The Monarch Awards is an award of excellence that recognizes gardens and gardeners in Hamilton Ontario for their contribution to a bio-diverse, sustainable environment.
Goals
*to raise awareness of the importance of bio-diversity and the inter-connected web of life in healthy gardens
*to increase the amount and quality of habitat and sustenance for birds, pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife of all kinds
*to improve the sustainability of gardens via: healthy ecology; wise water use and conservation
*to challenge the dominant vision-centered aesthetic in garden design with one that acknowledges scent, sound, and touch
*to promote creativity and personal expression in garden design, free of the constraints of conventional, human-centered aesthetic “rules”
*to promote the social value of sustainable gardens as points of collective awareness, neighbourhood cohesion, and community resiliency in the face of climate change.
Criteria
There are six categories: soil, water, plants, materials/hardscaping, cultural practices, and aesthetics. Categories are not equally important; judges will use a scoring matrix to fairly evaluate each garden.
Soil: How healthy is your garden soil?
Water:How do you conserve water and deal with runoff from roofs?
Plants: How many plants? Lots of variety? Some natives?
Materials and Hardscaping: Chosen wisely? Used carefully?
Cultural Practices:What do you do in your garden to enhance natural systems?
Aesthetics: Does it look like a garden? A pleasing effect?
Your garden doesn’t need to excel in ALL these areas– if you’re doing most or even some of them well, please apply! It’s not about “winning”– it’s about recognizing gardeners who are doing what they can with the resources they have.
Goals
*to raise awareness of the importance of bio-diversity and the inter-connected web of life in healthy gardens
*to increase the amount and quality of habitat and sustenance for birds, pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife of all kinds
*to improve the sustainability of gardens via: healthy ecology; wise water use and conservation
*to challenge the dominant vision-centered aesthetic in garden design with one that acknowledges scent, sound, and touch
*to promote creativity and personal expression in garden design, free of the constraints of conventional, human-centered aesthetic “rules”
*to promote the social value of sustainable gardens as points of collective awareness, neighbourhood cohesion, and community resiliency in the face of climate change.
Criteria
There are six categories: soil, water, plants, materials/hardscaping, cultural practices, and aesthetics. Categories are not equally important; judges will use a scoring matrix to fairly evaluate each garden.
Soil: How healthy is your garden soil?
Water:How do you conserve water and deal with runoff from roofs?
Plants: How many plants? Lots of variety? Some natives?
Materials and Hardscaping: Chosen wisely? Used carefully?
Cultural Practices:What do you do in your garden to enhance natural systems?
Aesthetics: Does it look like a garden? A pleasing effect?
Your garden doesn’t need to excel in ALL these areas– if you’re doing most or even some of them well, please apply! It’s not about “winning”– it’s about recognizing gardeners who are doing what they can with the resources they have.
Caterpillar Awards
Special “Caterpillar” recognition will look at the efforts of:
– beginner gardeners without a lot of experience
– people making small gardens or “first try” gardens, regardless of the property size
– people with small “postage stamp” properties
Whether your garden is large or small, ambitious or modest, expert or neophyte– the application is the same. Simply tell us about your garden and the kind of things you’re doing to make it bio-diverse and sustainable.
– beginner gardeners without a lot of experience
– people making small gardens or “first try” gardens, regardless of the property size
– people with small “postage stamp” properties
Whether your garden is large or small, ambitious or modest, expert or neophyte– the application is the same. Simply tell us about your garden and the kind of things you’re doing to make it bio-diverse and sustainable.
Who Can Enter
All residential properties in Hamilton are eligible. Gardens must be residential, not on business or commercial properties. Entrants do not need to own the property but do need to be primary person responsible for how the gardens look and function. Gardens can be part of condominium and apartment building grounds.
After You Apply
After the entry deadline, the Monarch Awards technical committee reviews all the entries and forwards the best ones to the judges. The judges decides which gardens they will visit. If your property is chosen for a visit, you are encouraged to be on hand to showcase your work and your goals.
All entrants will receive one of our “We’re Helping Pollinators” garden sign. If you already have a sign we have special “Monarch Award entrant” stickers to put on them.
Apply today to one of these programs. It’s free!
Entry deadline is midnight on June 30, 2021. Judges’ site visits are scheduled for mid-July.
Questions? Send us an email admin@monarchawardshamilton.org
For more information visit http://monarchawardshamilton.org/
The Monarch Awards originated with a group of gardeners who had an idea for an “alternative” garden awards program. The organizing committee includes staff from the Hamilton Naturalists Club, Environment Hamilton, along with volunteers from the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Crown Point Garden Club, as well as local residents. The City of Hamilton takes a great interest in this program and supports our efforts yearly by hosting the Awards celebration at City Council Chambers.
Entry deadline is midnight on June 30, 2021. Judges’ site visits are scheduled for mid-July.
Questions? Send us an email admin@monarchawardshamilton.org
For more information visit http://monarchawardshamilton.org/
The Monarch Awards originated with a group of gardeners who had an idea for an “alternative” garden awards program. The organizing committee includes staff from the Hamilton Naturalists Club, Environment Hamilton, along with volunteers from the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Crown Point Garden Club, as well as local residents. The City of Hamilton takes a great interest in this program and supports our efforts yearly by hosting the Awards celebration at City Council Chambers.