NEW SERIES OF 'SUPER GARDEN'
Super Garden returns for a brand new series in which five up-and-coming garden designers compete to showcase their garden at this year's 2012 Bloom Festival. This year's series is produced with the co-operation of our sponsors Woodies DIY and Bord na Mona Growise.
The series returns with mentor Mary Reynolds. Mary is one of Ireland's leading garden designers and will be on hand to offer our start-up designers advice and guidance as they create their Super Gardens.
This year, for the first time, viewers of Super Garden can visit all the gardens featured in the series. At the end of each show viewers will be invited to visit the Super Garden facebook page where details will be announced and a number of interested viewers will have the exclusive opportunity to visit that week's completed Super Garden for a guided tour given by designer.
On the show, we follow each designer from their initial concept and design, through the reality of the construction process to the completion of their Super Garden. With just weeks to design and build a show garden, and a budget of just €5,500 it proves to be quite a challenge for these promising designers.
After only five short weeks from design to completion, work stops in the garden, and the Super Garden judging panel arrives. This year's panel comprises its chairman, Gary Graham (Manager of Bloom), Paddy Gleeson (Horticultural Consultant with Woodies DIY) and, representing Growise, Jane McCorkell (professional garden designer and 4 time Bloom Gold Medal winner).
The winner of Super Garden will be announced at the end of the sixth and final episode of the series, when all the designers and judges gather at the stunning location of Russborough House. The prize will be awarded to the designer voted Super Garden designer 2012, and with it the life-changing opportunity to re-create their design at the prestigious Bloom 2012 and the chance to pursue a career in professional garden design.
Each garden designer is working on a real garden - they are given a specific brief and budget and must design a garden to the homeowners' specifications. All five have been given similar size gardens to work with, but each with a very different brief:
- A garden for relaxation and elegant living in Carlow. Designer Mary O'Neill-Moloney wants to create "A real garden for real living".
- A family garden in which young children can experience the wonders of nature while their parents relax in a space themed around their favourite flower, the daisy. Designer Anne Byrne wants to provide all of this on a budget in Galway.
- A garden which brings a sense of adventure, fun and sustainable living to a family in Meath. Jaccuzi? Check. Pizza oven? Check. Innovative vegetable patch? Check. Designer Andy Booth is pulling out all the stops to prove that sustainable living doesn't have to be dull.
- A party garden with an Olympic twist in Dublin. The homeowner wants something contemporary, fun and quirky. Designer Benny Maguire is going all out to provide that party space, with a bang up to date sporting angle!
- A very contemporary garden for a family with teenagers in Sligo. Designer Leonie Cornelius must provide a show stopping garden which caters for parent, young people... and rabbits.