Kildare gardeners net awards at Bloom
Debbie Brophy with the judges at Bloom
A Kildare gardener completed a gardening double, as Debbie Brophy from Laurel Hill Gardens in Newbridge, just days after winning RTÉ’s ‘Super Garden’, bagged a Silver in Bloom’s ‘Show Garden’ category.
Debbie entered with her ‘Bee Happy’ Wildlife Garden, an idea inspired by a bee colony that moved into her own garden and with that, and has now medaled in the two biggest gardening competitions in the country.
Also winning Silver in the ‘Show Gardens’ was fellow Newbridge gardener Joe Eustace, a Bloom perennial since his first medal in 2023 as the youngest ever Show Garden exhibitor.
Joe’s entry called ‘Support’ was sponsored by the Decision Support Centre in Osberstown, Naas who help people “who have difficulty exercising decision-making capacity”.
A fertile crop of 15 medals have been awarded to the green fingers of Kildare across four categories at this year’s Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Two garden designers, three plant nurseries, four member of AOIFA – the Association of Irish Floral Artists – and six regular artists from all the appropriate Lily County showed the spread of the Kildare success.
A total of eight gold medals were awarded to the show garden designers this year, but in the ‘Nursery’ Section Kildare itself bagged two – for Irish Plants and the Bee’s Knees – both based out of Naas.
In fact, it was three for three for the county town in the Nursery Section with Woodview Plants in Kilmeague getting a Silver.
In the AOIFA category, a silver and two bronzes were awarded to the Maynooth Flower and Garden Club – silver for Ursula Robinson, and two bronzes for Rani Doris – with Adrienne Thompson from Kilcullen claiming the remaining bronze.
In the Botanical Art category, two medals each went to Athy, Straffan, and Broadford, but bragging rights went to the latter where Shevaun Doherty got Gold – only Kildare’s third – and a bronze for her work in watercolour. Nicola Morrin from Athy ran her close with silver and bronze medals, while Katherine Geoghegan from Straffan did commendably well also, picking up two gongs on her visit to the Park. Two show gardens highlighting the importance of recycling, repurposing and the circular economy were awarded best large and medium gardens.
