2024 WINNERS

 

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

20^th Annual Garden Contest - 2024 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. If you are wondering what the judges look for, see the criteria at http://gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com/2016/05/. 

Primarily, we considered the five Fs of great garden design: form, foliage, flowers, fruits (bird food) and fragrance. We did our best to identify plants, but it’s not always easy.             

There are a dozen or more gardeners with gorgeous displays each year. In the spirit of encouraging newer gardeners, and because we only have thirteen prizes, we can’t always provide the recognition they deserve. We all know who they are – we see their handiwork – and hope they know we appreciate their contributions to the attractiveness of our community. And remember to judge for yourself as that is part of the fun! We won’t be upset if you disagree with our choices.

 

20^th Anniversary of the Garden Contest

 

Because it is a milestone anniversary for the contest, it might be fun to recognize those who have reached the top spot since its inception.

First place finishers from the first 19 years: 

2023 – 6105 Rolling Hill	2013 – 6104 Rolling Hill
2022 – 1002 Kenwood	2012 – 2402 Grist Mill
2021 – 6903 Colonial	2011 – 6105 Rolling Hill
2020 – 6901 Colonial	2010 – 3503 Carriage
2019 – 5402 Plantation (rear)	2009 – 805 Evergreen
2018 – 205 Signal Hill (rear)	2008 – 805 Evergreen
2017 – 2902 Harvard	2007 -  3503 Carriage
2016 – 6201 Rolling Hill	2006 – 2204 Harvard
2015 – 6500 Rolling Hill	2005 – 905 Kenwood
2014 – 3503 Carriage

 

And this year’s winners …

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

(Click on images to enlarge them.)

6104 Rolling Hill – We know it’s “Greg’s Garden” because a little sign tells us so. First place in 2013, second place last year. And Greg changes it annually. We understand that a couple of trees had to be removed because of some utility digging, which presented an opportunity for further revision.

Greg’s Garden is chock full of a variety of plants. We saw celosia, bee balm, hydrangea, a nice grouping of white, pale pink and magenta astilbe, calla lily, evening primrose, Orion geranium, a holly tree, “pretty in pink” Bidens, yellow snowdrops, pink yarrow, liatris, blue evolvulus, dwarf morning glory, yellow lantana, black-eyed Susans, and pink rubina – all these, and they work well together! Accented with a rock, a bird bath and a cart, and a nicely-shaped serpentine block border.  The predominance of yellow and orange makes this garden stand out.

 

Second Place – $75 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

 

7304 Union –  Gorgeous garden, with a bench as a focal point. The frogs seem to move around every year.  The purple and pink hydrangea make a stunning backdrop, in a classic garden design – one continuous, dense planting. We saw sedum, dusty miller, yarrow, lilies, diamond frost euphorbia, lamium, and lysimachia ciliate firecracker. In pots we saw creeping Jenny, asplenium fern and begonias.

Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

3503 Carriage –  Another garden that has won (twice) and been recognized with honorable mentions several times in our contest. This year’s edition is particularly fetching. Great use of a sloping yard. We saw yellow day lilies, multi-colored hibiscus, a beautiful butterfly bush, liatris, gardenia, lantana, creeping Jenny, rose campion, and dahlias.

We really liked the individual displays, such as these arranged rocks at the bottom of a planter.

 

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

105 Signal Hill – Great combination of reds and yellows.  Even the door hanging and carpet copy the red theme. A nice bench to sit. We saw mandevilla, begonia, creeping Jenny, native honeysuckle, rose, holly, blue spruce and orange begonia. The globe/gazing ball on the side is a nice touch.

1404 Liberty – Simple elegance. The lavender looks great next to the variegated hosta. Nice slate border, and a cypress bookend. A bubbling birdbath (adding sound). A hummingbird feeder. We saw veronica and hens and chickens. All about texture and foliage, with petal accents.

1501 Liberty – A beautiful garden. Yellows and reds really jazz up the front. The white alyssum makes an eye-catching border. We saw yellow sun drops, hydgrangea, geraniums, marigolds, mandevilla, and nice block border.

3105 Harvard – Beautiful containers add to this lovely garden. The reds highlight the red cut-leaf Japanese maple at the front. We saw oak leaf hydrangea, lilyturf, variegated hostas, coleus, sedum, day lilies, coleus, roses, dracaena, impatiens, and dianthus. Garden is well-mulched.

3805 Quaker – To the best of the judges’ recollection, this is a new garden, and it’s off to a good start. The gardener makes good use of symmetry. We saw hydrangea, impatiens, and dusty miller. Very well mulched.

4102 Quaker – Nice display with hydrangea, day lilies, marigolds and dahlias. Dog statue provides interest. Nice use of containers and planters.

5402 Plantation (front, and rear, facing Bell Run) – The gardener here confounds the judges. We don’t know what to make of her garden because it is far from what you expect for a suburban yard. There is always a grand theme. She changes it every year (every season, really). And her plant choices are impeccable. There was even discussion of making this the grand prize winner. But the artistic vision relies much on non-plant material. Does that matter? One of the judges, a master gardener, insists it doesn’t. She won our contest in 2019, and has won statewide contests. We are talking about the back yard, visible from Bell Run. But the front yard, facing Plantation, is also gorgeous. So we’re honoring this garden this year, front and rear, with an honorable mention. Just know, though, that this is a special place inhabited by an artistic spirit. This year’s theme involves gnomes and is quite appealing.

In the front yard (not pictured), we saw lacecap hydrangea, white astilbe, geraniums, and a nice tombstone border. In the rear, we saw phlox, astilbe, tiger lilies, impatiens, dwarf blue mink, butterfly weed (a great pollinator), iris, bee balm, native fern, feverfew, liatris and thread-leaf blue star.

6005 Rolling Hill – Very well kept, great containers. We especially liked the dichondra “silver falls” in the planters with geranium, really causing the colors to stand out.

6501 Rolling Hill – A nice, small garden with cheery splashes of color. We saw lantanas, impatiens, hydrangea, calla lily, spider wort, daisies, coneflowers, dahlias and creeping phlox.

6502 Rolling Hill – Another nice, small garden, adjacent to the one above. We saw bellflowers, shasta daisies , larkspurs, hydrangea, guara, dragon’s breath, sedum, and shrimp plant.

Judges’ Note: 6500 and 6503 Rolling Hill, end caps on this row, received recognition last year, on what must be the prettiest row of homes in Gwynedd Pointe, botanically speaking. Note also that Rolling Hill and the nearby Colonial have many fine gardens, including some that have been past winners in our contest.

Thank you to Christian Cooper of Continental Property Management, our HOA board, The Rhoads Garden for its years of support, and the judges.

 For contest rules and lists of past winners, go to http://www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com/. Happy gardening!