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Gardeners are not only incorporating native plants into their yards but also understanding the roles the plants play in their garden ecosystems. Plants are being chosen for their function and not just for shape and colour. Gardeners are researching and planning to maximize pollinator habitat in the short term while also having a vision for how the garden will adapt long-term. |
The Monarch Awards is a standard of excellence that recognizes gardens and gardeners in Hamilton, Ontario for their contribution to a biodiverse, sustainable environment. Applications are due on the summer solstice each year and judges will visit short-listed gardens in July and August.
Goals
Criteria
There are six categories: soil, water, plants, materials/hardscaping, cultural practices, and aesthetics. Judges will use a scoring rubric to evaluate each garden. 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.
We want to show what’s possible, provide inspiration, and motivation to keep moving along the garden path towards more ecological diversity and more sustainable horticultural practices.
Goals
- Raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the interconnected web of life in healthy gardens,
- Increase the amount and quality of habitat and sustenance for birds, pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife of all kinds,
- Improve the sustainability of gardens via: healthy ecology; wise water use and conservation,
- Challenge the dominant vision-centered aesthetic in garden design with one that acknowledges scent, sound, and touch,
- Promote creativity and personal expression in garden design, free of the constraints of conventional, human-centered aesthetic “rules,” and
- Promote the social value of sustainable gardens as points of collective awareness, neighborhood cohesion, and community resiliency in the face of climate change.
Criteria
There are six categories: soil, water, plants, materials/hardscaping, cultural practices, and aesthetics. Judges will use a scoring rubric to evaluate each garden. 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.
- Soil: How healthy is your garden soil? What makes your soil healthy?
- Water: How do you conserve water and deal with runoff from roofs? How do you water your garden?
- Plants: How many plants? Lots of variety? Some natives?
- Materials and Hardscaping: Chosen wisely? Used carefully? Permeability?
- Cultural Practices: What do you do in your garden to enhance natural systems?
- Aesthetics: Does it look like a garden? A pleasing effect?
We want to show what’s possible, provide inspiration, and motivation to keep moving along the garden path towards more ecological diversity and more sustainable horticultural practices.
Questions? Send an email to admin@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 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.