Garden designer Hendrik Lepel.

Garden designer Hendrik Lepel to showcase at Bloom

Plans for this year’s Bloom are taking root and one Cork designer’s is ready to blossom.

Bord Bia has recently announced that garden designer Hendrik Lepel will showcase at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom. Now in its 18th year, the festival of flowers, food and fun, returns to the Phoenix Park in Dublin from 30 May-3 June.

While the event organisers are finalising the show line-up and getting ready to launch this year’s festival, show garden designers are already hard at work preparing for what is due to be another action-packed Bord Bia Bloom. At the centre of the festival, the show gardens are the jewel in the crown and feature bold, thought-provoking and innovative designs from a pool of talented garden designers from around Ireland. Among these are Hendrik Lepel.

Hendrik developed a passion for gardening during his permaculture studies in Kinsale. A stone mason, with a background in construction engineering, he is renowned for crafting award-winning ovens which have featured in numerous Bord Bia Bloom show gardens. After collaborating with Bloom designers for many years, Hendrik said he is excited to bring his own show garden to the festival for the first time and sees it as an opportunity to showcase his creativity and crafting skills. With a mission to redefine outdoor living, he is dedicated to crafting unique outdoor sanctuaries that transcend functionality and enrich the senses.

Hendrik has designed the Sun Harness Garden which is sponsored by Peppermint Farm Glasshouses. It is an educational space, demonstrating how to create a microclimate within any Irish garden by harnessing the sun’s energy. A sun-rotating glass pavilion seamlessly integrates into the design, bridging the gap between indoor comfort and the serenity of the outdoors.

Bord Bia Bloom 2024

In addition to the show gardens, the Food Village will feature more than 100 food and drink companies. There will also be an impressive schedule of live talks, music, performances and demos across multiple stages each day including the Sustainable Living Stage, Garden Stage and the Quality Kitchen Stage. The Postcard Gardens supported by Tirlán CountryLife will highlight amateur garden designs from community groups nationwide.

For shopping enthusiasts, there is an array of quality products for home and garden, including the Design and Crafts Council exhibition, nursery village, retail pavilion, botanical and floral art displays and a quality mark plant village. Bord Bia Bloom organisers are currently finalising the full event line-up which will be announced in the coming weeks.