Gwynedd Pointe Garden Contest

3/30/16

2016 RULES

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

TWELTH ANNUAL GARDEN CONTEST

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Second Place - $75 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Ten Honorable Mention Winners - $15 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden

No Entry Fee or Application, Just Spruce

Up Your Garden

· Judging to Occur During the Month of June

ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES

Front Garden
Rear or Side Garden Visible to Passers-By

JUDGING CRITERIA/ CONSIDERATIONS

Color, Composition, Creativity, Texture, Theme, Functionality, Native Plants, Garden Accents, Pruning(!), Weeding(!!) & Other Aesthetic, Design & Ecological Factors

Winners will be announced on or about

July 4, 2016, at

www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com.

Co-Sponsored by: Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association Garden Contest Committee and The Rhoads Garden, 570 DeKalb Pike, No. Wales

For More Information, Call 484-831-9124.

(Committee Members and Association Officers are not eligible for the contest.)

**** Please Note: All residents must follow the architectural guidelines of the community. Changes to fencing and borders, etc., require submission of a Request for Architectural Review Form and pre-approval by the Architectural Review Committee. For information, call the manager at 215-343-1550.

For lists of prior winners and a copy of these rules, go to

www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com

7/4/15

2015 WINNERS

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

11^th Annual Garden Contest - 2015 Winners

Co-Sponsored by the Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

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! There were contenders on every court and drive, but there could only be thirteen winners.

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

6500 Rolling Hill – This garden has it all – garden art, color, even a hummingbird visit during judging. We saw coral bells, creeping Jenny, hostas in a crockery pot, gaura, lavender, lobelia, lantana, coreopsis, verbena, stella doro lilies, and geraniums bright against the cocoa mulch. Non-plant material includes wind chimes, a peacock sculpture, a little boy statue in a planter, and a glass bowl in a bird bath. Rocks at the end of the garden add a nice dimension to the space.

Judges Note: There are MANY gorgeous gardens along Rolling Hill. If you think we mean yours, we probably do!

Second Place - $75 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

3401 Carriage – Stunning garden. We saw hostas, begonias, stella doro lilies, pink heather, creeping Jenny, lilies, coleus, blue eyed grass (a native), and dichondra silver falls. The plant stand with hanging pots is like a beautiful still life painting, with lobelia, verbena, and calibrachoa; the vine on the shepherd’s hook shows the attention to detail in this garden. We liked the block border and flagstone raised bed, and a seashell easel-like artwork. Plants are a good size/scale for the space.

Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

2402 Grist Mill – This garden is all about color! We saw New Guinea impatiens, regular impatiens, geraniums, black eyed Susan, and sedum. The colors in the wind spinners match the flower colors. Planters extend the garden down the walkway. Bonus view: the back yard, seen from Bell Run- stella doro lilies, New Guinea impatiens, geraniums, and a two-way spinning wind toy that provides visual interest.

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

205 Signal Hill – We liked the topiary shapes visually tying the garden together, and nice shades of yellow and orange. We saw dianthus, pomegranate yarrow, and a pot of pelargonium. Nice stone block border. The colored bottles in the window harmonize with the plant tones.

405 Evergreen – A nice outdoor room, with a visually economical design. We saw hostas, sedum, stella doro lilies, and a rose on the side wall. The two pots of purple petunias move around day to day (on their own?). There is topiary, a bench, stepping stones, a wind spinner, and a turtle sculpture. The burnt orange ball on a pedestal is a nice focal point.

1002 Kenwood – A shade garden under a purple leaf plum. We saw hellebore, astilbe (we’re seeing more of this great plant in the development this year), hostas, spider wort, blue lobelia, and coreopsis. The yellow flowers “pop” next to the dark purple leaves of the tree and the nice dark mulch. The border has a graceful sweep. This garden is understated, like a Chablis.

Judges’ note: There are many splendid gardens along Signal Hill, Evergreen and Kenwood. Check them out!

2401 Grist Mill – A lovely, colorful garden that works nicely with the neighbor’s with which it shares a Japanese maple, yet it has a personality of its own. We saw creeping Jenny, dahlia, sweet potato vine, and calibrachoa. The rear garden can be seen from Bell Run and has clematis, cranes bill geraniums, lilies and petunias.

Judges’ note: Grist Mill consists of two short streets, yet has several great gardens.

3405 Carriage – This is a whimsical garden, with a gnome statue, turtle statue and two frog statues. There is a big personified bee. Within its stone border we saw hostas, lilies, coreopsis, calla lilies in a square pot, and a pot with a “thriller, filler (aka chiller) and spiller” (Google for an explanation). We loved the big green flower pot.

Judges’ note: It was hard to choose among the many wonderful gardens on Carriage.

