A former farm manager from Co. Kildare, who designed a garden which featured at Bord Bia Bloom 2024 has sadly passed away today (Wednesday, June 5).
John Dooley, who won Super Garden 2024, saw the garden he designed and created presented at Bord Bia Bloom 2024, an event that attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Dublin’s Phoenix Park over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Dooley of Woodlands, Castledermot, Co. Kildare was a former farm manager with a lifelong passion for gardening, who said that gardening was “therapy” for him.
According to Bord Bia Bloom, Dooley loved to “do gardens for people in his area” and also to take care of the local church grounds.
The Kildare man said he had “always wanted to apply” for Super Garden, but that he had “never had the courage to take the leap”.
This year, his wife Elizabeth applied on his behalf without his knowledge and according to Bord Bia Bloom, Dooley was “certainly glad that she did”.
Dooley’s passing today (Wednesday, June 5) is “deeply regretted” by his wife Elizabeth, his brothers, sisters, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and a large circle of friends.
Named ‘Back to the Future’, Dooley’s garden created a low-maintenance, sustainable, and bio diverse garden for Daija and her two daughters, Amanda and Amelia.
The design accommodated Daija’s scoliosis and offered an easy-to-care-for space for the family to enjoy.
Originally from Latvia, Daija has been in Ireland for over 20 years, and says she was “delighted” to have someone to design a garden as she had started to do it but was unable to complete it due to her scoliosis.
The family asked for a dream space that would impress guests but remain low maintenance and easy to maintain.