2019 Winners
Best Large Garden - sponsored by Eden Gardens
Large private residential gardens - may be the whole garden or just a section.
- 1st place: Don Pickens
- 2nd place: Anne Johnson
- 3rd place: Paul Sanders
- Highly commended: Marion Nichol
Best Small Garden
Small private residential gardens - may be the whole garden or just a section.
- 1st place: Agus Bong
- 2nd place: Betty Reynolds
- 3rd place: Rae Roy
- Highly Commended: Margaret Feltham
Best Courtyard or Balcony Garden
Private residential garden using pots, planter boxes, ornaments, walled gardens etc.
- 1st place: Dianna Ritch
- 2nd place: Natalie Hitchens and Robin Nichols
- 3rd place: Julie Broadhead
Best Edible Garden
Vegetable gardens, fruit gardens, permaculture gardens etc.
- 1st place: Sally Bennett
- 2nd place: Betty Reynolds
- 3rd place: Natalie Hitchens and Robin Nichols
- Highly Commended: Dr Weng Sehu
Best Native & Habitat-friendly Garden
Gardens which feature Australian native plants and include habitat elements to encourage native fauna such as birds, lizards, possums and insects.
- 1st place: Kerri Gallagher
- 2nd place: Paul Sanders
- 3rd place: The Habitat Community Nursery
Best Children’s Garden
Private residential gardens inspired and created by a child, group of children or a family with young children.
- 1st place: Korompili Children
- 2nd place: Aaron Pease
Best School Garden
Gardens within local primary or high schools where students and teachers or the community have worked together.
- 1st place: Our Lady Queen of Peace
Best Pre-School Garden
Gardens within local pre-schools where students and teachers or the community have worked together.
- 1st place: West Ryde Neighbourhood Children’s Centre
- 2nd place: North Ryde Community Pre-school
- 3rd place: Goodstart West Ryde
Best Community Garden
Garden projects where the local community, groups or community organisations have worked together.
- 1st place: Royal Rehab Ryde
- 2nd place: The Habitat Community Nursery
- 3rd place: Macquarie University Garden Club
Best Commercial Garden
Gardens within local businesses and commercial organisations e.g. hotels, retirement villages, commercial premises, small and large businesses, universities etc.
- 1st place: Top Ryde City Living
- 2nd place: Living Choice Leisure Lea Gardens
- 3rd place: Baptistcare Retirement Village
Best Bushcare Site
For an outstanding contribution made by volunteers at a recognised Bushcare site.
- 1st place: Meadowbank Park Bush care Group
The City of Ryde has a long and proudly history of conducting the Spring Garden Competition. This established community event has been held annually for more than thirty years. The City of Ryde is one of the few local councils still organising and providing a garden competition for its local residents and local community.
The Spring Garden Competition is a popular community event that has a unique ‘hands on’ quality. Creative and well-tended garden entries are expected from a wide variety of city landscapes including traditional back gardens, courtyards, balconies, river-frontages, corporate green-spaces, community gardens, school yards and large tracts of natural bushland.
This is an inclusive event and we strongly encourage entries from young aspiring green thumbs (children) to older green thumbs (seniors), individual gardeners, families, community groups, different cultural groups, gardeners with different abilities, commercial organisations and small businesses. With twelve categories of entry, there is certainly something for everyone.
Click here to get some inspiration and view photos from some entries from previous Spring Garden Competition events.
For further enquiries call City of Ryde’s Customer Service Centre on 9952 8222.
Watch the video below to find out from last year's winners of the Best Small Garden category what they love about gardening and why you should enter the next Spring Garden Competition.