First U.S. Garden to Bloom in Ireland - from Chicago!

 
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Happy Wednesday Chicago! This week we invited Peggy Stewart, the Assistant Director of Culture Arts and Nature at the Chicago Park District, to talk about CPD’s new international project: the Bloom Garden. Read on to learn more about this transcontinental garden and what you can do to get involved:

Help us to “Bridge the Gap”and build a bridge to Ireland! The Chicago Park District is creating a garden for Bloom – Ireland’s Largest Garden Festival in Dublin, Ireland this coming June.

The team who built the bridge in Chicago

The team who built the bridge in Chicago

Our idea behind the garden is to present an opportunity to think about what brings us together. What brings us together in the literal sense of the Chicago Park District participating in a flower show on the other side of the globe? What brings us together in the sense of community, society, and inhabitants of our great planet? What brings us together in the sense of the Irish community in Chicago? What brings us together from continent to continent, across an ocean and traveling almost four thousand miles?

The concept driving our garden “Bridge the Gap”, is to provide a provocative landscape design situated among living sculptures, telling a story. Our design features two, large living sculptures that can be seen as two separate bridges. One bridge will represent Ireland while the other bridge represents the United States.The two bridges appear to intersect, yet they do not connect, there remains a gap. Using the two viewing sides to observe the structures crossing the garden, patrons will be able to see through the negative space created by the bridges and notice patrons viewing from the other side. Without anticipating a connection, the patrons are now part of the garden and part of the story by bridging the gap.

Growing Plants for the bridge in Ireland

Growing Plants for the bridge in Ireland

About Bloom 

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Bloom is Ireland’s largest gardening, food and family event taking place in Phoenix Park in Dublin on June 2nd to June 6th. Bloom 2016 will showcase exquisite show gardens, from the very best of Ireland’s landscape gardeners and designers as well as Irish food producers. This competitive international garden festival is organized by Bord Bia, the Irish Board responsible for Food, Drink and Horticulture.

ABOUT PHOENIX PARK

The Phoenix Park, managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) is 1752 acres and is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city. Home to the President of Ireland and the US Ambassador to Ireland, it was originally established as a Royal deer park in the 17th century.

HELP US MATCH THE FUNDS TO IRELAND!

Irish team has already made great fundraising strides. Click HERE to help Chicago match these funds!

 
Jennie Scheerer