I had the pleasure of visiting Bloom on the opening morning and whilst enjoying a walk in the sunshine through the walled gardens, i was lucky to catch these two furry honey bees collecting pollen from the flowers of the garden.

Bees were far from the highlight of my visit however. This years Bloom in the Park is laid out immaculately, with a score of beautifully designed show gardens, a retail arena in which you are likely to find almost anything, a haven for foodies sponsored by Bord Bia with notable appearances from acclaimed Irish Chefs such as Donal Skehan, an Entertainment stage sponsored by Arnotts and so much more.

If you are looking for a nice day out this weekend, consider heading along! Kids go free but if the weather is too nice, the little ones may get a little bit hot! Bloom in the park is on all weekend right up until Bank Holiday Monday, a nice way to spend your day off work i reckon.

See more of my pictures from Bloom 2011 on pix.ie.

A bloom at Bloom 2010. Came across this in my unpublished archives today and with the event coming up shortly, thought it may be nice to share a morsel of what is on offer at the event

Reeds skirting the edge of Lough Meelagh, situated beside the Kilronan Castle Hotel in Co. Roscommon, with the winter sun illuminating the sky behind.

I’m not sure of the name of this particular type of cactus, but it has this spider web of soft fluff at the very top with super sharp spikes poking through. Another shot from the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin.

Water has such a nice way of sticking to the petals of plants and lovely how it coats this white chrysanth adding to it’s natural beauty. Thanks Photowalk.ie for a great day out in the Botanic Gardens. For me, the rain definitely helped.

Despite the rain in the Botanic Gardens in Dublin today, the flowers were still in full bloom. Nice to still see bees collecting pollen in September and also making an appearance for the Photowalk.ie day out.

A pink lily forming strings of pollen which hang from the stamen to entice bees and birds to visit.

On my first ever trip to Powerscourt House and Gardens today, we noticed that the flowers have begun to bloom. Majestic tulips line the stunning walkways of this beautiful gardened estate. I can’t wait until my next visit.

Another shot from my trip to the National Botanic Gardens last weekend, and today these beautiful orange and pink trumpet flowers suspended under a canopy of banana leaves inside the glasshouse.

Another shot from the National Botanic Gardens. This was taken on Easter Monday in the large Banana Greenhouse.