The winners of City of Ryde's 2023 Spring Garden competition were announced during a gala ceremony at Eden Gardens, Macquarie Park, on Wednesday 26 October.
This year's celebrated gardeners and categories are:
Front Garden: Robin Catalano
Back Garden: Rae Roy (pictured above)
Edible Garden: Erica Goldfinch
Nature and Habitat: Frances Reddacliff
Courtyard and Balcony: Sue Kennedy
Commercial Garden: Joel Perez – Living Choice
Preschool Garden: North Ryde Community Preschool
Schools Garden: West Ryde Public School
Community Garden: The Habitat
Bush Care Regeneration: Kittys Creek
Special Judges Awards: Katharine Lam, Vicky Buck, Jimmy Shaw, Lena Figuccio, Denis Chen, Tao Li, and Rui Zuo
Champion Gardens: Angela Thomas - Best Show Garden; Rae Roy - Best in Show
This annual event has been fuelling our gardeners' skills and creativity for more than 30 years and is one of the few council-run competitions of its kind still in existence.
Entries were open from 1 July to 31 August with judging by a skilled panel including Walter Salmon and Jenny Ring from the professional Garden Judges Association taking place in early September.
Over four judging days they were treated to a wonderful and diverse variety of gardens and sites and with over 64 entries this year, finding the winners was harder than ever.
City of Ryde Mayor Clr Sarkis Yedelian OAM praised the continuing high standard of entries in all categories.
"From small courtyard balconies to large backyard sanctuaries, lush commercial oases and school gardens growing an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, we have seen a wide variety of gardens representing the many people and cultures that so beautifully reflect the City of Ryde," he said.
"The Spring Garden Competition brings together people from all walks of life that share a common interest for gardening, being physically active outdoors, creating a sense of pride in their community and have a genuine desire to share their passion for gardening with others."
