Fingal's emphasis on biodiversity and urban landscapes recognised at Bloom

Fingal County Council is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded four medals at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom for its innovative show garden, ‘Coming Home to Nature’.

Along with winning a Gold medal, the Nicola Haines designed garden was named as Best in Show Large Garden. It also picked up an award for Best Construction Team and was named as the Most Sustainable Garden.

The theme of Fingal’s display this year was around incorporating biodiversity into urban landscapes, particularly what can be done in private gardens. With global and national biodiversity in decline, and a high demand for housing, the show garden demonstrates how new developments can not only coexist with nature but also enhance it.

The Fingal entry was among 19 show gardens on display at Bloom 2024 which opened this morning and takes place over the next five days. This is the latest accolade that Fingal has received for a show garden, following on from the council’s success with 'Breathing Space' at Bloom 2023.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy said: “It's great to see our garden recognised by the expert panel of judges. As Ireland's population grows, the demand for housing increases, so to meet this need will require us to develop suitable sites for more homes while also considering the impact on biodiversity. This involves better integrating nature into housing developments as much as possible, benefiting wildlife and natural habitats while also providing well-designed and thoughtfully laid-out communities for residents.”

Aiming to inspire both developers and the general public to enhance biodiversity in their communities, the ‘Coming Home to Nature’ garden was designed by Nicola Haines from Tierney Haines Architects and pre-assembled at Bremore Castle on the north Fingal coast before all elements were transported and built in situ at Bloom.

Working alongside Nicola Haines were members of the Council’s Biodiversity, Parks and Landscape teams. Kevin Halpenny, Senior Parks Superintendent at Fingal said: “This year's display is testament to the incredible efforts of our team in Fingal and designer Nicola Haines. To pick up four awards this year is fantastic recognition of the countless hours of their dedication to designing, planting, sourcing materials and braving the forces of nature to bring this amazing green space to life.”

The ‘Coming Home to Nature’ garden will help promote the new guidelines on “Biodiversity and the Built Environment” developed by Fingal County Council which demonstrates how biodiversity can be incorporated into housing developments. It emphasises that everyone has a role to play, whether retrofitting existing spaces or planning future developments. The garden illustrates that even small actions, like installing nest boxes or planting native species, can significantly impact local wildlife.

Following the conclusion of Bloom, the award-winning garden will be permanently incorporated into one of Fingal’s parks so that the garden will continue to be enjoyed by the community into the future, serving as a lasting testament to the importance of biodiversity in urban planning.

Find out more on the design, development and flowers of Fingal's Coming Home to Nature garden here: https://www.fingal.ie/fingal-county-council-bloom-2024-coming-home-nature-show-garden