Awarding Beauty in the Blooms

The 2011 Edmonds in Bloom garden tour was wet and cloudy, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of this local garden club, or the generous men and women who opened their gardens to the community for the day.

Last Tuesday, the 16th Edmonds in Bloom Annual Reception was held in the lobby of the Edmonds Center for the building. Aside from the Garden Tour, EiB also sponsors a yearly garden competition that draws dozens of entrants in categories such as Single-Family, Multi-Family (town homes, condos, apartment buildings) and Commercial/Business. Changes are, if you’ve strolled around downtown Edmonds in the past few months you’ve noticed the red “Edmonds in Bloom” flags in various flowerpots outside businesses. This signals their participation in the event.

The evening, which included a delightful spread of desserts, fruit and cheese, started out with words from Barbara Norgaard-Reid, who has been involved with Edmonds in Bloom with her husband for over 12 years. 

“Edmonds in Bloom is a volunteer organization that started out with the same idea as the In Bloom program in England,” she explained. “The mission of Edmonds in Bloom is to unite residences, businesses and organizations to promote floral beauty in our town and attract visitors to Edmonds.”

The all-volunteer organization hosts four events a year, including a Mother’s Day event that allows children to plant a flower for their Mom, and promote an understanding among local youth about giving beauty to the community through flowers.

The winners of the garden competition were divided into two groups: Honorable Mention (this group received a certificate of appreciation) and Distinction (this group, in addition to the certificate, received a beautiful handmade ceramic door hanger from a local artist).

There was also a raffle, with prizes donated from Anthony's Home Port restaurant, Garden Gear, Edmonds Bookshop and HOUSEwares, among other local businesses. 

A slide show of images from the garden tour was shown, revealing the diverse beauty of local gardens. From burst of colorful flowers to touches of whimsical statues, each garden was a unique reflection of its caretaker. Amid the "oohs" and "ahhhs" I caught myself thinking, 'How do they do it? I can't even keep a simple spider plant alive!"

“This year was really a challenge for gardens,” said Barbara Chase, a Co-Chair of the garden competition. “Those flowers we thought would be really colorful and vibrant were just kind of sad.”

But the tour, and the competition, were still a success. Below are the names of those who were recognized at the ceremony in the Single-family and Multi-family categories.

Single-Family Honorable Mention

Steve and Vickie Balas

Jennifer Bardsley & Douglas Williams

Jessica Berta

Marcia Hawkins

Joanne Stevens Morton

The Paust Family

Edward White & Nina Merenoina

Marjorie Yalowicki

Single-Family Distinction

Ray & Dorothy Anderson

Susan Anderson

Sandra Christianson & Paul Kendal

Donna Ernst & Doug Faulds

Bea Granen

Dell Green

Don Hall & Lili Hall

Suzanne & Jerry Kaczka

Rani Kettel

Barbara & Rich LaDue

Linda Leonard

Elise Loucks

Linda Nicholson

Bruce Olson

Ray & Sandi Oram

Alice Parker & Mike Robertson

Gretchen Stewart

Sharon and Oliver Stout

Multi-Family Honorable Mention

Darrol Haug/emerald Hills Landscaping

Michelle Martin

Diana Van Loveren

Multi-Family Distinction

Fourth and Walnut Condo

Olympic View Apartments

Rhonda Shepard

Anne Temple

Congratulations to all the award winners, and thank you for making our community a more vibrant, beautiful place!