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Bloom 2017

Here are our 6 favourite gardens at Bloom

Flowers, vegetables and windmills… Here’s our top picks from this year’s festival.

BLOOM 2017 IS full of incredible, artistic gardens. The event is Ireland’s largest garden festival and it’s taking place in the Phoenix Park from tomorrow until Monday.

From dog friendly gardens, to mental health positivity, there’s a vast array of themes and designs in the gardens this year.

Here are our favourite gardens this year:

On Cloud CaNine

Did you know some plants are toxic to dogs? Keeping a dog happy isn’t as easy as having a large garden full of green grass.

Designer Brian Burke told TheJournal.ie that this garden incorporates elements that will keep the whole family happy; from the canines to the toddlers.

The garden includes water features, sniffer paths, different textures and tunnels, along with climbing and digging areas.

Designed by Brian Burke and sponsored by Dogs Trust. 

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Bloom Dementia-Friendly Garden

Dementia can bring difficulties with short-term memory, comprehension, orientation, spatial awareness, visual perception and mobility.

Flowers from a person’s youth can trigger memories and colour provides visual cues, helping with orientation – both of these elements are mixed into the garden. The raised planter, tool shed and glasshouse in the design provides easy access to gardening.

Designed by Tom Grey

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Flúirse Fingal

‘Flúirse’ is the Irish for abundance and that’s the central theme of this garden.

It offers a taste into the landscape of the North County Dublin area.

The design uses a cycle path to guide visitors around the garden. A stone windmill is the centrepiece of the garden and represents the iconic windmills of Skerries.

Designed by Fingal County Council and Institute of Technology Blanchardstown

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Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin Garden

Here’s a garden for music lovers. The garden serves as a place of creativity, with a harp, a violin and a piano in the midst of the plants.

The space offers a tranquil spot for composers to reflect in, surrounded by the gentle sound of water.

Designed by Kieran Dunne and Anthony Ryan 

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Oxfam Ireland and Goal Garden ‘A World Beyond Walls’

This garden is a simplistic design with a very meaningful message. It’s designed to highlight the need for tolerance and acceptance.

The back wall, with missing blocks, represents what could, in a more diverse and inclusive society, become of some border walls that are currently being proposed around the world.

Designed by Niall Maxwell

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Marie Keating Foundation ‘Heroes of Hope Garden’

This vibrant garden brings to life the positive stories of 14 men who have survived cancer.

It comes with an outdoor exhibition where visitors can read the men’s stories.

A bench and two stools are scattered around the garden, which encourages visitors to sit down and talk about whatever is on their mind.

Designed by Paul Dunne

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Bloom takes place in Dublin’s Phoenix Park from 1 June – 5 June 2017. For more details click here.

Read: Grow it yourself: Barley salad with green garlic and sugarsnap peas

More: Mix up your fitness work with these great outdoor activities

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