Is your front lawn or patio bursting with colour?
Coquitlam green-thumbs can enter a city gardening contest for a chance to win prizes and be publicly recognized.
The summer Proud to Grow Here competition is open to residents and business owners, and will run until October.
The civic pride program is also running in conjunction with the city’s entry into the Communities in Bloom competition that showcases the best-looking municipalities in the country; the judges will be in town on July 18 and 19.
Last year, Coquitlam clinched five awards at the 2022 Communities in Bloom symposium, including the golden 5 Blooms accolade in the grand champions category.
For the Proud to Grow Here contest, Coquitlam residents and business owners can nominate their neighbours or themselves “in recognition of their efforts to beautify or just take good care of their spaces,” said city parks manager Kathleen Reinheimer told the Tri-City News.
Submissions should include a photo of eye-catching planters, flowers or a well-kept yard. The images will be added to a city Facebook page.
In exchange, participants will receive a Proud to Grow Here lawn sign or window cling, as well as a swag bag that includes T-shirts, gardening gloves and an invite to a volunteer appreciation event: a picnic with Communities in Bloom judges in July or a fall celebration.
A city committee will pick the winners in six categories — Best Balcony and Best Frontage for a single-family home, multi-family home and business — and they will get a professionally framed photo of their entry plus a certificate.
Reinheimer said Coquitlam is ramping up community engagement following the COVID-19 pandemic.
To enter the Proud to Grow Here contest, visit coquitlam.ca/cib.
