height of 4 metres , Salvia “Hot Lips” and Orlaya grandiflora.
Candelabra Primula (front right) say “Hello” to red and yellow Mimulus
Echium pininana awaiting planting
Salvia “Hot Lips” getting to know her new floral friends!
White Orlaya grandiflora is still settling in beside a yellow Geum, a cerise Geranium and red Sedum “Autumn Joy”
I placed my new treasures in the plant creche, before locating the 22 show gardens – 6 large, 10 medium and 6 small.
My personal favourite (pictured below) was a gold medal winner called “Transition”. It featured beautiful naturalistic planting, with lots of grey rock (40 tons of it), and a sweeping water feature adorned with a modern steel and glass outdoor room.
Transition
Water featured in many of the other garden designs:
I loved checking out the planting schemes. Here are some of my personal favourites:
Purple Allium were incredibly popular:
Paths meandered through a variety of planting styles from cottage style to modern…
I was serenaded while standing in the queue for lunch:
Before enjoying the delights of the Walled Garden – a haven of tranquility away from the crowds.
The food marquee, was a bit too busy for me, but I did enjoy a very delicious, organic ice cream sundae made from coconut and avocado. Yum!
Finally, tired but very happy, I collected my new plants, headed for the coach and home…
Bloom was well worth a visit.
Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.
Allium are certainly having a moment… Here they were looking pom-pom fabulous in all the squares and boulevards in May. What a lovely garden ‘transition’ was – just absolutely everything I love in one little corner …. so clever you gardeners are 🙂
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Thanks Osyth. I love the wild naturalistic style of garden that is not too fussy. I like the sound of all those lovely Allium. Wonderful. 😊
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Me too …. every time 😊
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I’m with you – I greatly prefer gardens that look like God planted them to the carefully manicured ones so often featured. I imagine the naturalistic style is just as much work – and maybe even more if you add rock and water features.
What a lovely place to visit, however, and ALL of the gardens are spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing your trip.
Bringing home a living souvenir is especially delightful, I would imagine, never having been a gardener since I’ve never been a home owner. Do they keep blooming each year or do you have to replant them?
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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Thanks Madelyn. Most of my plants are permanent. I have shrubs and trees, spring bulbs and then lots of old fashioned cottage flowers which are mostly petennials ( come every year). This means that I don’t need to do too much weeding as everything is planted close together. 😊
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Poor weeds – lol – so maligned in gardens, while some are quite pretty in untended forests. 🙂 (I wouldn’t care for that particular weeding chore myself – so I’m sure any garden in my tending would be ragged indeed!)
I’m sure I would love your garden. I adore cottage gardens — especially those with heirloom plants that still smell wonderful. When I was a child I recall that most flowers had an amazing & distinctive scent which man seems to have cultivated right out of them.
I remember so fondly the heavenly smell as I walked past yards filled with flowers as a kid. Roses especially – even when I could get nowhere near them. And the smell of roses in vases and corsages was lovely, even in my teens. Other flowers could perfume an entire room for days.
The roses on the bushes that Tink and I walk past now have a sort-of weedy scent that I have to practically put to my nose to detect. And some blooms seem to have no more scent than a houseplant that doesn’t flower at all.
Are any gardens planted primarily for scent? Is it even possible anymore? Are the scentless ones easier to grow – or more disease resistant or something? Maybe heirlooms can only be planted from seed? What happened?
Or is it different in Ireland?
xx,
mgh
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One of the things I encouraged when I was teaching in schools was creating gardens that encouraged wild life including bees and butterflies. We usually included strongly scented plants like lavender and also added plants that the children liked to touch – soft leaves like stachys known as lambs ears and the blue plumes of cat mint…
I love roses and get nice scented ones. 😊
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Ooooo – I wish I could twitch my nose and be there! Tink and I passed Honeysuckle on our walk today. Heavenly. (great manifestation, huh?) 🙂 btw-the bees were all over it!
xx,
mgh
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😊
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Oh Brigid, it is lovely, beautiful, marvelous. I love all the plants and flowers. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Thank you Miriam. It was a wonderful trip and the sun shone beautifully too. 😊
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That’s lovely. This Saturday, the ladies in my group are going for a walk b the beach then have lunch. Should be a good time!
