Grian Árd garden wins Certificate of Distinction at Bloom

The peatland landscape of Westmeath and Longford inspired a heritage garden designed by Déirdre Orme which has won a Certificate of Distinction at Bord Bia Bloom 2024.

The garden portrayed how the peatland hinterland is transitioning through time and how land use and our relationship with the landscape are changing.

Two guardian stones framed the garden, providing a glimpse through time to a sacred space.

Central to Déirdre’s design was a bog oak trackway inspired by the ancient tochairs and tales of the causeway ‘Slighe Assail’ and warrior Queen Méabh.

The name of the garden, ‘Grian Árd’, references the old Gaelic term for Granard, where Déirdre works as manager of the Knights and Conquests Heritage Centre. A handcrafted botanical cast formed the focal point of the garden.

As recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, Granard, a beacon hill, was connected to Uisneach; the nave of Éireann. Legend has it that the sacred ‘bile’ tree fell north to Granard.

The Grian Árd garden documents that tale and how the seeds of the ancient bile have set root and grown.

All elements were sustainably sourced and every feature of the postcard garden told a story. Déirdre says her design, which was in the Postcard Gardens category at Bord Bia, showcased the beauty of our hidden heartlands.