This year I thought that the show gardens in Bloom 2013 were better than any previous year. There was a good selection of gardens, from the quirky to those which might even suit an average sized back garden. The weather was also glorious on the day we went which helps to show off any garden at its best.
Giardino della Mostra by Tim Austen is probably my favourite Bloom 2013 show garden, it translates to Garden of Exhibits and is roughly modeled off the Show Gardens in Gardenworld, Kilquade. The garden has great structure, uses wonderful artwork and demonstrates great planting. It is beautifully symmetrical with beds flanking a central axes. The borders however, soften the structure of the design with natural rocks interspersed amongst soft planting.
You have to admire the garden entitled ‘A Cranberry Gathering’ for its ingenious use of Cranberries which 
are in mass floating on a pond. They give the appearance of a small red glass cobble finish from a distance and it was only when you got close that you realised the effect was created by 
a mass of floating Cranberries!
My favourite small garden in Bloom 2013 was ‘Fairy Garden – Create Magic’. It had the most wonderful small details including a miniature small door at the base of the tree. You had to study the garden for a while to see all the small details. The planting was soft and naturalistic. It was just like what you would imagine a woodland magic world would be like. Just charming!
Lastly, I liked the planting and colours used in ‘Love to Grow’ by Jane McCorkell. The planting colour scheme was very soft using grey tones integrated with white and some stronger wine reds hues in the flowers. Its theme was dedicated to growing fruit and a love of flowers and outdoor dining.
For more details of the Bloom 2013 show gardens see http://bloominthepark.com/showgardens/
This garden design will transform a large neglected garden surrounding an old house outside Dublin which has just been redesigned and extended. The existing garden has been devastated from years of neglect and the recent works on the house. The garden will be transformed into an attractive compliment to the new house with soft curving lines wrapping around the house and garden incorporating areas for play, relaxation and dining. Natural stone and rock materials will be used which will add to the softening effect with muted greys and beige tones. Planting has been used to settle the house into its environment particularly at the entrance but overall it has been kept to a minimum and where possible planting in gravel areas is proposed to keep maintenance low. 
the paving to allow it to double as a seat when required.
driveway, house and all associated boundaries together as gently as possible. A shrub border will be created from the driveway along the east boundary encircling the existing trees in this area which will be under planted with Japanese maples providing wonderful autumn colour and spring flowering bulbs. The border will finish at a circle of gravel on a completely flat surface onto which the children’s trampoline will be placed.
The patio will also connect to a gravel bed along the side of the house with an irregular stepping stone path leading to the end of the house and a lane to the rear courtyard. A water feature will be positioned along the outer side of this path which will be surrounded by larger beach cobbles blending into the gravel and softened by planting. The outer side of the gravel bed will be finished in a low natural stone wall which will increase in height according the gradient on its outer side where it connects to the lawn. The gravel bed will finish at a semi-circular raised bed supported by a 300mm high matching natural stone wall. Due to the gradients of the lawn it will connect level onto the gravel bed at this end of the garden with a row of Indian sandstone slabs. 