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Lovely. Enjoy. X
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Thank you, I hope I can hear the alarm, since I used to get up a little later!
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thank you for sharing your photos and lovely experience. reminded me of a tour i once went on on Prince Edward island in Canada.the gardeners have such a small window to showcase their hard work and passion. Such a beautiful time to spend walking though such beautiful flowers.
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Thank you Gina. It was such a lovely day and taking the coach made it doable in one day. 😊
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Love those purple alliums 🙂 And the icecream with avocado and coconut sounds very niice 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks Judith. The ice cream was fabulous and they sell it here in Donegal. 😉
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Reblogged this on O LADO ESCURO DA LUA.
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Thank you. 😊
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Beautiful gardens!
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Thank you. 😊
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
One for #gardeners Brigid Gallagher takes us on a tour of ‘Bloom’ in Dublin which follows on from the Chelsea Flower Show.. some stunning garden exhibits and I love the fact that there is a more wild feel to the gardens rather than too set. That way I don’t feel to bad about the way ours is looking at the moment! #recommended
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What a wondrous day you had, Bridgid. My sis has been to Dublin but it is still a trip I take vicariously thru her photos, and now yours. If only it didn’t require boarding an airplane and giving up control of the wheel!
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Dublin is well worth a visit but Donegal is very beautiful and unspoiled. We love seeing visitors. 😊
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I have loads of photos she took in Donegal. It really is beautiful, as are all of the places she has visited! I wish I could make at least one trip to Ireland, possibly to County Wyckham which is the port of call my great, great, great grandfather took when he left Ireland so long ago. It seems no matter how far we are from the old country it still sings in our soul, mind and heart!
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I do hope you get your Wish 😊
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Your photos are breathtaking Brigid. The gardens look so peaceful.
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Thanks Steph. I came home inspired. 😊
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What a truly fabulous read, and an amazing joy to the eyes!
Brilliant photos Daisies.
Thank you for the share of them, and for your incredible post.
~ Cobs. x
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Thank you Cobs. It was a terrific trip. Going by coach was fabulous and allowed me to plant shop. 😉
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As I sipped my coffee and ate my yogurt this am, I walked with you through the garden exhibit and marveled at all the glorious displays. I love the naturalness of them. Thank you for this bright spot on this gloomy, hot day in New York.
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Thank you. We could do with some of your sun here Barbara.😉
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All so beautiful! Thank you for sharing them with us. 🙂 xxx
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My pleasure. 😊xxx
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Ooh i love the photos..they are beautiful…
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Thank you. It was a fabulous day out 😊
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That looks amazing, Brigid. I love to go to places like that where the ideas flow. Then I go home and try to copy them 🙂
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Yes I came home with lots of new ideas and fired with enthusiasm. 😊
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I keep telling my husband I want to install a water feature in the garden, and he keeps asking me why – since it rains 8 months a year here. 😀 Still…
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I have a little pond that I love. It rains pretty much 12 months here…😉
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What a glorious event. And organic ice cream? I must say I’ve never heard of that. But why not?
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Delicious and guilt free. 😉
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What a splendid post! Sooo stunning. I love Transition too. I also love that hot bed with all those yellows, oranges and red. I think. My favourite is the water garden with water going around the garden? That is fabulous. Thank you for the post! Xx
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Thank you. The water Garden was really lovely. It was difficult to get a shot of the full garden with the crowds. The planting was quite beautiful. 😊
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The photos are just gorgeous, and it sounds like you had a perfect day! You just gave me some ideas for my husband’s Honey-do list….. :o)
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Thank you. I hope you get all your ideas completed.