4203 Quaker – Nice placement of plants and rocks. We saw lilies, blue balloon flowers, stella doro lilies, lambs ear, petunias, cosmos, zinnia, and a nice rock border on the side. Unexpectedly, the white rain pipes work well as a design element.

Judges’ note: Quaker has some wonderful gardens, and some great flagstone walls.

4400 Congress – This garden is arranged well. We like the elliptical shape formed by a brick border, the height of the plants, and the use of negative space. We saw black eyed Susan, tiger lilies, New Guinea impatiens, hostas and creeping Jenny.

5001 Plantation – Nice, amoebic shaped garden. We saw tiger and stella doro lilies, butterfly bush, and coral bells. Garden art includes a turtle statue, a gnome playing a concertina/accordion and a mock fire hydrant. Good looking bird feeder, too.

6901 Colonial – Within its stone border we saw stella doro lilies, pansies in a basket, hydrangea, peonies, violas, and a basket of lantana. We liked the deer statue and the ornamental hose hanger. Good use of a small space.

Judges’ note: Colonial is a good place to find some great gardens.

7205 Union – Within its picket fence border, we saw clematis, coleus, New Guinea impatiens, osteopernum, dahlias, rose, euonymous, calibrachoa, and orange & yellow lantana. The wishing well is a nice focal point.

Special thanks to Frank DePace of Continental Property Management for his support, to The Rhoads Garden for 11 years of support, and to all the great gardeners that help to make Gwynedd Pointe so attractive!

Disclaimer: We did our best to properly identify plants, but it’s not always easy.

Go to http://www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com/ for rules and more information.

6/4/15

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association Website

You are viewing the Website (blog) for the Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association Garden Contest. The Website for the Homeowners Association itself is at www.gwyneddpointe.org. It is full of useful information about this wonderful community.

3/14/15

2015 Rules

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

ELEVENTH ANNUAL GARDEN CONTEST

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Second Place - $75 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden
Ten Honorable Mention Winners - $15 Gift Certificate for The Rhoads Garden

No Entry Fee or Application, Just Spruce

Up Your Garden

· Judging to Occur During the Month of June

ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES

Front Garden
Rear or Side Garden Visible to Passers-By

JUDGING CRITERIA/ CONSIDERATIONS

Color, Composition, Creativity, Texture, Theme, Functionality, Native Plants, Garden Accents, Pruning(!), Weeding(!!) & Other Aesthetic, Design & Ecological Factors

Winners will be announced on or about

July 4, 2015, at

www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com.

Co-Sponsored by: Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association Garden Contest Committee and The Rhoads Garden, 570 DeKalb Pike, No. Wales

For More Information, Call 484-831-9124.

(Committee Members and Association Officers are not eligible for the contest.)

For a complete list of prior winners and a copy of these rules, go to

www.gwyneddpointegardencontest.blogspot.com

11/12/14

A NOTE ON JUDGING

Gwynedd Pointe gardeners have asked us what the judges look for when choosing the garden contest winners. We are happy to oblige.

First, judging is not easy. We have to equate some disparate sites to create a baseline. Some gardens are very small, out of necessity. Some have a lot of shade. End units can have five or six times the amount of space as others. We had toyed with the idea of having separate judging criteria, but decided that it would become so complex that it would no longer be fun.

So, what do we like to see?

One of the most important factors is the "first impression." There has to be something that catches our eyes as special, different or unusual.

Most of the properties are nicely maintained, in part because of the association's watchful eye. Relative to gardens outside our development, all Gwynedd Pointe gardens are on the small side. Originality is more important here than in many other gardens. There has to be something that makes a garden "pop."

Garden art, while not required, can add to the ambiance of small gardens. Different heights and the avoidance of monotony help create a positive overall impression of a garden space. A trellis and vine back by a wall or near a walkway can often help.

Because our gardens are small, themes seem to help make a garden a winner. The theme could be all one color, waves or sweeps of the same type of plant, a patriotic color scheme, or an artistic arrangement of rocks and driftwood.

Weeds, and plants that need pruning, cannot be avoided. As judges, though, if we see the same defects on the several times that we revisit a garden, we are left with an unfavorable impression.

Nice use of native plants will draw our attention. It is also a way of helping the environment.

Something we can’t account for is when various flowers bloom or look their best. We judge during the month of June. Some Junes are wet, and in others we have drought. Some gardens look best in May, or in August. Practically, there is nothing we can do about it. The best we can say is that the garden contest is done for fun, so there are variables we just have to live with and not fret over.

What if a garden has won in the last couple of years; how can it win again? It needs to be different the following year. It's not that it doesn't look nice. But we look for newness when it comes to imagination, a new vision. Neighbors, judges and other gardeners are always looking for new ideas, new plants, new ways to show the same old plants, etc. It's why gardeners spend so much time reading magazines and visiting other people's gardens. We are most pleased when we come back with a novel idea and we are inspired to try it in our own gardens (or better still, improve upon it).

