RTE’s “Supergarden” is on the look-out for designers ready to showcase their green fingered talent and previous winner Leonie Cornelius is eager to have Sligo represented.
German-born, Sligo-raised and now Leitrim-based Leonie, who will mentor the five designers chosen for the next season of Showgarden, is encouraging anyone with a love of design and gardens to get in touch and get involved.
The five chosen designers will compete for the prize of creating a garden for this year’s Bloom Garden Show, taking place in June. “Supergarden” will be back on our screens in April.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to get creative and showcase their ideas to a massive audience on national television, and going on to Bloom in the Park as a winner is the first step to a career in the lovely field of design,” said Leonie, who now runs her own garden design company, Blume.
After winning Supergarden in 2012, Leonie’s own career blossomed over the past four years with numerous television shows under her belt including Supergarden and the RTE Ploughing Live. Her winning entry was for a Sligo family too, the Flynn family from Meadowvale, Sligo town.
She has worked on weekly columns for the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine as well as the Mail on Sunday where she collaborates with Sligo photographer Colin Gillen to bring interesting stories from garden, design and all things creative.
Since her first stint on Supergarden Leonie has had the pleasure of creating two award winning Showgardens at Bloom in the Park as well as an RHS Gold medal for her Dubarry of Ireland Installation at Chelsea in Bloom, London.
Her 2013 Bloom in the Park Showgarden ‘A love letter to the West’ was a garden designed and built in homage to the beautiful North West of Ireland and was funded by the Leitrim Development Company and had many prominent visitors including President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina.
“I had studied Interior Architecture here in Sligo and then went on to do Garden Design at KLC Uni at Hampton Court in London,” she said.
“Supergarden for me was the start of a really exciting direction in my career. Winning it and then getting a Gold Medal and Best in Category medal also was more than I had ever hoped for and it has allowed me to work in this fascinating job since then which is a dream come true.
“Writing the weekly columns has allowed me to explore Ireland in search of garden inspirations and to meet so many fascinating and lovely people.”
And she points out that while she had studied design, the show producers are looking for entries from a wide range of individuals.
Applications are welcomed from keen hobbyists, recent design and horticulture graduates, or those starting out in the world of garden design gardening and landscape architecture.
The chance to design a garden and see it be brought to reality on Supergarden is one that future designers should jump at, she said, but, she adds “It is a true challenge, with real clients and real needs”.
“Supergarden pushed me to my limits but it’s so satisfying seeing it come together and seeing the Flynns here in Sligo enjoying their garden at the end makes it so worth it. I can only say to anyone considering taking part – Go for it!”
If you would like to be one of the five designers competing this season get in touch with the producers of the series: Vision Independent Productions via e-mail (supergardenshow@gmail.com).
