pink! giving berth at bloom 2008 [7]

Award winning landscape architect, Peter Donegan, is at it again. This year his show garden ‘Pour L‘amour de Jeux’ (For a love of the game) in Bloom 2008 will feature a 1957, 11 metre, pink, three storey pleasure cruise boat!

Building on the success of ‘No Rubber Soul’ his award winning large show garden in Bloom 2007 where he featured a 1965 Morris Minor, split in two, no less, Peter decided to go bigger and brighter for Bloom 2008 and prove that dreams do really come true and if you put your mind to it you can do anything.

Peter’s mind will certainly need to be focused on the morning of May 8th as the pink, 3 storey, 11 metre long, 3.5 metre high pleasure cruise boat sets sail from Ballyboughal onto the M1, M50 and into the Phoenix Park where it will be berthed for the duration of Bloom 2008.

Peter Donegan Landscaping Ltd was set up just eight years ago and in October 2007 Peter was presented with two national awards by the ALCI (Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland) and most recently received the National Amenity Quality Award in recognition of standards achieved under the Bord Bia Landscape Quality Programme.

Photo Opportunity

Event: Bright Pink, 11 metre pleasure cruise ship prepares to berth in bloom 2008
Route: Ballyboughal, M1, M50, Castleknock Gate, Phoenix Park
Date: 8th May 2008
UPDATE: TIME: 4am – 6pm [no later due to traffic/ OPW] departure and arrival

Photo Opportunity

A 1957, 11 metre long, bright pink, pleasure cruiser shall sail down the M1 and M50 on May 8th heading for its berth place at Bloom 2008 in the Phoenix Park. The imaginative, award winning, landscape architect, Peter Donegan has designed a large show garden including the boat for this year’s event entitled ‘Pour L’amour de Jeux’ (For the Love of the Game).

The three storey, pink, 11 metre long, 6 metre high pleasure boat will cruise from Ballyboughal, onto the M1, M50, Castleknock entrance into the Phoenix Park where it shall take up residence until the end of Bloom 2008.

Peter’s large show garden in Bloom 2007, ‘No Rubber Soul’ received a Silver Medal and featured a 1965 Morris Minor.

Contact Peter on 01 8078712 www.doneganlandscaping.com

By |April 29th, 2008|All Posts, Donegan Gardens and Services|1 Comment
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Tree leaves may have a bio-cycle


go make a difference - book review peter donegan

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Among the many books in my library I have a little gem called Go make a Difference – over 500 daily ways to save the planet. Whilst the book relates mainly to mainland UK it is still quite a fine journal crammed with useful links and thins that can be so easily done to help our planet.


One genius little junket was to do with a company who sells products made from from recycled tyres! Remarkable Technologies Ltd however have a website which is brilliant and whilst diddling through it over the weekend I found this page/ paper called Tree leaves: A free source of energy, literally falling from the sky where the author Eric Knight believes that ‘A new, renewable energy source, tree leaves, maybe the ideal earth-friendly bio fuel feedstock for the production of ethanol and/ or as a secondary fuel source for power plants.’

That one may not be so relevant to the general populus… but for apartment dwellers and bedsitters to those in country mansions – if you only did one of these per month in your life… As one of the reviews on the back by John Vidal, environment editor with The Guardian says, ‘How many people does it take to change the world? One to buy this book and six billion to act on it’.


By |April 28th, 2008|All Posts, Reading|0 Comments
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bloom 2008 [6] & the malahide boat show

After an early rise this morning to admire the beauty around me I went to Malahide, North Dublin to see the bi-annual boat show.

One of the reasons I wanted to go was to see if there was anything I could do more to add to the ‘thats an unusual [pink boat all included] garden’ tag Pour L’amour de Jeux has given me! and the well organised event was extremely helpful in sourcing some ‘boat stuff’/ props we needed for Bloom 2008.

The other reason was to travel with a very good friend/ neighbour[ish]/ colleague of mine/ Adrian McMahon and his two sons where we would meet with Gene another colleague of ours for a coffee.

The day was of course fantastic, but like most things in my life it is always made that extra little bit special by those with who it is shared. As you can gather there was a lot of Bloom-in talkin’ goin’ on and I must say where good coffee, intelligents minds and good friends are involved somehow life seems quite easy! Thanks you all, it was Bloomin’ fantastic.

By |April 27th, 2008|All Posts, Donegan Gardens and Services|0 Comments
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[Plant] Life – simply breath taking!

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) - inspiration in a field - peter donegan garden design

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I awoke this morning to walk the dogs before going to the boatshow in Malahide with Aido [and the his two well mannered youngsters] to meet with Gene, another gentleman and associate. The weather was beautiful, the day simply amazing and the people I met just added to the brilliance.

This field of Brassicae napus [rapeseed oil], opposite my house could only make life quite inspirational and I must say added a somewhat breath taking smile! Amazing!

By |April 27th, 2008|All Posts, Horticulture Ireland|1 Comment
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bloom 2008 [5] – all aboard?!!

since my last posts things have heated up, slightly! But a decision has been made by the Donegan Landscaping team not to release any [semi complete] photographs of the boat until in its fullest glory – and I can assure you D. B. Painters, Noel & the B.D.F. Commercials team are 99% complete on what can only be considered absolute genius!

Today, Gormleys fine art have kindly taken our hand on this amazing journey as our main partner. It is the greatest thing in the world to make people smile by building gardens and I love with passion so dearly my work. To know that a company such as Gormleys, an ideal partner all things considered, will stand tall by my side leaves me brimming with confidence today and above all a radiant smile! Via email Gormleys Fine Art today stated that ‘Gormleys Fine Art is delighted to be involved with Peter Donegan at Bloom 2008. Peter’s gardens are truly inspirational and we take great pleasure in supplying a sculpture by one of our artists Paddy Campbell for his creative design’.

Also on board is another genuis and genuine nice guy Karl Ellis of Rockworld, supplier of my first ever water feature and good friend to this day. Understanding, that Karl got this pic sometime last year with a sketch looking nothing like the one above… His forsight to know me so well is a true sign of an amazing brain. So the water is beind dyed black and the master craftsman of all things Hydrogen Dioxide has worked, as always so hard to yet again, make another of my gardens complete! According to Karl ‘Bloom 2008 is gonna get a little Rock and Roll’ ?!!

And so the adventure continues…. everyone is literally on board! All thats left is for the fine gentlemen of Whittens Road Haulage [click to see how good these guys are!] to lift the boat on May 7th and place it in a garden on May 8th…. and a couple of other things ….?!! I’ll keep you posted!

By |April 23rd, 2008|All Posts, Donegan Gardens and Services|4 Comments
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