Bloom 2013

Almost a year late, but here is the story of my involvement in Bloom in the Park garden show last year.

Tim Austen's Gold winning garden at bloom

Outdoor classroom under
construction during spring 2013 

Picking up icy cold stones in January of 2013 as the winter was slowly easing its grip on the country, I powered on through the cold in a bid to get my outdoor classroom project completed for my May deadline.
It was during this time that I was contacted by renowned Irish landscape designer Tim Austen. A regular medal winner at Bloom, Tim was designing a large garden for the competition and was wondering if I would be interested in creating one of my mosaic panels as a centre piece for his garden.   

Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Black Barlow’ standing proud in front of my mosaic panel.  

Being a fan of Tim's previous show gardens, I was delighted to be a part of his latest garden.

Tim Austen's Giardino della mostra 

As Tim explains on his website  Giardino della mostra, translating generally from the Italian as “exhibition garden” or “garden of exhibits,” is a garden that encourages you to design your own garden to a strong theme whilst referring to the fact that a good garden is formed from the sum of its parts. The concept and layout are, in part, inspired by Ireland’s only permanent exhibition of show gardens at Gardenworld, Kilquade (the National Garden Exhibition Centre), Co. Wicklow. Here a wonderful collection of individual gardens, arranged around the central avenue, collectively inspire and encourage gardeners at all levels to follow a design in their own gardens. The central avenue, with water features and arches are the main elements that are referenced in Giardino della mostra, along with beech hedging that forms a soft backdrop to the garden. Moving through the garden, areas of differing character are also seen.

Tim Austen's Giardino della Mostra

Unfortunately for me the garden show was on the weekend before the completion date for my outdoor classroom project so this meant that I would be spending many weekends over the next few months in the studio.

When making mosaic panels (as well as other stone art pieces) I try and see if the client has any connection with any particular stone. In this case, as Tim is a proud Wicklow man, and golden granite being the stone of Wicklow, we decided to incorporate granite into the mosaic.
So my first task was breaking up chunks of granite into usable pieces for the mosaic.

At work in the studio with help from my lovely wife. 

As the workload started to mount up, working on both the outdoor classroom and the show garden, I called in reinforcements to help. Help with the mosaic came from my wonderful supportive wife Christine who came and helped out with completing the mosaic work.

Christine cleaning the mirror

Back on site, work was commencing with the garden. There was some friendly rivalry between designers on site, and they were often seen walking the grounds checking out the competition. It was for this reason that Tim wanted to keep the mosaic secret only to be installed for the big reveal at the end. The framework for the mosaic did have to be installed earlier in the build, so to keep people guessing 'flatscreen TV here' was written on the framework to throw the rivals off.

Installing the mosaic. Photo Tim Austen

   Tim had a really great crew working with him on the garden, and it took most of them to help me get the mosaic into place. Made of natural stone and cement, it weighed well over 200kg. 

The finished piece. 220cmx 120cm granite, Liscannor sandstone and mirror mosaic panel by Stone Art

Tim was also keen for me to be involved in two of the other stone features in the garden, the old forest-like dry stone wall and one of the water features. As I was short on time I thought this would be a great opportunity for some of The Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland to get involved in the project. Two good friends of mine from the DSWAI Ken Curran and Alex Panteleyenko  took over the responsibility for this from me and did a really wonderful job of making a dry stone wall look like it has been sitting there for decades. 

Dry stone wall built by DSWAI members Ken Curran and Alex Panteleyenko. Photo Ken Curran

Finished wall surrounded with woodland shade planting and a bronze sculpture by Eamonn Ceannt  

Limestone pebble water feature by Stone Art

Unlike the mosaic panel, the water feature had to be made on site. Tim was inspired by the free flowing pebble work of UK artist Johnny Clasper and wanted something similar. I first contacted Johnny to see if he wanted to come over to do it but unfortunately he was busy with show gardens in the UK at the same time. So I decided to do it myself. So I would spend the next three days on my knees in the garden building the water feature, and it would have been even longer had Alex Panteleyenko not stuck around for an extra day after finishing the dry stone wall to help get me started with the water feature.

Myself and Alex setting the first stones in the water feature. Photo Tim Austen

Slow progress.

The finished piece.

I was delighted to see Tim win Gold for the garden. It was wonderful to be part of the whole process and look forward to future involvement in the show. It was great to see the reactions to the garden over the festival weekend. Tim's garden proved to be a big hit with many of the 110,000+ visitors who attended the show over the four days of the event.

Some of the 110,000+ people who visited Bloom in the Park last year 

The President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife chilling out by my mosaic.

Delicate blue flowers of Camassia cusickii (Cussick's camas)

Mosaic reflected on wet tiles on Tim Austen's Giardino della Mostra

Evening shot of the water features. Photo courtesy of Tim Austen

For more information about the garden and its designer check out Tim Austen's Website http://www.timaustengardendesigns.com/

If you have time check out this great short film about Tim's road to Bloom and the building of the show garden. Well worth a watch. 

