2019 WINNERS

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

15^th Annual Garden Contest - 2019 Winners

Co-Sponsored by the Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

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The Rhoads Garden, 570 DeKalb Pike, North Wales

We say it every year – it gets harder and harder to judge the wonderful gardens in Gwynedd Pointe because there are so many great ones. Congratulations to the winners, and to all of those who did not win, yet contribute to making our neighborhood so beautiful! This year we again tried to concentrate on the five Fs of great garden design, in order- form, foliage, flowers, fruits (bird food) and fragrance, and in particular, the first three Fs.

Judges’ Disclaimers: We did our best to identify plants, but it’s not always easy. There were contenders on every court and drive, but there could only be thirteen winners. Please judge for yourself, as that is part of the fun!

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

5402 Plantation – Gorgeous! The rear garden is perhaps the lushest in the history of our contest. (Contest rules say a garden must be visible to passers-by; see it from the Bell Run sidewalk and common area.) A kaleidoscope of colors that splash, swell and swirl. Too many plants to identify; see it for yourself! Most importantly, it is an environmentally-friendly “pollinator garden.” It looks like it was created with a spin-art machine, but upon closer inspection one can tell it took a lot of planning and is a well-maintained “greenscape” in harmony with nature.

Second Place - $75 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

3401 Carriage – Another gorgeous garden, yet a completely opposite design concept from the one above. The theme of this garden changes every year, and presently it has a concentric stone motif (hard to describe: go see it!) with an obelisk at its center filled with stone and succulents. Judges have called it a “stone peace circle” and a “zen garden.” Our research finds that stone gardens have existed for millennia and have been believed to have healing and stress relieving properties. We’re not aware of the gardener’s intent here, but it sure is a cool design! We saw coleus, torenia, hosta, salvia, gaura, dianthus, blue-eyed grass, day lilies, New Guinea impatiens, an edge accented with chartreuse creeping Jenny, and three hanging baskets disguising the meter box, holding torenia, lantana and impatiens.

Judges’ Note: There are several wonderful gardens on Carriage, so check them out!

Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

4102 Quaker – This gardener shows how a postage-stamp sized garden can be made to appear much bigger. The irises have finished blooming, but the petunias, pansies, and hibiscus are in full bloom and look wonderful. The canna lilies in pots should be blooming soon, but even now, their leaves are dramatically beautiful. The secret to the larger visual appearance is using planter boxes to extend the garden, even by the garage doors, harmonized through their shape with the box-like light fixtures.

Honorable Mentions (in order by address) - $15 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

400 Evergreen – Garden redesigned from last year into a wonderfully shaped Japanese style, great form and texture, with two types of maples complementing each other. Beautiful sedum, spike speedwell and geranium Rozeanne. Very clever how the white rock imitates water flowing from a barrel and splashing at the garden’s edge.

1003 Kenwood – A beautifully maintained, “painterly” garden where repetition works very well, with plantings of threes and fives. We saw salvia, coreopsis, and variegated lilyturf.

1404 Liberty – A newer garden with a nice shape and a well-placed boulder and an evergreen tree as focal points. We saw hostas, salvia, hens & chicks, sedum, lavender, and rosemary in a coal bucket.

2900 Harvard – A new, raised garden, all about shapes and textures. Red bud and variegated leaf twig dogwood, lace cap hydrangea, lilac, lavender, vinca, celosia, lilies, a wall with a nice slate cap, and we liked seeing the toy trucks and planes, as it doubles as a play area.

3004 Harvard – Perhaps our nicest sloped garden. Wonderful array of annuals, a rock garden, a dwarf Japanese maple, and a couple of wind toys make nice accents.

4507 Congress – The wonderful Nerium oleander in the corner caught our eye! We hear it winters indoors. We also saw elephant ears, marigolds, ornamental plants, hosta and mandevilla. Another example of a postage-stamp sized yard planted wonderfully!

6104 Rolling Hill – “Greg’s Garden,” as the little sign says, is a wonderful woodland display with sundrops, thunbergia on the trellis hiding the utility panel, zinnia, impatiens, astilbe, and lantana in the “on its side” flower pot.

6300 Rolling Hill – A recently rebuilt garden, the reddish mulch ties in well with the salvia and other red-tinged plants like the lilies, with great form and texture. The chair makes a nice place to sit and enjoy the view.

6303 Rolling Hill – A well-ordered newer garden, with hosta, shasta daisies, day lilies, creeping Jenny, and a nice holly tree.

7300 Union – The garden is a pleasant, welcoming entrance to this home. Tasteful garden art and the orange pot with orange dahlia is a pretty accent. Hosta lining the sidewalk are full and healthy.

Judges’ Note: There are many wonderful gardens throughout Fairbourne Village.

Special thanks to Hal Morley of Continental Property Management, The Rhoads Garden for its years of support, the judges, and to all the great gardeners who help to make Gwynedd Pointe so attractive!

Go to http://www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com/ for contest rules, information on judging and lists of past winners.