Gold Medal / Best in Concept Garden Category

Shared Roots, Common Shade is a woodland garden, presented by the European Commission, and marking Ireland’s presidency of the European Council, starting in July. The woodland of 27 mature trees forms a ring, shading a simple path along which visitors will be able to ample trough dappled shade and a woodland understory planting.

At the centre, a sculpture rises from a shallow pool, visible in glimpses, as the whole garden melds with the surrounding landscape of the Pheonix Park. The garden uses a mix of Eurasian tree species to represent the 27 member states, and a selection European native and introduced understory plants centring the value and necessity of our immigrant communities. We hope the garden will provide a relief from the heat and bustle of the Bloom rush, and give visitors a sense of the atmosphere that can be achieved with something as simple as trees, water, and a path.

The garden focuses heavily on green and what can be achieved with it, celebrating the joy of light and movement away from trends and “colour”. As our gardens grow, the trees get taller, and shade increases; colour reduces, and the light becomes less intense but more magical. You can gauge the passage of time by the sun picking up brief highlights, celebrating little victories and special details. A space to watch plants grow.

We hope to achieve something similar with our show garden, and give visitors as sense of calm. After the show, the garden will move to the Cork Docklands development, where it will be incorporated into a park.