GARDEN COMPETITIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19316, 31 October 1924, Page 8

GARDEN COMPETITIONS

It is now nine years since the Amenities and Town Planning Society inaugurated garden competitions in this city. These have been arranged every year since with, varying- success largely determined by climatic conditions*" 1 he. time has again come round for these competitions, and the first will be held next month, when the quarter acre garden will be judged. It may be questioned by some as to whether or not these competitions are really fulfilling the object for which they were started by the society, whose chief objective is the beautifying of our city. The society was satisfied that the city's public gardens and reserves, in the safe keeping of the Corporation Reserves Committee, under the enthusiastic guidance of Mr Tannock, were in able hands, ond were an extremely attractive civic feature requiring no help from the society. It was thought, however, that Dunedin could bo made still more attractive if citizens could be induced to tidy and brighten up their gardens and' keep their street fences and hedges in repair. One requires little imagination to picture tho added beauty and attractiveness if the* residential thoroughfares were lined with picturesque and well tended gardens. It is thought that these competitions ha<ve done good in drawing attention to this desirable object, and it has been proved that a single enthusiastic gardener in a, street entering his garden for these competitions has done a great deal to induce his neigh bours to tidy and brighten up the surroundings of their homes. The Exhibition will bring many thousands of visitors to this city and the society hopes that it will have the support of all gardeners and property owners in this effort to make our naturally extremely well favoured city a clean, tidy, and still more beautiful one. Numbers of citizens who recognise the importance of this effort of the society have generously supplied the necessary funds to enable the committee this year to give monetary prizes in addition, to the cups which for some years havo been tho only awards. The judges are not awarding the priie for the most immaculate gardens, but for tie most attractive and picturesque ones. Gardeners wishing to compete need not therefore be afraid to enter their gcrdens because of imperfeotioai.