North Sydney Council Garden Competition 2023

A thriving backyard garden with a vine arch, framed by two  black planter boxes and manicured grass.

It's time for North Sydney’s environmental engineers and proud green thumbs to show their horticultural brilliance.

The North Sydney Council Garden Competition is on again for 2023. Entries open 1 June and close 30 August 2023, with judging scheduled from 11 to 22 September 2023.

Enter the Garden Competition

When you enter online, you'll be asked:

  • to nominate a time for a judge to visit your garden, anytime between 8.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays starting on Monday 11 September until Friday 22 September 2023 (a judge will visit your garden once)
  • which categories (listed below) you are entering your garden in
  • to provide a brief description of your garden.

Entry is free and open to all residents, businesses or groups in the North Sydney local government area. You are welcome to enter more than one category and, at the judge’s discretion, your garden may automatically be judged in categories other than the one entered. Entries close on Wednesday 30 August 2023. Late entries may be accepted by phone if there are available judging timeslots.

Garden Competition categories for 2023

  1. Balcony/Courtyard 
    For small spaces with their garden potential maximised through the use of pots, planter boxes, or walled gardens which may include pots, planter boxes and ornaments. These are areas where gardeners are challenged by limited space and lots of hard surfaces.
  2. Indoor Garden 
    From a small collection of pots in the corner to a full-scale atrium, get creative with your indoor plants and show the judge your most spectacular room.
  3. Most Beautiful Garden
    From small to large scale gardens, with native habitats or structured formal gardens, we want to see who has the most beautiful garden in North Sydney.
  4. Children’s Garden 
    This is for gardens created or cared for by a child or group of children. Think childcare centres, schools or just a family backyard with a gardening space dedicated to the kids.
  5. Native Habitat Garden 
    Have you been demonstrating environmental awareness and creating wildlife habitats with lots of native plants and other habitat features such as hollows, frog ponds and dense undergrowth? This category is for you.
  6. Edible Garden  Private 
    For any garden that focuses on producing food. From small balconies with potted herbs to full-size vegetable plots and orchards, show the judge what your household is producing.
  7. Edible Garden  Community 
    Do you have members of the community working together to produce food for sharing? It doesn't matter is it's on public or privately owned land, we want to see you demonstrate group effort and reward.
  8. Lex and Ruby Graham Prize  Individual 
    For an individual that is maintaining or beautifying public land.
  9. Lex and Ruby Graham Prize – Group 
    For public areas that are being maintained or beautified by groups of residents.

The winners will be announced at a presentation evening event in October 2023. Invitations will be sent out separately after judging.

For further information, contact Damian Conway from our Landscape Planning and Design team on 9936 8104 or at damian.conway@northsydney.nsw.gov.au

 

Published: 28 July 2023