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Hello Brigid,
It looks like such a beautiful, colourful and splendid day at the garden show. The idea of a plant crèche made me smile. How very sweet.
The purple flowers look a real treat, as did the sound of your icecream flavour… very creative and delicious sounding.
Hope your new little garden additions are thriving now.
Until next time,
Di 💕🌹
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Thank you Di. It was such a great day especially when I was able to take the coach. The last time I visited I could not buy anything big as I went on the plane and then by bus across Dublin. The plant creche was a blessing and my four new plant babies are settling in nicely. 😊xx
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Hello Brigid,
The coach sounds like a lovely and more relaxing way to go…I’m assuming it was?
And I’m happy to learn that your dear little plant babies are doing well… a little bit of the rain and warmth would have ensured a happy transition I’m sure.
Hope you have a great Sunday,
Hugs from me 💕🙋🏻
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Yes the coach was great and I went with a gardening friend and unexpectedly met another friend on the coach. Happy Sunday Di. 😍🎶
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Even better, Brigid.
And thank you….same to you 🌝💜
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Beautiful photos and I also like gardens with a naturalistic flair. Enjoy your new garden additions.
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Thank you Eugenia. They are all settling in well. 😊
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Beautiful! Wish you could post the fragrance!
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Thank you. Sadly wordpress doesn’t do aroma vision. 😉
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Wow what a magnificently beautiful place! I love the name!! I love the first pic of where you posted “these are my favorites”. And I must admit that hammock caught my eye…I know I was supposed to be looking at the flowers but I thought oh how heavenly to lie in that hammock amongst all those plants and flowers. Nirvana. You bought some beautiful additions to your garden…enjoy!! xo
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Yes Deb I could happily have enjoyed that hammock. It looked very inviting. My new friends are settling in well. 😊xx
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I bet they are settling in very well… 🙂 xo
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What an amazing place, Brigid! Love that you went there, and also even got serenaded.
That ice cream sounds fantastic – just up my alley. Hope it was delicious.
Sending you ever so much love and blessings. Let’s connect soon.
Love,
Debbie xo
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Thanks Debbie. It was a great day out. Just what I needed and I was joined by some great gardening friends. 😊xx
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That’s wonderful looking! My mother’s grandfather was from County Cork. I hope to visit one day.
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I hope you get your Wish. Ireland is the land of a thousand welcomes.😊
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These are such lovely photographs, Bridget. I really love looking at pictures of gardens, people’s private gardens and show gardens. Nature is just to wonderful for words.
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Thanks Robbie. I got inspired after Bloom. I have a few parts of the garden that needed a wee makeover. It will be updated for next year. 😊
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Great photos. I love such outings. Always refreshes and inspires one.
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Yes. It was incredibly inspiring. I have lots of new planting schemes in my head.😊
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How exciting Brigid! It sounds like the most beautiful day!! Be fun to see the things you collected, all planted in our garden! I would have been tempted to slide into that hammock in one of the gardens!! It all looked so lovley– and such a birght sunny day! Fun post– thanks for letting us come along… hugs blog-buddy! xo
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I could have jumped into that hammock myself. It looked so tempting. I would love one but it takes up a big space. .My garden is only little. 😊xx
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Brigid– I have to admit I’m a little jealous of your beautiful day in the gardens!! Glad we got to see it! hugs friend!
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Hello Brigid
Popping back to read this post. Thank you for linking such a stunning post for #MyGloriousGardens. Interestingly, I spotted new favourites this time! I love the garden with the hammock! The planting is definitely my cottage garden taste.
I hope you link up next month.
x
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Thank you. I would love a hammock. Only I have limited space. Putting out a garden post again on Wednesday. Still to catch up on all the other links. Some great posts. I am enjoying it. X
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Great! I have the round up post coming up soon. x
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I thoroughly enjoyed this post the photos fabulous. What a treat to see the garden show.
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I am so glad you enjoyed it. I had a fabulous time among the blooms. 😊
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