Communities In Bloom Season Launches

Published on: 2011/05/11 - in Releases

Local school children, representing 20 local schools will participate in a plant-off to kick-off Communities in Bloom season in Springer Market Square at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18.

The public is invited to come cheer on participants who will be competing to plant the most beautiful planter. The planting competition is a mini-version of the annual national and local Communities in Bloom competitions which celebrate civic and individual beautification efforts.

During the plant-off, Sustainable Kingston – the organization in charge of the community-built plan to make Kingston Canada’s most sustainable city – will supply sidewalk chalk so students can draw their vision of a sustainable Kingston on Springer Market Square. The Creative Arts FOCUS Program from Limestone District School Board will help chalk the Sustainable Kingston logo on the Square.

“The Communities in Bloom program is about honouring those who help keep our community beautiful to encourage civic pride and engagement. Home, business owners and, at a national level, municipalities, take pains in choosing plants, flowers, rockeries, walkways, arbors and many, many other thoughtful and visually-appealing elements to show pride of place,” says Sue Hitchcock, Communities in Bloom Coordinator. “Kingstonians do this particularly well and deserve to be recognized for their efforts.”

The Kingston Blooms contest – the local arm of Communities in Bloom – celebrates Kingston’s green thumbs by awarding winning gardens blooms through its annual gardening competition. The competition is open to front gardens only. Applications are available at www.cityofkingston.ca/blooms and must be submitted by Friday, June 24.

As in past years, Kingston Blooms volunteers will be out-and-about and on the lookout for charming and creative front gardens and will leave behind post cards encouraging those tending them to enter.

Judging takes place July 5 to 10 and gardens will be judged on: WOW factor, design, plant material, maintenance and environmental awareness.

Categories include:

Residential Gardens

  • Small Garden – 20 ft /6.096 m of frontage
  • Medium Garden – 21 ft to 50 ft/15.5m of frontage
  • Large Garden – 51 ft/15.6m of frontage or larger
  • New Garden – three years old or younger
  • Garden Art/Structures
  • Senior Garden – planted and maintained by gardeners who are 65 or older

Non-Residential Gardens

  • Commercial Garden- office buildings, golf courses, hotels, churches, cemeteries, retail, etc.
  • Community Garden – planted and maintained by a community group (including residential care facilities, co-operative gardens, etc.)
  • Education Institution Garden – planted and maintained by students and volunteers

The efforts of Kingston gardeners also support Kingston’s bid to be a winner in the 2011 Communities in Bloom National Program. Kingston is a past five-bloom winner and is again vying for acknowledgement as one of the best blooming cities in Canada in the “Circle of Champions” category. Kingston will be up against other past national champions, including: Barrie, Ontario, Fort St. John, British Columbia, Strathcona County, Alberta and Stratford, Ontario.

National Communities in Bloom judges will be here between August 11 and 12 to look at Kingston’s tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape, turf and groundcovers, floral display and community involvement.

Plan to get there by bus: www.cityofkingston.ca/tripplanner.

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Release source: City of Kingston | Photo: blmiers2

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