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To promote the culture of
landscaping, gardens, and good
eating habits, Dublin held the biggest
Irish gardening fair, Bloom 20 1, in
June. Organized by the Bia (Irish Food
Board), the fair attracted 250,000
visitors to Phoenix Park, which, on 600
hectares of land, is the biggest urban
park in Europe. The Irish Office of Public
Works (Opw) allowed Bloom to use an
ample area of the park, including its
splendid Victorian vegetable garden,
which has recently been restored on its
original site. Many of the areas at
Bloom are for family entertainment,
among which is the arena for concerts
and shows, and the spaces and activities
dedicated to the many children who
attend the fair, with marionettes, storytelling,
and children’s garden
workshops. There are also exhibition
areas for flower-growers, farmers, and
Irish artisans, with sales and
demonstrations for the public.
A great deal of space is given to the
garden design competition. Subdivided
in three categories, small, medium and
big, the dominant themes are
sustainability, the conservation of the
natural environment, the relationship
with water, and the social aspect. The
gold medal for the Big Garden category
went to “To the Waters Edge”, by Oliver
and Liat Schurmann: a suggestive
circular seating area, completely
bordered by water and surrounded by
horse chestnuts and perennial wild
flowers. In the middle category, the
winner was “The Hidden Cube Style
Garden with Arnotts”: Gary Hanaphy
and Colm Quinn proposed a formal
garden in collaboration with the
department store, Arnotts, who
sponsored the entire initiative. In the
Fiori e cibo a Dublino
Flowers and Food in Dublin
A Bloom 2011, la maggior fiera di giardini d’Irlanda, attenzione alla sostenibilità, all’acqua
e all’agricoltura. Molti spettacoli e laboratori per grandi e bambini
At Bloom 2011, Ireland’s biggest garden fair, attention was given to sustainability, water,
and agriculture, with lots of shows and workshops for young and old
commovente ricostruzione in salici
intrecciati, dedicato agli homeless,
che invitava a trovare il proprio posto
nella natura, e “Colombarium”, di
Brian Cleary con Cfe (College of
Further Education) Dundrum,
sull’importanza di preservare la
wilderness in città ma anche in
campagna, conservando habitat
tradizionali come le siepi e gli stagni.
Tra i giardini dedicati alla salute,
interessanti “Treat not Trigger” di
Fiann O’Nuallain in collaborazione
con l’Asthma Society of Ireland
dedicato a chi soffre di asma e per
questo realizzato con piante non
allergeniche; “The Lyric FM Garden
where life sounds better”, di Sheena
Vernon con Michael Corr, che hanno
realizzato un palcoscenico grigliato
da cui emergevano piante selvatiche,
ma anche getti d’acqua e arie
operistiche; “Thermae Salute –
Wellness – Recovery Garden”,
progettato da un gruppo di studenti
guidati, da John Sweeney, di Eve,
un’associazione no profit del servizio
sanitario nazionale che si occupa di
persone con problemi psichiatrici e
realizzato anche con i pazienti.
Francesca Neonato
Small Garden, the winner was “River
Run Dublin Unesco City of Literature
Garden”, by Mary Ann Harris: a nature
route that starting from the first line of
“Finnegan’s Wake” evoked Ireland’s
literary heritage. Also worthy of notice
was “A Place of Belonging” by Damian
Costello, a moving construction in
woven willows, dedicated to the
homeless, inviting them to find their
own place in nature, and
“Colombarium”, by Brian Cleary with
the CFE Dundrum, on the importance of
not only preserving wilderness in the
city but also in the countryside, by
conserving traditional habitat like
hedgerows and ponds. Among the
gardens dedicated to health, the
following were of additional interest.
“Treat Not Trigger” by Fiann O’Nuallain
in collaboration with the Asthma
Society of Ireland, dedicated to asthma
sufferers, and made with non-allergic
plants. “The Lyric FM Garden Where Life
Sounds Better”, by Sheena Vernon with
Michael Corr, who made a fenced stage
out of which wild plants emerged,
along with jets of water and opera
arias. “Thermae Salute – Wellness –
Recovery Garden”, designed by a group
of students under John Sweeney, of Eve,
a no-profit association of the National
Health Service which works with people
with psychiatric problems. The garden
was made with the help of its patients.
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