MORE THAN 50,000 people are expected to attend the second Bloom Garden Festival which will be held in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, over the June bank holiday weekend.
The Bord Bia-organised event will feature more than 30 show gardens from Ireland's top horticulturists and this year will include a larger and more spectacular pavilion showing the best of Irish plants and flowers.
Bloom 2008 will also introduce a new "health and wellness arena" and a craft trail offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy live demonstrations by crafts people at work.
A cookery demonstration stage featuring some of Ireland's leading chefs, an Irish artisan food market, a children's play area and an outdoor entertainment stage will be among the other features of the event. Some tickets will be on sale for a preview day on Thursday, May 29th.
Announcing details of the event yesterday, Minister for Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan said that with greater urbanisation and higher housing density few people now had the luxury of living in a natural landscape.
"There is, however, an inherent human desire for the calm and stimulation provided by the planted environment, whether it is an elaborate planting scheme or just a few pots," she said.
"This can come ready-made or through the well- and long-recognised therapeutic exercise of caring for plants.
"Bloom, building on the success of last year's inaugural event, celebrates our relationship with plants and will show many possibilities of how this can improve our quality of life," she said.
Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter said the immense public response to Bloom 2007 confirmed the need for a world-class gardening event in Ireland. It proved that we had both the indigenous design talent and the public demand for an outstanding event, he said.
"Bord Bia is committed to further developing this outstanding showcase and for anyone with an interest in flowers, gardening, crafts, fine food or simply outdoor life," said Mr Cotter.
"The Midsummer Night Garden" is one of the main attractions at the Our House Show, at the Punchestown Events Centre, which opened yesterday and runs to Sunday.
More than 100 exhibitors are taking part in the event, which is being billed as a must for anyone considering redecorating or renovating their home.