Who has the best garden? Vote for your favorite(s) in AnnArbor.com's Summer Garden Contest
Thank you, AnnArbor.com gardeners for sharing tales and snapshots of your outdoor spaces with us. It's time to vote for your favorite(s) in our Summer Garden Contest.
In June, we asked you to tell us about your garden, and 21 readers came through in spades. We saw wildflowers, kitchen gardens, native plants and perennials. We heard how you shared your retreats with neighbors, families, pets and community folks. We smiled at your whimsical touches — a few fairy gardens, a block M, a scarecrow and even "Betty Crocker" peeking out from the foliage.
Now it's time to choose your favorite gardens in our Summer Garden Contest. The winner with the most votes will be featured in an upcoming story in the print edition of AnnArbor.com.
Here's how it works:
1) Watch the slideshow of the 21 entries above.
2) Go to Summer Garden Contest to read all of the garden descriptions, or click the titles in the "more info" section below.
3) Vote for your favorites in the poll below. You may vote for as many as you like, but please vote only once (but do share it with friends!).
4) Add a comment about your favorite gardens.
We'll keep the poll open until Aug. 13, and the garden with the most votes will be featured in AnnArbor.com's print edition.
Thank you for joining in the fun. We enjoyed seeing your beautiful places and we hope you did, too.
Comments
RobertinSaline
Sun, Aug 8, 2010 : 7:22 a.m.
Fun contest - want to hear next year how people keep varmints out of their plots
Matt Hampel
Fri, Aug 6, 2010 : 3:27 p.m.
It looks like a lot of the photos weren't loaded correctly. The bottom half of those photos is solid grey.
moody
Fri, Aug 6, 2010 : 6:46 a.m.
You guys are so funny! Glad Belboz is keeping it light and that Hewy brought up an honest concern. While I can't say I agree that a hot dog eating contest makes for a good competition, but that is just me. My guess is if we get down to it all contests are based on Creativity. I've run a few political campaigns - and I must say that the person that can spin and tell stories the most creatively wins. When you think about it, life is kind of a contest in creativity, the idea is not to take it personally and to learn from the lessons along the way. Each and every garden is beautiful and amazing, and if this contest inspires more gardens next year, it's purpose has been fulfilled. My guess is it has gotten a lot of people looking at gardens that otherwise wouldn't have, and appreciating the time and energy spent to make them lovely for all to see. Thanks all for creating such a delightful new dimension to our world with flowers and to Annarbor.com for finding a way to get others involved that might not be so interested. They are all uniquely and equally beautiful in their own way.
hewy
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 1:38 p.m.
After consulting with Lewy and Dewy, we would like to apologize for putting a damper on any bodies fun. We just wanted to put an idea out there. The idea: Do we have to make everything a contest. Should this contest have been called Garden Idol or Americas Next Top Gardener? We think some things make good competitions like politics, sports, and how many hot dogs you can eat in 10 minutes. (That is always fun.) Artistic endeavor is another story. What are the rules? How do you judge? Should there only be one song on the radio? Recognizing the merits of artistic pursuit is one thing, trying to determine the best is another. But we concede that a contest can get things going and be fun. We have had fun. Hope you all do as well.
belboz
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.
My gosh, I hope we don't hear from Dewy and Lewy also... There is always someone who has to try and be a fun governor. Should we schedule a sit in at the High School Homecoming over a protest that students are asked to vote for a King and Queen? I appreciate the effort to let people display their passion and work with the community. I'm starting an email chain to get everyone I can to vote, just because someone complained. That is all part of the fun!
hewy
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 12:58 p.m.
As spouse and co-conspirator of one of the gardeners Im glad we have had an opportunity to share our garden with others and to see what others have done. I do have to say that it bothers me that an activity that is an expression of a persons personality and aesthetic values becomes a contest. I have the same problem with the Academy Awards, how do you compare The Wizard Of Oz with Gone With The Wind? Which one is better? Would it have been too much for AnnArbor.com to do a photo shoot and article on each garden. Perhaps a regular feature could be started. I do suppose a contest does peak peoples interest but I wonder if this one will be decided by who has the larger circle of friends and not just on the quality of the garden. Now, politics is a different matter so I hope all have voted in some contest today.
E
Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 5:46 p.m.
Cultivating Community? Seriously? Hmmm...could there be a conspiracy here? I think there are a few others that deserve your vote. Thanks for having the contest, it was fun to watch.
Shilpa Gadepalli
Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 12:30 p.m.
Ginsberg Garden rocks! Not only for the beauty and simplicity of the garden but also for the warmth of the people who lend a hand to make the garden look wonderful!!!