Garden Competition 2012

This year’s garden competition gets underway in the week beginning Monday, July 2, 2012.

Entry forms can be downloaded from this site, or from Redmonds Newsagents, Main St, Bunclody.

These paragraphs will hopefully give further explanation with updating of competition.

The Garden Competition is open to all members, with no restrictions on distance from Bunclody. Non-members are restricted to a 10 kilometre radius of Bunclody town. 

The purpose in saying it gets underway on the Monday is in case judging cannot be completed in the one day due to the number of entries and how distant the gardens are scattered around the counties, Carlow and Wexford. And, of course, due to possible inclement weather conditions. Gardens don’t often look well in atrocious weather, and wet and cold judges and assistants don’t make perfect arbiters. Further information is included on entry form.

This year we have made a few changes to the competition with the purpose of encouraging entries, and to award entrants who have gone to a lot of trouble to erect special features and are conscious of the need for biodiversity.

Special Features include specimen trees/shrubs, flower borders, colour, arrangements, gazebos, summerhouse, nest boxes, insect hotels, sculptures, mirrors, unusual displays, scarecrows, ponds, water features, etc. While the garden, overall, might not win a First it could be worthy of Meritorious Mention for which we intend to award a Special Merit Certificate.

Biodiversity is an area which may not lend itself to the formal aspects of  a ‘Show Garden‘. Usually we associate biodiversity with ‘wild habitats’.  However, we are conscious of the need to lay out our gardens in a special way and grow plants which will encourage insect life. Pollination is the key to a continued healthy environment. In rural towns and country where farming is increasingly one of mono-culture we need to be conscious of  how we can compliment the landscape with plants which will provide bees, hoverflies, birds, etc, with a habitat which will ensure their continued existence. Without our pollinators there is so much food we would not enjoy, and not only honey, but apples, plums, pears,  to mention a few.

Garden Size: We have taken on board suggestions that there may be an unfair advantage in different garden sizes competition in the same class, eg, the Best Ornamental Garden. So, this is why we have decided to include semi-detached, terraced and detached houses with gardens under ¼ acre in size, and Best Ornamental Garden over ¼  acre. Two reasons here: smaller gardens might be easier to maintain and prepare for judging; bigger gardens might lend themselves to bigger and better features.