Thanks again to Tim Austen for letting me be involved in the wonderful garden. I would also like to make a very special thanks to Alex who after Bloom was over came and helped me for a day to finish off the outdoor classroom which I am pleased to say also got finished on time.

Also of note. I custom make these mosaic panels in all shapes and sizes so be sure to contact me with your enquiries should you want one for your garden.

A look at Bloom 2012

So Bloom in the park is on in Dublin at the moment, Ireland's largest gardening, food and family event that takes place every June bank holiday weekend. (This year from Thursday 31st May - Monday 4th June). Last year 90,000 visitors visited the 70 acre site at the Visitor's Centre in the Phoenix Park, Dublin with similar numbers expected this year. I was there in the glorious sunshine yesterday and an again in the soggy rain today, and the atmosphere was great. Here is a look at some of the gardens that caught my eye over the past two days. 

Ar Gháirdín Cuil by Students from Senior College Dun Laoghaire and Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education 

Ar Gháirdín Cuil was created to celebrate two things; Ireland’s craft heritage and what a nation of skilled people can achieve by working closely together on shared goals.It is a collaborative garden which brings together the skills, knowledge and experience of two vocational colleges. The Senior College Dun Laoghaire and the Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education (with sculptures by artists Brian O’ Loughlin.

Ar Gháirdín Cuil 

The Cystic Fibrosis Garden, in Association with CF Ireland by Erika Reeves of Growing Designs

This garden has been designed by Erika Reeves of Growing Designs to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis as the most common inherited disease in Ireland. Conversely it aims to bring attention to the great strides that have been made in research and treatment of the disease. Part of the garden has been devoted to the representation of one of its main characteristics, reduced respiratory function, the remainder of the garden, an open and airy seating area, signifies how medicinal help can alleviate some of the symptoms. It also tries to reflect how the support of family, friends and support networks such as the CF Association play a huge role in the life of a person living and coping with the disease. Sadly an underlying message in the garden, represented by the looming arches, is that Cystic Fibrosis can be treated but at the moment cannot be cured.

Wild Metal Garden by Jack Harte & Frank McGeeney  of Wild Metal

I have shared my love for red in the landscape before in a previous blog post, so it would come as no surprise that this garden caught my attention. 

This garden is the work of garden duo Jack Harte & Frank McGeeney
of Wild Metal. Jack Harte is responsable for the wounderful red metal sculptures in the garden, and makes colourful and unique metal sculptures and ornaments for both public and private open spaces while Frank McGeeney uses his skills in both landscape archutecture and farming to creat the green oaises that suroundes the wounderful art.

Sunken pods in the Wild Metal Garden

Machnamh / Reflection by Deirdre Pender of Talamh Landscapes

The "Reflection" garden is designed by Deirdre Pender to provide a source of quiet contemplation and refuge from busy everyday living.
It draws on the ancient connection of hazel trees and water in Celtic mythology, in particular the sacred stand of hazel trees that hung over the Well of Wisdom in the Otherworld.

The Cavan Crystal Hotel Wedding Garden by Jason Stubbs for KHS Landscaping

This garden is designed by Jason Stubbs prymairally to provide a romantic, enclosed space for wedding parties to have their photographs taken. To acheave this unique backdrop to the garden he  commissioned three vibrantly coloured wrought-iron floral globes. These globes, the largest of which will measure three meters high, rises from swathes of flowering perennials, grouped around strong evergreen shrubs. Jason Stubbs, studied Horticulture and Garden Design with the Royal Horticultural Society and Diarmuid Gavin. Shortly after the programme he was offered a design post within Diarmuid Gavin Designs in Notting Hill London. 

Garden by RTE Super Garden winner Leonie Cornelius

This lovely garden is a recreation of the garden that won Leonie Cornelius the title of RTE's Garden show Super Garden. The theme of the garden is elegance and beauty using reclaimed materials where nature and architecture come together to create a harmonious whole. A customised space that shows how materials that most people would throw out can be used to create something new and extraordinary.


More Great Gardens.


As this post is getting very long, here is just a quick look at a few more of the gardens at bloom. 

Table for 4 by Gary Hanaphy of Landscape Studios Ireland

Angel's Fishing Rods, Mermaid's Tears - A Tale of the Sea by 3Design Gardens

Green House by Deirdre Prince & Patricia Tyrrell

Birds and the Bees Garden by Ben Landers

Bloom is such a huge event there are too many gardens for one blog post, but there are lots more photos and lots more great gardens to be found in my flick album below. Click on the slideshow below to see them all.



You can also find out more about these gardens and the event on the Bloom website http://bloominthepark.com/ or better still, go and have a look for yourself.

Roses are RED. The use of red in the landscape.

Rose garden at War Memorial Gardens Dublin

As it is Valentines Day today I thought it would be a good time to talk a little bit about one of my favourite colours to use in the landscape. The colour red.
Red has more personal associations than any other colour. Recognized as a stimulant, red is inherently exciting and the amount of red is directly related to the level of energy perceived. Red draws attention, and a keen use of red as an accent can immediately focus attention on a particular element. It also increases enthusiasm, stimulates energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate.

