Beauty of Abbeyleix at the heart of Laois garden design at Bloom

The beauty of Abbeyleix and the surrounding area will be showcased at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom festival when it returns to the Phoenix Park this summer.

That’s all thanks to local landscaper Patrik Weisser who is designing a garden titled ‘A love letter to Abbeyleix’ for the popular festival of flowers.

This week we caught up with Patrik to talk all about how his career in horticulture began.

“I was influenced by my grandparents and my parents who used to spend their free time in the garden when I was little, but I never considered horticulture as a career choice until I was studying at Abbeyleix Further Education and Training Centre,” explained Patrik.

“The horticulture module, which I really enjoyed, was delivered by landscape designer and contractor Brian Burke who recognised my interest in landscape design. Brian introduced me to Bord Bia Bloom where I volunteered at his show garden before gaining more experience alongside him through many other occasions.”
Patrik is no stranger to the big stage and back in 2019 he took part in the RTÉ television show Super Garden.

“I was only in my second year of Horticulture course at Technological University Dublin when I realised that now was the time to try it. That was the first time I got to design a garden, organise the whole build, and built it in a specific timeframe all while being filmed by cameras for a show airing on the national television. Talk about pressure! I didn’t win, but it wasn't the right time for me to do it back then, now I am ready.” CONTINUE READLING BELOW 

Patrik is part of the gardening team at Abbeyleix House and Farm where his job varies depending on the time of year.

“Spring is about preparation for summer, getting the gardens ready for planting, and seed sowing and general spring care. Summer months are mostly about maintenance of the gardens we have, making sure everything looks pristine,” he said.

“During autumn and winter flower beds must be prepared for the cold weather ahead. And on top of that throughout the year we have new and exciting projects to keep everyone busy.”
Getting to be creative is what Patrik enjoys most about the work.

“Designing gardens is incredible, I get to think about the space I work with, the purpose and use of such space, plants, colours and textures. It’s like a puzzle, all pieces must fit together. I work outdoors, which can be difficult at times when the weather is not on our side, but it’s worth it during the warm summer months.”
It has been an ambition of Patrik’s for many years to design a show garden at Bord Bia Bloom. He said it is a dream come true to finally have the opportunity to bring this project to life.

“I have designed a garden titled ‘A Love Letter to Abbeyleix’ aiming to showcase the natural beauty of the landscape of Abbeyleix House and Farm, along the charisma surrounding Abbeyleix town in County Laois. The design pays homage to the serene beauty and uniqueness of the area, while recognising its flexibility while adapting to changes and capturing its spirit,” he said.

“The garden combines woodland and ornamental planting to create a natural and traditional garden. Many materials used in the build of this garden are materials sourced at Abbeyleix House and Farm including Oak trees grown from harvested acorns and grown there for decades.” CONTINUE READING AFTER THE PHOTO 

Nothing will go to waste and after the event, all materials from Patrik’s garden will be used to create a new garden at Abbeyleix House and Farm.
For anyone thinking of horticulture as a career, Patrik has shared some advice about the career path.

“Horticulture is an interesting profession to get into. There are many career paths one can pursue from landscape design to vegetable growing to nursery stock management. My advice for anyone who wants to get into Horticulture is to go out and do it. That's the only way to know if that really is what you want to do,” he said.

“There are many communities that one can join to get the taste by volunteering and courses to try and see where that can lead. I studied Horticulture at TU Dublin and I enjoyed it. It provided me with an amazing opportunity to figure out which area of Horticulture I enjoyed and I gained knowledge that I use every day as part of my job.”

Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s largest gardening and food festival, will take place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin from Thursday, May 30th to Monday, June 3rd. A showcase of the very best of Ireland’s horticulture and food industry, the annual festival will once again feature a range of spectacular show gardens, over 100 Irish food and drink exhibitors, live talks and entertainment for all.

Celebrating its 18th year in 2024, Bord Bia Bloom now attracts over 100,000 visitors annually and has grown into Ireland’s favourite gardening and lifestyle festival. Tickets are on sale now on BordBiaBloom.com and don’t forget, two children aged 12 and under go free with every adult ticket. To stay up to date with plans for the 2024 festival, sign up to the Bloom ezine at BordBiaBloom.com and follow @BordBiaBloom #bordbiabloom