Creative and ambitious gardeners are invited to apply to design and deliver a prestigious show garden at Bord Bia Bloom 2023 taking place from Thursday, June 1 – 5.

To support emerging talent, Bord Bia has also launched the new Cultivating Talent initiative to help kick-start the career of one motivated first-time show garden designer.

Financial support and 1:1 mentoring will be offered to a fresh face at Bloom in order to encourage a pipeline of new talent into the industry, according to Bord Bia.

Both experienced show garden designers who are considering returning to the event, and new talent interested in the initiative can submit an application until Friday, December 2.

Over the years, many prospective show garden designers have not put themselves forward to design a garden due to financing concerns, show garden and horticulture content manager at Bord Bia Bloom, Kerrie Gardiner said. She continued:

“We are hopeful to attract more interest from fresh faces to Bloom who will have the opportunity to kick-start their career. The successful finalist will be provided with funding to create the garden along with mentoring from one of our award-winning show garden designers.”

The new initiative will provide an additional incentive to emerging talent to display their skills and creativity alongside some of the more established, award-winning Bloom stalwarts, according to the director of horticulture at Bord Bia Bloom, Mike Neary.

“The show gardens at the centre of the festival provide an opportunity to showcase the best of talent within the Irish horticultural industry,” he added.

Bord Bia Bloom 2023

The call for show garden designers comes as Bord Bia sets out a new vision for Bloom, which has grown from its roots as a gardening festival supporting the Irish horticulture industry into a major outdoor experience.

Bord Bia Bloom hosts over 100,000 consumers in the Phoenix Park, Dublin each June bank holiday weekend.

Bord Bia recently appointed Laura Douglas as new head of Bord Bia Bloom and brand partnerships, who previously created and delivered major national events and experiences such as the Guinness Open Gate Brewery.

Speaking about the fresh direction for the festival, she said Bord Bia Bloom is one of Ireland’s most loved festivals, heralding a vibrant and colourful start to the summer each year.

“For 2023 we look forward to working closely with creative show garden designers, in partnership with ambitious brands to continue to build on this success.

“Our ambition is to reposition Bloom as a world-class, uplifting and innovative horticulture, food and drink experience with nature and sustainable living at its heart,” according to Douglas.