Association’s first garden competition a blooming success
Residents took the opportunity to showcase their gardens, and some won prizes for their outstanding efforts.
WITH scores of residents excited to showcase their best green space and take the top spots, the Yellowwood Park and Woodhaven Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association’s first Indalo Garden Affair competition was a great success.
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The competition categories included Best Verge (outside the premises), Best Garden (inside), Best Adopt-A-Spot, Best Vegetable Garden/Tunnel and Best Young Gardener.
The top three winners in each category received prizes ranging from cash, vouchers, garden equipment and much more.
Mervyn Dolphin, who won Best Verge, said he started maintaining the verge around his property more than a decade ago.
“It was after a serious storm which led to soil erosion that I decided to do something and built up structures to prevent the soil from running into the drains. I was inspired by my wife, who is an avid gardener and has a beautiful garden inside of our property. I decided to clear out the bush around the property and make it a beautiful space, with grass and flowers. I am absolutely thrilled to have won and to be recognised for my efforts,” he said.
Shirley Ridgway, who won Best Garden and second place for Best Verge, said she developed her garden when she moved into her home in 1972.
“We had cleared the bush which extended more than six feet around the property. Since then, I have spent hours in the garden, planting a variety of trees and flowers. I have always enjoyed being in the garden, planting, watering and just watching my plants. I find it to be very therapeutic,” she said.
Ayanda Ndlela, the association’s environmental officer, said the competition, which was open to residents of Yellowwood Park and Woodhaven, was aimed at motivating residents to take pride in their homes and surroundings.
“It was also an opportunity for residents to showcase their work and hopefully inspire others to do the same. We were thrilled to have received many entries for the various categories. The judges had a great task at hand to choose the winners.
“We would like to thank everyone who entered. We hope that the competition will motivate more residents to develop their own garden, especially to grow their own vegetables, which can also be used to sustain their households. Our goal is to have an environmental culture in the area, have a clean living environment and make the area into a garden suburb once again. We would like to thank all of our judges and businesses that sponsored the prizes – without them, this would not be possible,” he said.
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