We hope the above is helpful to garden contest aspirants. And if you don't win the contest, remember that gardening is good for you, nature and the community, and is a worthwhile pursuit in any event. Plus, the judges' choices are somewhat subjective. But as judges, we try our best and try to make the contest fun. We wish you luck!

7/3/14

2014 WINNERS

Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

10^th Annual Garden Contest - 2014 Winners

Co-Sponsored by the Gwynedd Pointe Homeowners Association

The Rhoads Garden, 570 DeKalb Pike, North Wales

Congratulations to the winners, and to those who did not win yet contribute to making our neighborhood so beautiful! * We saw remnants of the bad winter, but our homeowners did an excellent job of replacing damaged plants and shrubs. * Thank you to the Rhoads Garden for ten years of sponsorship! * Did you see the blue bottle tree in one of our villages?

Grand Prize - $100 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

3503 Carriage – This beautiful garden has won it all before, yet the gardener changes it every year. The fountain draws you in, and the sunflower spinner provides an elliptical focus. We saw hibiscus, zinnia, coleus, verbena, Shasta daisy, yellow lantana, variegated vinca, geranium, black-eyed Susan and May night salvia. The basket with calibrachoa on the porch is a winning touch.

Second Place - $75 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

6104 Rolling Hill – Another garden that is always a winner. The little plaque that says “Greg’s Garden” is still there, and like the gardener above, Greg changes things around every year. We saw yellow sundrops, petunias, catnip, snapdragons, African daisy, yarrow (a native plant), blue-eyed grass and pink, red and purple verbena.

Third Place - $50 Gift Certificate for the Rhoads Garden

701 Evergreen Court – This is a colorful garden with a gazing ball as a focal point We saw heuchera, coral bells, heather, sedum, begonias, marigolds, geraniums and a basket of pansies. Like our grand prize and second place winners, 701 has a great variety of plants, guaranteeing blooms throughout the summer. The cocoa shell mulch makes a nice backdrop.

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

805 Evergreen – This garden belongs in our hall of fame. Like the top three winners, it varies from year to year. The birdbath and trellises with clematis are still there, and we saw begonias, New Guinea impatiens, salvia, hosta and roses. But the key to this garden is the orderly placement of the plants.

3404 Carriage – This one had a tree ruined by the rough winter that was gone by mid-June, and it made all the difference. The garden is relatively simple compared to past years, with a less is more approach with New Guinea impatiens, sage and dianthus. The birdbath and rabbit (not real) are nice touches.

4102 Quaker – As you look around this garden you find many places that please the eye. We saw petunia, sedum, portulaca in a snail-shaped pot, Stella d’Oro lilies and iris. The matching pots with geranium and tropical hibiscus add a touch of elegance, as do the two planters of geraniums on each side of the garage door. Nice textural contrasts.

4403 Congress – Think you can’t have a beautiful garden in a small, shady space? Think again. This weed-free, nicely edged garden has a birdbath as a focal point and quite a few rabbit statues (do they fool our resident fox?). We saw impatiens, calibrachoa, petunia, SunPatiens, nice flower boxes and hanging planters in a tree.

4804 Congress – We love the schist border in the front. We saw birds nest spruce groundcover, Stella d’Oro lilies, hydrangea, barbary hedge and tickseed.

5001 Plantation – A pretty, neat garden. We saw clematis, lobularia (?), Stella d’Oro lilies, impatiens and snapdragons.

5402 Plantation – The only garden in our village with a moose and teddy bear tea party! The pots lining the walkway could come off sloppy, but here, they work and expand the planting area. We saw New Guinea impatiens, lots of calibrachoa, roses, variegated elephant ear by the doorway, caladium, and a lamium groundcover. A happy place!

5802 Constitution – A good example of a shade garden. What is nice about this one is how the height of the plants start small in front and get progressively larger going back. We saw lots of hosta, dianthus, day lilies and coneflower. Nice river rock border, and armillary sphere.

6400 Rolling Hill – This one has sure grown over the years, from when it was a nice, postage-stamp sized garden. Color coordination has always been a strong suit, as with the green pillow on a bench. We saw New Guinea impatiens, hosta, acaena, rhododendron, bleeding heart, geranium, begonias, dianthus, and a shapely rock for focus. Take a look at what the little boy and girl statues are holding.

6604 Colonial – The garden between the hollies, making a nice colorful impression. We saw impatiens, white alyssa, and petunia and calibrachoa in baskets. These play well off the dark mulch. And playing peekaboo in the back is a rose that was blooming in mid-June.

Judges’ Notes –There were contenders on every court and drive, but there could only be thirteen winners. Special thanks to Frank DePace of Continental Property Management for his support, and to all the great gardeners that help to make Gwynedd Pointe so attractive!