Westland Horticulture, home to brands such as Big Tom, Jack’s Magic, New Horizon, Boost, Peckish, and Kent & Stowe, is proud to continue its sponsorship of the Cultivating Talent show garden at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom.
Bord Bia Bloom, taking place in Phoenix Park, Dublin, from the 29th May to the 2nd June, is Ireland’s largest gardening festival. It celebrates horticulture, culinary delights, and sustainable living. Championing the next generation of garden designers and horticulture professionals, Bloom launched Cultivating Talent in 2023, which has been sponsored by Westland for two years. The programme provides financial support and one-to-one mentoring to emerging designers.
This year’s winner of the category is Dr Sarah Cotterill, founder and lead designer at Wild Atlantic Gardens, as well as Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at University College Dublin. Sarah specialises in sustainable water management, and her garden design ‘Into The Forest’ is a testament to this, and is a tribute to the unique oceanic woodlands of the west of Ireland. Designed as a sanctuary of tranquillity, the garden highlights the restorative power of nature and reminds visitors of the importance of preserving these unique ecosystems.
In addition to supporting the Cultivating Talent show garden, Westland is dedicated to inspiring future generations of gardeners. Returning this year is the much-loved Westland Potting Shed, where families will once again be invited to sow seeds. Officially opened by Mary Kennedy in 2024, visitors to the Westland Potting Shed sowed over 7,000 pumpkins last year. This summer, visitors are invited to visit the Westland Potting Shed to sow their little corner of the Earth – from houseplants, to vegetables, to flowers, Westland invites everyone to join them to embrace the joy of growing.
Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director, at Westland Horticulture, commented: “We’re thrilled to be sponsoring the Cultivating Talent show garden again at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom, and we’re excited to see Sarah’s garden bring to the life the importance of connecting with nature.
“At Westland, we’re committed to nurturing emerging talent, from our annual Rising Stars initiative, our support of the YPHA Launch Success Scheme, to our potting shed at Bloom that really ignited a passion for growing among the families that joined us. This year, our Potting Shed is celebrating the diversity of gardening, from kitchen gardens to cottage gardens and even indoor jungles, we’ll be welcoming visitors to come and sow their little corner of the Earth.”
Sarah Cotterill, Cultivating Talent Show Garden Winner, added: “I’m delighted to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Cultivating Talent initiative at Bord Bia Bloom.
"Thanks to Westland Horticulture’s continued support, I’m able to showcase a garden that celebrates sustainable, nature-inspired design. I’m excited to see how visitors will connect with the garden and the message it carries.”
