It’s wild. Its everywhere. Its elder flower –Sambucus nigra. In the month of June its flat flower heads whiten hedgerows and fields around Ireland. Outside my office window I can see the branches bob and sway with the breeze. Seedlings all too often appear in the garden, unwanted, in abundance. But I don’t mind, theContinue reading “Respect Your Elders – Elderflower Cordial Recipe”
Author Archives: Ciaran Burke
Changing Perspectives – Show Garden Bloom 2012
Grafitti covered walls, dumped and battered old washing machine and litter strewn ground greet the visitor, not the typical welcome for a visior to a Bloom garden. Between the concrete blocks there are glimpses of a brighter place, a more colourful and welcoming place. This was a show garden that took the visitor on aContinue reading “Changing Perspectives – Show Garden Bloom 2012”
Cookie and Creams (and bunnies) = Gold – Show Garden by Leonie Cornelius Bloom 2012
A contemporary garden which blends architecture and natural beauty and is built with reclaimed materials. Old windows, leftover steel and scrapped scaffolding become a classy garden hut. Straight edges and strong lines are softened with meadow style plantings, this garden combines formal elements with informal planting and it works. Hard lines are blurred with softness,Continue reading “Cookie and Creams (and bunnies) = Gold – Show Garden by Leonie Cornelius Bloom 2012”
Jane Mc Corkell’s My Garden is a garden for everyone -BLOOM 2012
Maybe it’s the economic climate, maybe people are more nostalgic when times are hard and we reminisce with our rose tinted glasses as we look back on the days that were better. Some of my favourite show gardens at Bloom have a touch of the past about them, where the simplistic design relies on aContinue reading “Jane Mc Corkell’s My Garden is a garden for everyone -BLOOM 2012”
Greenhouse Gold at Bloom 2011
A sustainable front garden for an urban house. Often such themes are lacking charm and beauty but Greenhouse a Gold Medal Winner and best in Category small garden at Bloom this year’s Bloom has it all; style, simplicity, charm and a bin storage area with a green roof that doubles as a herb garden! http://deirdreprince.ie/deirdreprince/ABOUT_DEIRDRE_PRINCE.htmlContinue reading “Greenhouse Gold at Bloom 2011”
Nasturtium Pesto – Lower Food Miles Version- Recipe
We have The Garden School at BLOOM this year situated in the “Budding Bloomers” area. We are hoping to inspire future generations of gardeners by teaching children (and many adults) how to make plant pots from newspaper and then sow a nasturtium seed into peat free compost. Nasturtiums are ornamental and edible. The simplest wayContinue reading “Nasturtium Pesto – Lower Food Miles Version- Recipe”
Stuffed Red Mustard Leaves – Recipe
Last year we sowed red mustard leaves, Brassica juncea ‘Osaka Purple’, in neat rows in our salad bed in the vegetable garden. This year it is coming up all over the vegetable gardens and beyond. The large floppy red leaves are mottled green and the flowers are yellow and typical of the cabbage family. ItContinue reading “Stuffed Red Mustard Leaves – Recipe”
Ciaran The Gardener 