Brian Burke
Brian returns this year representing Woodie's on the judging panel. As a previous winner of Super Garden, Brian knows exactly what it takes to win the competition. His winning garden, 'Non Forsit' also received a prestigious Silver-Gilt medal at Bord Bia’s Bloom 2015 in the Phoenix Park.
Working in Massachusetts in the mid-1990’s, for a masonry and stone restoration company in the fabulous New England gardens ignited his interest in gardening, plants and design. Brian has accumulated over twenty years of experience in the construction and landscaping industries in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Since his debut at Bord Bia’s Bloom, Brian has been credited for creating powerful high impact garden designs at festivals every year. Three of his entries, GOAL’S Damascus Courtyard – War and Peace in 2016, 'On Cloud Canine’ for Dog’s Trust 2017 and Woodies ‘Moving Statues to Marriage Equality’ in 2018, have been awarded a Silver Medal. Brian has a particular interest in pan generational garden design, accessibility and the therapeutic properties of Horticulture.
Brian combines running a busy design and contracting practice with part time teaching for Laois Offaly Education & Training Board and Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board.
Monica Alvarez
Monica returns for her 4th year on the Super Garden judging panel as the Dulux Exteriors representative, having previously served as a mentor on the show in 2016.
Born in the beautiful region of Northern Spain, Monica moved to Ireland in 1994. Her appreciation of stunning landscapes and love for the outdoor life continued in Ireland and encouraged her to pursue a career in horticulture and garden design.
Monica's career in horticulture began in 1996 when she attended a Teagasc course on soft fruit in Clonroche, County Wexford. There she quickly developed a love for plants and the horticultural environment and subsequently she trained in Amenity Horticulture with the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. She soon obtained the position as Head Gardener in the splendid Luttrellstown Castle Demesne in Castleknock, which boasts over 300 species of exotic trees and plants. There she maintained the castle grounds for three years, specialising in pruning and garden restoration. This work provided her with a genuine practical knowledge of gardening techniques, which now benefits her students at Dundrum College of Further Education, where Monica lectures in Garden and Landscaping Design.
Monica's work for Dundrum CFE has led to the development of the most "hands on" gardening course available in Dublin. Over the years, she has brought many students to showcase their designs at Bloom, providing both a valuable and a practical learning experience. The reward came as several of these students succeeded in winning medals. Many of such students successfully followed on the design career path and have become well known designers in the horticultural community. Monica's career continues to be defined by her passionate way of teaching, passing on to others the benefits of the art of gardening.
Carol Marks
Carol Marks began her career in publishing, journalism, and graphic design, before returning to study horticulture as a mature student in 1998 at the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin.
She has enjoyed a varied career in horticulture, working with renowned plantsman Jimi Blake in the early development of Airfield Gardens, as a senior gardener responsible for the development and maintenance of a four-acre private garden situated on the coastline of Dublin Bay which included a formal parterre, herbaceous borders, a cutting garden, woodland gardens, and a kitchen garden.
Carol has designed gardens for a variety of private clients and was a monthly freelance contributor to The Irish Garden magazine from 1999 to 2005, before joining Bord Bia as a Development and Marketing Executive for the horticulture sector in 2005.
Carol works closely with the horticulture industry in Ireland and maintains strong relationships with growers, garden centres, specialist nurseries and the landscape and garden design and contracting fraternity across Ireland and internationally.
Kerrie Gardiner (joining for the final)
Kerrie is a chartered Landscape Architect and the Show Garden & Horticultural Content Manager for Bord Bia Bloom.
During her formative years, Kerrie studied horticulture in An Grianan and gained hands-on experience in various gardening and groundskeeper roles in Ireland, the UK and the US.
In 1999, Kerrie moved to Manchester where she completed her degree and post-graduate studies in Landscape Architecture. Over the following years Kerrie worked for a number of commercial and not-for-profit design firms in the UK and Ireland on projects ranging from city parks, airports, urban regeneration schemes, schools, and community Gardens.
After moving back to Ireland, Kerrie commenced in her role as Show Garden Manager for Bord Bia Bloom. Since 2015, she has drawn on her range of organisational and management skills, as well as her background in design and horticulture, to help develop the festival and to deliver a smooth-running event each year.
In addition to her work on Bloom, Kerrie runs a successful design business with her husband Mark. They specialise in creating vibrant and diverse landscapes and gardens for private and public spaces. Kerrie is an experienced judge and served on the jury for the annual Association of Landscape Contractors Ireland (ALCI) Awards (2017-2022).
She has been a member of the 'BBC Gardener's World Live' show in Birmingham judging panel since 2017.
With an enthusiastic and genuine interest in gardens, design, and people, Kerrie looks forward to contributing as a judge on Super Garden.
