If for no other reason, the FBD Insurance Transition garden deserved to win best in show at Bloom because the 40 tonnes of Schist rocks – that were central to the design – weren’t just dropped higgledy-piggledy around the place.

According to Oliver Schurmann, one of the two-person design team, they were actually laid in a manner that followed the geographical pattern from when they were first laid down millions of years ago. That is the level of detail that is required to win big at Bloom. Planting and layout of this garden would be familiar to anyone living along the west coast as one of its aims was to capture the atmosphere of the rugged Connemara coast. It also had a sustainability aim, said Oliver.

“We used no cement in its construction. It just consists of rocks, water, pond liner and plants, all of which will be reused. It’s a garden that people can take inspiration from and recreate parts of at home.”

FBD Insurance CEO Fiona Muldoon described the win as a “fantastic start to its Bloom journey”, with which FBD has agreed a three-year partnership. One of the highlights of the garden was that it changed dramatically every hour or so. This was done by lowering the water level, which consisted of 30,000 litres of water, and this action allowed landmasses and islands to appear and form a new landscape.

Planting scheme

The tree planting scheme of this garden included southern beech, which is native to South America. However, its craggy growth habit is indicative of trees that grow along the west coast. Other trees included the flowering dogwood and the stag’s horn.

Perennials included plants that favour damp conditions and in some cases shade as well. People will be familiar with many of them from their incarnation in the wild, including thrift and plantain.

The delicate yellow Trolius x cultorum alabaster is related to the buttercup family. Filipendula vulgaris plena created a lovely blousy effect, which was echoed by Luzula nivea, more commonly known as the showy wood rush.

This planting was underscored by Osmunda regalis or royal fern, which grows comfortably in woodland bogs or along the banks of streams. With its columnar form and multiple red blossoms, the Russian echium was a striking addition to this garden.

The designers Liat and Oliver Schurmann have won many awards for their gardens and their Mount Venus Nursery in Rathfarnham is hugely popular with garden enthusiasts country wide. Call 01-493 3813 for more or check out www.mountvenusnursery.com CL