The Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards honors the city’s green fingers wherever they contribute, whether it’s backyards, boulevards, courtyard containers or city farms. (Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards)
З more people gardening than ever, organizers Chicago Awards for Outstanding Horticulture want to see what green cities are achieving in yards, boulevards, backyards, school grounds and other greenery.
Applications are accepted until July 1 for the 2022 awards, which will again be evaluated in person after the virtual in 2020 and 2021.
“The number of American gardeners has grown over the past two years,” said Mike Novak, the award’s founder. “This is true in Chicago as well, and we want to see that new and experienced gardeners can teach us what they learned during the pandemic. Gardening is more important than ever, not only to combat food security, but even as a personal way to combat species loss and climate change. ”
The competition is open to all Chicagoans, admission is free. Categories include residential, school, organization, public gardens and urban farms, with subcategories for ornamental, vegetable, container and special gardens. The application form encourages to take two photos, which may be from the growing season of 2021, and asks participants to share the history of their garden.
Judges will travel to the scene to see the landings first hand. “They will be looking for a garden that will be well-planned, well-groomed, artistic, creative and connected to society,” Novak said. “But they will especially look for signs that the garden is environmentally friendly – that it treats the land with care, has local plants where possible, and cares for birds and wildlife.”
The recipients of the award will be announced in late summer. Despite the fact that there are no prizes, the winners will receive signs and the right to brag.
Contact Patty Wetley: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
https://news.wttw.com/2022/05/09/attention-green-thumbs-submissions-chicago-excellence-gardening-awards-now-open
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/T33RIA57OREYHOL5A45O4MO6JI.jpg "Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson pays city over $3,000 in water bills – Chicago Tribune")
