Richmond Village’s Sixth Annual Garden & Landscape Contest
- A Special Challenge!

Is all this rain getting you down? Are you fretting about your yard?  Well, why not embrace this year's spring weather, take it as a special challenge, and enter your outdoor pride and joy in Richmond Village’s sixth annual Garden and Landscape Contest!

Every year, the Richmond Village Association Inc. (RVA) partners up with local businesses and interested volunteers to organize, fund and judge this contest. The objective of this event is to encourage and recognize villagers’ pride in our community as expressed through the time, care, and creativity put into their properties. Participation in this community event is simple and free, not to mention a great opportunity to get some good gardening advice and win great prizes. As well, winners shall be acknowledged in local papers and on the village website. Hopefully, more contest highlights shall be made available to all through an on-line photo tour of participating properties this year.

The contest is open to all owners or occupants of residential property (private homes, apartments, condominiums, and home businesses) within Richmond boundaries. Citizens can register their properties in either one or both categories: (1) Front and/or Side yards and (2) Backyards (note: scheduled occupant-attended viewings required), which will be judged and awarded prizes separately.  Our enthusiastic volunteer judging team is comprised of horticulturalists from Harmony Gardens Landscaping Inc. and Richmond Nursery Inc., as well as  Mark Schizkoske, who will be our knowledgeable and enthusiastic public representative again this year. These judges will employ four equally weighted criteria of Beauty, Tidiness, Originality and Environmental Sensitivity to rank participants’ properties and scores will be averaged to identify our winners. 

A number of local businesses and the RVA have graciously donated some wonderful prizes.  In the Front and Side Yard category, the first place winner receives a $400 gift from the RVA ; second place winner is awarded a 200$ Gift Certificate donated by Richmond Nursery Inc.  In the Backyard Category, the contest offers an equally impressive assortment of prizes:  first place is awarded a 400$ Gift Certificate donated by Richmond Nursery Inc.; second place winner receives two cubic yards of top soil, compost, or bark mulch donated and delivered free by Harmony Gardens Landscaping Inc. (worth about 150$) and a 50$ gift certificate donated by Lalonde’s Richmond Gardens. Third place winners will also be recognized in both categories (prizes TBA).

A new great reason to enter this year's contest will be a special recognition award given to the best overall environmentally sensitive property in Richmond. Some of the features judges will be looking for are water conservation strategies such as the use of rain barrels, mulch, ground cover, trees and shrubs, and xeric gardens.  Encouragement of desirable wildlife through the use of properly maintained ponds, bird baths and houses, bat boxes, and the selection of plant species to encourage pollinators will be noted.  Using compost, other natural fertilizers and mulches, and environmental alternatives for pest and weed management are also considered key elements to a healthy and productive yard ecology.  Judges will be seeking the use of native plant species and natural plant arrangements/associations, as well as a strong focus on perennials over annuals.  Gardens will also be judged for the integration of used or recycled items in the garden landscape as functional features, unique focal points or accent features.

Contest entry is free and registration has been extended up to and including June 13^th.  Judging commences June 18^th and ends June 26^th. Registration and permission forms, as well as all contest details, can be obtained online at www.richmondvillage.ca and from pamphlets near poster displays that will be located around town at local businesses, including Lalonde’s Richmond Gardens, Richmond Nursery Inc., and King's Valu-Mart.  Completed forms can be deposited at the official contest boxes located at the aforementioned businesses or sent in by post to the RVA (Richmond Village Association Inc., P.O. Box 4, Richmond, ON, K0A 2Z0).

Contact contest coordinator Ulrica McKim (613-838-9659) for more information, any concerns or if you wish to get involved.