Sorry, but the idea of my yard winning an award is downright funny! LOL

To a non-gardener, my yard looks like a big pasture with a big chaotic garden crammed full of plants. No neat edges, no pristine green weed-free lawn, no nicely shaped foundation shrubs. I'm sure it looks like a big mess to those without this gardening addiction!

We do not have anything like that in our subdivision, however, our garden would have been awarded, since most of our neighbours do not care as much about their yards as I do. There is another family who keeps their grounds nicely manicured and planted with care and style. Those are probably the only competition :).
Frankly, I wish we had a LOT of competition - that would have brought a property value way up. Though I realize not everyone is as passionate (obsessed?) with gardening.
Digging in the soil is like breathing to me.
~Natalie

Cameron, I have to disagree with you. Your garden certainly would be a winner, take it from someone who has been involved with judging gardens. I have had the privilege of being one of the judges on our city's garden contests in years past and I can tell you your garden would have knocked our socks off.
Annette

Not my garden, but I did get a container creation published in Backyard Living magazine and the same one again in a special publication of theirs. I was paid $100 as well which was the best part - more plant money ;o)

I DID! I won a Yard of the Month award which consisted of having the Yard of the Month sign stuck in my yard...for a month. It was when we were stationed at Naval Station Mayport, FL back in the mid-70's. I think they gave the award to anyone who appeared to be doing something outside, like mowing, weeding, breathing. It was so embarrassing because I had one straggly line of zinnias across the front of the house. And that was IT. I still have to chuckle every time I think about that. Cheryl

If there was an award for most weeds in a lawn, I'm certain I'd have that in the bag!

One of the local gardening clubs has annual awards. There are three categories, but I can only remember what one of them is...Most Improved. I'm sort of hoping to win that one. It's in the back of my mind, but it's not like I'm campaigning for it or anything. Considering our yard has been a giant mess with a dirt hole in the middle of the front, by next summer there should be quite a dramatic difference comparing what I had at the beginning of the season this year.

My small town has a gardening club that makes a yard of the month award. It invariably is given to someone with a brick, ranch style house with clipped foundation shrubs and a perfect green lawn.

this post made me LAUGH!! You guys are soo funny!especially seamommy with her line of zinnias. haha

I dont think my town has that award.. !i sure as heck wouldnt get it for my very messy weddy a-la-natural ut in the woods yard. haha

Cameron.. you're nuts. Yuor garden is INSANE!! it SHOULD be in a magazine! i think even gardening spazzes woudl be impressed with it.

ps- a neighbor of mine jsut "did her flowers" last weekend. that consists of buying plastic flowers to plant along the foundation.. including spider plants in PINK??? I dont get it.. "it's just easier" her daughter says that the woman thinks it's easier.. " she cant keep up with all the weeding and such.. ( ok- so when did silk flowers prevent weeds? cuz if so i gotta get me some! haha)

the most hilarious part is that this House WOULD get yard of the year the man has perfect edges and green lawn everywhere, perfect mulch circles aroudn each tree, perfect mulch beds (with silk flowers) all around the house, perfect hedges and he mows the lawn every three days i swear and rakes it every other day i swear. i have no idea what he's raking.. neighbor's dandelion wishers blew in maybe? haha

and yet he is so obsessed and his wife plants plastic.

they had to ask me if i liked it and i had to say- OHHH it's so lovely"

i'm goign to hell for lying now.

Of course I've never won a gardening award, but this is a true and funny story. We live in a rural area so we were quite surprised one rainy December morning and saw a sign out at the road. It appears someone awarded us "The Classiest Award" for Christmas decorations. The rain had smudged out the name of the organization that had given the award. But the funny part is that the black tape letters lost a little of their stickiness in the rain and by the end of the day the sign didn't read "Classiest" award. The C and the L had peeled off. There we were with our beautiful sign proclaiming our home the "Assiest". Gotta laugh!

