The health and safety of our volunteers, staff, and judges is our top priority so we have made some changes to the final judging for the 2020 season. Due to the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, we made the difficult decision to cancel the Front Yards in Bloom Judges Tour and the Edmonton in Bloom Awards. We believe we have made the best decision for everyone.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Front Yards in Bloom!
The nomination period wrapped up on June 30 and nominees have now received their yard signs for their beautiful yards, balconies, or public spaces. We received over 5,600 nominations and 85 volunteers helped deliver the nominee booklets and yard signs.
Online Voting and Awards
All photos submitted for a Front Yards in Bloom Award will be uploaded to the City of Edmonton Facebook page for public voting. Interested Edmontonians can vote for their favourite photo in each category by “liking” it. For those who do not have a Facebook account, voting can be done by filling out the voting form for each category.
The photo in each category that receives the most “likes”, including email votes, will win their designated category. Winners will receive a Front Yards in Bloom Award certificate from the Edmonton in Bloom Initiative. A maximum of 18 awards will be given. Photos of the 18 finalists will be posted on this page when available.
Voting will be open on the following dates on the City of Edmonton Facebook page:
- August 4-6: Balconies in Bloom - voting ends August 6
- August 7-9: Natural Yards
- August 10-12: Tiny Yards
- August 13-16: General Yards
- August 17-19: Edible Yards
- August 20-23: Public Spaces
Rules, Terms and Eligibility Conditions
- The Front Yards in Bloom Photo Contest is open to all Edmonton residents over 18, but anyone can participate in the voting process.
- No purchase is necessary to vote for a nominee.
- The chances of winning are based on the number of likes received on Facebook in a certain time frame.
- A yard must meet the criteria for the category (Natural, Edible, Tiny Yards, Balconies, Public Spaces, or General) for which it is nominated. A front yard must be visible from the street, which can include the yard in front of your residence, the piece of land in front of your school, or other public group meeting location.
Yard Categories
Tiny Yard
- Introduced in 2018... tiny yards!
- Some of the best things come in small packages
- Do you have a tiny yard on your block with a beautiful garden that needs some recognition?
- Tiny yards can be infill lots, townhouses, duplex units, or anything that is small!
- Yard should be less than 600 square feet including space on either side of walkways
- As with all nominated yards, tiny yards must have at least 25% flowering plant material (non-turf grass)
Balconies in Bloom
- Balcony gardens can feature flowers, edible plants and vegetables, decorations and birdfeeders and whatever your mind can create
- Nomination should include the unit number
- All nominees will receive a sign in the mail celebrating your beautiful balcony
- Top 3 balcony gardeners will be awarded at the Edmonton in Bloom Awards ceremony
General Yard
- An appealing front yard that catches your eye, inspires smiles, and invites visitors to enjoy its beauty!
- May include a variety of plants, colours, textures, heights, decorations, and unique features
- Yards should contain at least 25% non-turf plants over the area - pots, containers, flowering trees, shrubs, mosses, and grasses are all included in this category
- Yards in the general category are judged by volunteer judges trained by the Edmonton Horticultural Society
Natural Yard
- A yard with native flowers, trees, shrubs or ground cover plants that attract local wildlife such as birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects
- A guideline of at least 60% perennial varieties defines this category
- Extra points during judging are given for native plants with an Alberta origin (bees love them!)
- Yards in the natural category are judged by the Edmonton Native Plant Society
Edible Yard
- A yard incorporating edible plants into the landscape design
- Can include anything from vegetables and grains to fruiting trees, berry bushes, perennials, flowers or even mushrooms
- As a guideline - of all the plants found in these yards, at least 60% must be edible.
- Yards in the edible category are judged by Sustainable Food Edmonton.
Public Space
- A yard or garden with landscaping features and aesthetic appeal in front of a public building.
- This space can be located in front of a school, business, office building, multi-unit residence, church, community league, or volunteer association.
- Yards in the public spaces category must be accompanied by a street address to qualify - no city parks/parkettes, median gardens and trees, boulevard plantings or shrub beds. Exceptions can be made if the citizen gardener(s) can be named along with a mailing address (email front.yards@edmonton.ca in these circumstances).
- This category does not include community gardens. To nominate a community garden for an Edmonton in Bloom award, contact front.yards@edmonton.ca