Iconic Red Bridges a common sight in Japanese and Chinese gardens
Photo by john tovey

Red encourages action and confidence and represents beauty in many languages and cultures.

In Chinese culture, colours corresponded with the five primary elements, the directions and the four seasons. Red was associated with fire, south, and summer.

In Japan, the colour red is associated closely with a few deities in Shinto and Buddhist traditions, so statues of these deities are often decked in red clothing or painted red.

Red Reed Bamboo Forest. Sculpture by Dale Chihuly. Photo by  Jeff Hamm

Red Door. Photo by Floren Arocena

Red is not just a great complementary colour to green, it also looks great with stone too.

Harbour Lighthouse, Howth, Co. Dublin. 

Photo by Glynn Williams from proyaltypics.com

Japanese Maple. Photo by David-Yu

Red ribbon park  photos by Kongjian Yu and Cao Yang

Photos & Stonework by Matthew Reilly of Country Landscapes

A few random facts about the colour red.

Red is the highest arc of the rainbow.

Red is the first colour you lose sight of at twilight.

The longest wavelength of light is red.

In the financial arena, red symbolizes a negative direction.

Feng shui recommends painting the front door of a home red to invite prosperity to the residents. 

Iconic red phone box in London 

Did you know bees can't see the colour red, but they can see all other bright colours? They can also see a colour we can’t: ultraviolet (UV). Since bees can’t see red, red flowers are pollinated in other ways, by bats, butterflies, birds, and the wind. Flowers that want to attract bees have colours that bees can see. Often, white flowers, which look plain to us, actually reflect UV light, so they look very pretty to the bees.

photo by Craig Richardson

Red is considered a warm colour in landscape design. Its appearance in the garden has an energetic effect. Red flowers and foliage give the illusion of coming forward in the landscape, helping to make a large garden feel cosier.Red plants attract the eye and are a good choice for areas you want to draw attention to. Red's complementary colour in the garden is green, but can also look great with colours like yellow.

Ooma in a red bucket before the black-eyed susans. Photo by Shannon Ross-Albers

Planting Red. Below are a few of my favorite reds for the garden:

Photo by Bluesrose

* Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' * Hemerocallis  ‘Daylily’ * Fuchsia magellanica 'Riccartonii'

 * Callistemon ‘bottle brush’ * Canna ‘red king humbert’ * Lobelia fulgens  ‘Queen Victoria Lobelia’ * Dwarf Chenille Firetail ‘Acalypha reptans’ * Flame Creeper ‘Tropaeolum speciosum’ * Parthenocissus Quinquefolia * Chilean Flame Creeper ‘Tropaeolum speciosum’ * Bergenia ‘bressingham ruby’ * Photinia ’red robin’ * Japanese Blood Grass ‘Imperata rubra’ Red Baron * Carpet Rose, Scarlet * Salvia 'Lady in Red' * Red-twig dogwood ‘Cornus alba’ * Crocosmia masoniorum ‘Lucifer’ lucifer montbretia * Lychnis chalcedonica maltese cross * Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’    rhododendron * Schizostylis coccinea ‘Major’  kaffir lily * Zinnia elegans ‘Dreamland Series’zinnia. 

West Cork's iconic Fuchsia magellanica on the drive up to Hagal Farm

The Dead Red Tree by Irish Landscape Designer Peter Donegan

In his blog, Landscape Designer and garden blogger Peter Donegan had a great solution to doing something about that 'old dead tree that you never got round to cutting down' and turned a dead tree into a great focal point in the planting bed by simply grabbing an old tin of outdoor wood paint from the garage and painting it red. 

A 3D garden design I did incorporating a red feature wall

Photo by Julie Therré

 Red Door by McCarthy's PhotoWorks      Garden Door by pearson_251
Red doors: I love you. Feng shui recommends painting the front door of a home red to invite prosperity to the residents.  

The red catwalk in Irish Landscape Designer Tim Austen's 'The Growise Garden' at the 2011 Bloom Garden Show

A good example of how effective red can be in landscape design is  Tim Austen's 'The Growise Garden' at the 2011 Bloom Garden Show In his blog, he talks about the eye catching catwalk in his design:

 "Alluding to the landscape change theme present in the garden, the boardwalk deliberately cuts across the center of the garden and is metaphorically a landscape fissure when the garden is viewed as a whole.  Its linear form also provides contrast with the other flowing forms and shapes used.

I deliberately chose the "Movie-Star" red colour to provide a strong colour contrast with other natural tones and textured finishes used in the garden.  The paint used in the boardwalk is Irish made (in Celbridge) by the really helpful people at ColorTrend and is water based so it is an environmentally friendly paint. Apparently, pilots of planes passing overhead en route from Dublin Airport could pick out the boardwalk quite easily"

You can Tim's full blog post here 

As it is Valentine's Day today I must also share my appreciation for my wonderful wife, who makes me happy every single day I am with her. Without her love and support I would not be the man I am today. Also without her, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog either, as she edits all my blog posts, deciphering my poorly spelled, poorly structured words into legible blog posts. 


Thanks to everyone who contributed photographs to this post! Please take a moment to check out their pages by clicking on the links provided. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.