LOL, too funny bamateacha. I have a secret (ok, not anymore) dream that my garden will one day be featured in a magazine, but I known thats never going to happen. I have a great animosity for over pruned and manicured yards. I am definantly more of a naturalistic person. I know many people who think my garden is 'weedy'. Its not that I have an abundant amount of crab grass or anything, its that my plants are not perfectly trimmed back, and that every piece of yellowing foliage is not removed. I gave an aquantance a tour of my garden a few days ago and they actually thought my Golden Millet and beloved Blue Oat grass were weeds! This is why I love you guys; you think the same way I do and appreciate the same kind of gardens- imperfections and all. :-)
CMK

I loved some of your funny stories. I don't remember ever winning Yard of the Month in our subdivision in Louisiana. Like some of you said, that usually went to a neatly manicured home with typical foundation shrubs. And most of my gardening was done in the "back yard." But I must brag. I did win an award in New Orleans - for best landscape design in a gardening contest promoting butterfly gardening. I had to submit pictures, and a sort of short story about my gardens and how they welcomed butterflies (plant species and water sources etc), and then a judge came out. The award was presented at the beautiful gardens of Longue Vue House and Gardens in New Orleans. The award was a slate painting of a butterfly done by a school child (they also promoted school butterfly gardens), which I salvaged from Hurricane Katrina and still have it! The winners were also in the newspaper. Thanks for the memories!
Laurie

Well, if it counts, I award you all as the most imaginative and creative gardeners.

Edna

It's funny you should ask this. Hubby and I were just talking about it the other day!

When we lived in the trailer park, the proprietors sent out notice that they would be giving out monthly awards to the nicest looking property. And each month, the sign would move from one home to the next. They were never what either of us considered good-looking homes. The yards were always plain- either no plants or a few tiny shrubs in front. No landscaping, no imagination, and certainly NO FLOWERS.

I'll never understand what they were thinking. But I loved my garden there just the same.

Tracy

I don't know of one here in Charlotte
don't think I would win my garden is
still under plans I have only lived here
a year and a half
now Back home in Portland
the community did have one it
was judged by the owner of
portland nursery and I belived
unless you bought all your plants
from him you did not win.
The woman who would win each year
would go to his nursery buy her plants
plant them all a couple of weeks before
the judging.
Makes sense to me how to win.

Blueangel

I guess we did things a little different up here. When I was on a judging team (5or6), we worked on a point system, it didn't matter if each of us gave a garden high points or low, as long as we were consistent in the way we pointed each garden and there was no comparing of notes. At the end of the competition we all sat down and added up the points we had given each garden. I was amazed to find although we all pointed each garden a little differently, we had all picked the same winners. There were different categories like large garden, small garden, veggie garden, patio, window boxes etc. It didn't seem to matter what each of our own personal preferences were as we all liked different styles of gardens but when all was said and done we had all picked the same winners.
Annette

Yeah for the biggest pee spots and dirt tracks in my back yard! For the bent over green wire fencing that is supposed to keep my dogs out of my back yard gardens. which it does somewhat unless there is a rabbit in there.

Friend, You are going to hell for lying and I could lose my job for LMAO at our assistant director who joined in the gardening discussion about how she only needs a screwdriver for planting her garden. She makes a hole with the screwdriver and shoves in a silk plant-in the front yard. In the ground!! I actually choked on my iced tea! She changes them with the seasons! OMG I had never in my life heard about it, and when I read your post I had to look to see if you were in MD!!LOL
WonbyherWits- you would absolutely win.
And I think Aftermidnight would as well. Sue

The silk flower stories not only made me laugh but brought back memories. The very first house we bought had plastic flowers "planted" in the front yard. I still remember the owner proudly pointing it out to me when we were deciding to buy.

I've seen silk flowers planted, too. I thought it was just a southern thing. Congratulations to those of you who have received awards. I'll bet they were well deserved.

Mary

Lol - dd's preschool actually has silk flowers in pots by the door, so I guess its not just a southern thing. I've also seen them in pots in a few yards - sometimes in a thingy attached to the mailbox.

I don't think our subdivision gives out any awards, but I'd have to work a long, long time to get one. There are actually quite a few lovely front yards around me. (And right now, my front yard is pretty lame, other than my lovely fuschia basket!)

We lived in a small town for a while, and they decided to start a "yard of the week" award for the town. I woke up one morning to find a realtor-like sign in the front saying "Yard of the Week". All 10 people that drove by that week probably saw it! LOL

Our HOA tried having a yard of the month. Worked for about a year. Mostly the award went to plain, well manicured yards. Then one of my neighbors got the award. Well deserved in her case, too, as she has a love for flowers.
The very next month my neighbor was presented with a letter from the HOA claiming one of her fences didn't meet the covenants.
In the ensuing legal mess, the HOA stated that her fence was ugly and bringing down property values. My neighbor's attorney pulled out a photo of the yard with the yard of the month sign in it. LOL

We don't seem to have a yard of the month anymore.
I wonder why??????

This has been an amusing thread! I've enjoyed it.
Lorna