PAUL Martin, the winner of the Best in Show award at Bloom 2007, Ireland’s newest gardening showcase has described his victory as “a very real honour”.

The 41-year-old Dundalk native’s garden, entitled ‘Dragonflies and Flutterbies’, took almost a year to produce and cost €140,000. It beat off stiff competition from 29 other gardens to take the overall award.

“The organisers insisted that everyone raise their game for this event,” Mr Martin said yesterday. “It’s a real honour. The garden was all about being able to sit out and chill out for half an hour.

“All the elements from the terrace to the outdoor fire and the water pools help to achieve that.”

The winning garden was inspired by the notion of relaxation and incorporates the themes of fire and water. It included many plants which have medicinal purposes.

Once the Bloom event closes tomorrow, the garden is to be divided into three and given to two nursing homes in Dublin and Limerick as well as the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Martin has previously won a silver medal at the world renowned Chelsea flower show and two gold medals from the RDS show in 2004 and 2005.

source : www.independent.ie