Gardeners have just over a week to whip their garden into shape before the July 26 deadline for entry into the Cultivating Your Front Yard contest.
The City of St. Albert is calling on all gardeners to enter their beautiful front gardens into one of six categories: Best Overall Yard; Best Natural Front Yard; Best Art in Front Yard; Best Business Yard; Best Edible Front Yard and Best Winter Front yard.
You may nominate your own garden for consideration or you might choose to nominate a neighbour’s yard for this contest. The overall goal of the event is to encourage a beautiful sense of community within the city.
A special Good Neighbour category is designed to recognize those yards that have been landscaped together so that both yards benefit, not just from a shared driveway, but perhaps also because of shared shrubs, trees and containers full of flowers.
“We’ve limited the contest to front yards because the front yard is enjoyed by everyone who may walk by, or take a bike ride, or drive,” said Joan Barber, manager of marketing and research for St. Albert Economic Development.
So far Barber has approximately 50 entries to the event, with most contestants listing their yard in the Best Overall Yard category.
“We’re at the half-way point in the contest now so that’s about the right number of entries for this point, but there is lots of room in every category. I’d also encourage people to not be shy, and to enter their own yard,” Barber said.
Yards will be judged Aug. 1 to 9. Contest judges will also be welcomed so if you can spare a few hours of your time to go out with a fellow volunteer, please call Joan Barber at 780-459-1725.
All contestants and judges will be invited to an end of the season garden party scheduled for September 18.
For entry forms or for more information about Cultivating Front Yards, visit www.cultivatebusiness.ca. Entry forms may also be picked up at economic development at 29 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue or at the St. Albert Gazette office at 340 Carleton Drive.
