Garden Competition
Have some good, clean fun! Enter the EHS Garden Competition
Open to amateur gardeners in the Edmonton area, the competition is designed to promote excellence in gardening. It is also a great way to grow as a gardener in a congenial test of the best!
- Show off your garden and your gardening skills
- Get ideas and suggestions to make your garden even better
- Inspire others and celebrate with other gardeners
- Win!
There is a class for everyone! Enter one or several classes.
See the winning gardens from the past few years. For those who want more than just some photographs, several of the winning gardens have also been profiled in the Gardener's Gate. A few of these profiles are also available here.
Schedule
Entry Deadline: July 10, 2013
Judging: July 15 & 16, 1013
Awards Presentation: Monday, September 30th
Entry Booklet and Form
2013 Entry Booklet
2013 Entry Form
Booklets and entry forms can also be picked up at Apache Seeds, Arch Greenhouses, Ellerslie Gift and Garden, Greenland Garden Center, Kuhlmann's Market, Salisbury Greenhouses, The Wildbird General Store, Wellington Garden Center, Wildbirds Unlimited.
Our Basic Competition Categories
Check the annual entry booklet for specific details and changes
Class 1 Home Garden Grand Challenge
Gardens are judged on total horticultural effort, including trees, shrubs, lawns, annuals, perennials, vegetables, containers, hardscaping and recreation areas, on front, back and side yards. (Some restriction on entering other categories may apply)
Class 2 Older Home Garden
An established or newly-renovated garden in homes 25 years old or more. Gardens are judged on total horticultural effort, including trees, shrubs, lawns, annuals, perennials, vegetables, containers, hardscaping and recreation areas, on front, back and side yards.
Class 3 Newly-Designed Garden
For gardeners who have moved into a new home or have inherited an existing landscape and have redone the landscape within the last four years. Gardens are judged on total horticultural effort, including trees, shrubs, lawns, annuals, perennials, vegetables, containers, hardscaping and recreation areas, on front, back and side yards. There are no size restrictions.
Class 4 Decorative Front Garden
The garden should be welcoming and have curb appeal, while still displaying a flair for the challenges of horticulture. Entries will be judged on the balance of the house to the planting of flowerbeds, trees, shrubs, walkways, originality of design and decorative effect.
Class 5 Decorative Back Garden
Judging criteria includes the balance of the house to the planting of flower beds, trees, shrubs, walkways, etc. The originality of design, decorative effect and suitability for outdoor living are also considered.
Class 6 Perennial Bed
An entry in this class must have a minimum of twenty-five different species of perennials. Plant material, excluding trees, shrubs and lawn, must consist of at least seventy-five-percent herbaceous perennials. Emphasis is placed on the design elements and variety of plant material
Class 7 Pocket Garden
Gardens of townhomes, condominiums, zero lot-line homes, duplexes or apartment balconies.
Class 8 Water Garden
A water garden is an environment that supports water-loving plants. This class may include fish, amphibians, waterfalls, marginal plants and marshes within the water garden. An array of plants in the pond (at least three aquatic varieties) is required.
Class 9 Container Garden
Class 9A Single Container
One container with at least four species of flowers or non-flowering plants.
Class 9B Container Collection
Two or more containers with at least four species of flowering or non-flowering plants.
Class 10 Vegetable Garden
The vegetable garden may be a separate bed or a clearly designated area of the garden that contains at least seventy-five percent edible plants. Other plants may be incorporated into the garden for aesthetic appea or as companion plants.
Class 11 Rose Collection
A minimum of fifteen rose varieties is suggested. Emphasis is placed on the variety, vigour, maturity and maintenance of the plants. Rosa genus is the key. Distribution through the garden is encouraged—the whole property may be included.
Class 12 Specialized Area
Class 12A Specialized Area of the Garden
An area of the garden judged on its own merits. Examples include Side Garden, Alpine Garden, Annual Bed, Mixed Border, etc.
Class 12B Special Feature of the Garden
Examples include, above-ground water features, specialized
plantings on walls and pergolas, plantings integrated into pathways and/or hardscaping, etc.
Judging
Judging is based on criteria specific to each class (see competition booklet). Judging is done over two days in mid-July. All entries are also photographed.
Awards
Just being in the competition can be rewarding. Judges provide an assessment based on class criteria and offer comments on how you can improve your score and your garden! First, second and third place are awarded in each class with sufficient entries. Prizes include a certificate, a photograph and, for first place winners, a keepsake garden plaque. Our Grand Challenge trophy is inscribed with the name of the first place winner in that class.
All entrants and winners are invited to attend the awards ceremony in September.
For more information
Select Garden Competition in Contact us form
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