Green Thumb again having garden contest with five distinct categories
SOMERS POINT — The Green Thumb Garden Club of Somers Point is once again inviting residents to participate in the eagerly anticipated Pride in the Point garden contest.
The event showcases the passion and creativity of local gardeners while fostering a sense of community pride. With five distinct categories and a range of prizes, the contest offers something for everyone, from seasoned gardeners to budding enthusiasts.
The five categories are flower gardens (small, medium or large), vegetable gardens, window boxes and container gardens, commercial/business gardens or containers, and a special category exclusively for members of the club.
The array of categories ensures that gardeners of all skill levels and interests have an opportunity to participate and be recognized for their efforts.
“Everybody’s a winner, whatever they do is going to compliment the neighborhood and the city itself. We are hoping neighbors and friends will consider sharing how their gardens turn out,” said Rosemary Evans, the club’s publicity chairwoman.
One of the main goals of the club is to encourage and support individuals who are passionate about gardening, regardless of their experience level. Novices and experts alike are welcomed to enter the contest and showcase their green thumbs. By fostering this inclusive environment, the club aims to inspire and motivate the community to discover the joys of gardening.
“The garden club thinks that everyone takes pride in where they live and their home,” Evans said. “Everyone has a certain sense of pride about what they do. If you have pride in the Point, what you do reflects on the city.”
Winners of the Pride in the Point garden contest are awarded the recognition they deserve. The ceremony will take place during a Somers Point City Council meeting in August, where the outstanding gardeners are applauded for their hard work and dedication.
Furthermore, the winning gardens are featured on the garden club’s Facebook page, allowing the community to appreciate the beauty and inspiration these gardens provide.
Entering the Pride in the Point contest is a simple process, Evans said. Participants can submit their entry forms via email or in person, with all forms due by June 20. From June 26 to 30, a team of three or four knowledgeable judges visits each garden to evaluate them based on various criteria.
These criteria include the overall maintenance of the garden, the selection of plants and the garden’s ability to attract pollinators, among others. To ensure impartiality, the garden club has reached out to neighboring cities’ garden clubs for assistance in judging the members and business divisions.
“As far as judging, it’s just admiring and looking for something that makes something stand out as special,” Evans said.
The Pride in the Point garden contest is held bi-annually, alternating with the club’s popular Garden Tour, which provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to explore the previous year’s winning gardens, gaining inspiration and ideas for their own outdoor spaces. It is a much-anticipated event that celebrates the vibrant gardening community in Somers Point.
The Pride in the Point garden contest, sponsored by the Green Thumb Garden Club, is an exceptional opportunity for local gardeners to showcase their creativity, dedication and love for gardening.
With its inclusive approach and diverse categories, the contest embraces individuals of all gardening backgrounds. By honoring the winners at a public ceremony and featuring them on social media, the contest fosters community engagement and appreciation for the beauty these gardens bring to Somers Point.
The club is responsible for numerous gardens in Somers Point, including the “four corners,” which include the entryway into the Ninth Street Bridge to Ocean City on the Route 52 Causeway, the Somers Mansion, which is the oldest house in Atlantic County built in 1720, and the Waterfront Marine. The club “seasonally refreshes” the containers and gardens according to the season.
“In addition to that, we have the entryway gardens to the Somers Point Library, and a small butterfly garden as you exit JFK park off of Broadway,” Evans said.
She has been involved in the garden club for about 10 years, following her retirement.
“When I was working I didn’t have time, beyond when my kids were young, but then there was that period after that that was just work, work, work. I didn’t realize how much fun it could be and also how much I learned, and how much I’m happy that I can see the results of what I do,” Evans said. “As you join the garden club and you do something like go down to the corners and put pretty flowers into a container, you feel like saying, ‘Oh, I see what I did.’ It’s not just something out there. Like a lot of our work that just kind of disappears.”
To enter the Pride in the Point garden contest, entrants or nominees can fill out an entry form located in the Somers Point library or City Hall. Entries can also be emailed to rosemaryevans@verizon.net.
By ELIZABETH LITTLE/Special to the Sentinel