EXCITING NEW FORMAT FOR 20TH NATIONAL AWARDS OF LANDSCAPE EXCELLENCE

BY STUART SERVICE

PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY for what is bound to be a spectacular celebration of exceptional landscaping at the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association’s 20th edition of the National Awards of Landscape Excellence.

The format of the gala, set to take place on August 9 at the Fairmont Winnipeg, is going to be a little different this year. The finalists are all invited and won’t know who the winners of the Caterpillar National Award for Residential Landscape Construction, the Caterpillar National Award for Commercial Landscape

Construction, the National Award for Residential Landscape Maintenance, the National Award for Commercial Landscape Maintenance, and the National Award for Landscape Design are until the moment the winner is read aloud on stage. We’re hoping this infuses this year’s national awards with some of that Oscar’s flair.

In the past five years that I’ve been with the CNLA, I’ve been shipped all over the country to visit our winning projects to produce nice videos that tell the story of a project and the people behind its inspiration. However, what we’ve discovered is that, come summertime when the awards gala takes place, the winners of each award are the worst-kept secret. A bit of passive detective work during the cocktail hour before the event is enough to sniff out who to expect to see on the podium doing an acceptance speech.

But not this year! We have contacted and will be interviewing all 15 finalists and are very excited to be featuring all of them throughout the lead up to the big day on August 9. If you haven’t already, make sure to take a moment to follow us on Instagram (@cnla_acpp), like us on Facebook, (facebook.com/ canadanursery), and subscribe to us on Youtube (youtube. com/@CNLA) for updates about the landscape industry from a national lens, as well as to learn about the people and stories that went into realizing these landscapes for each of the finalists’ extremely happy clients.

And I still have no idea who won! I’ve told Lauryn Mullan, organizer of this year’s National Awards, to not tell me who any of the winners are until the day of the event – even if I change my mind, which I have! But I still haven’t got a clue who. If you’re ever looking for someone capable of keeping sensitive state secrets, Lauryn’s your person – she will not fold under questioning with regards to who won, and has this Doyle Brunson-esque poker face that gives absolutely nothing away.

But I think we’ll like it better this way. It’s going to make for an amazing, shared experience when seeing those genuine, excited reactions when each winner is revealed.

THE FINALISTS FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL AWARDS OF LANDSCAPE EXCELLENCE ARE:

CATERPILLAR National Award for Residential Landscape Construction:

Cedar Springs Landscape Group for “Wonderful in White”

Fossil Landscape Construction for “Modern Luxury”

The Landmark Group for “Tranquil Hideaway”

Growers

Jamie

National Award for Residential Landscape Maintenance: It’s About Thyme Inc. for “Urban Oasis”

Rockscape for “Skeleton Lake Cottage”

Snider Turf for “Paradise Lake Retreat”

Garden Centres

Anne

National Award for Landscape Design:

Blue Bear Landscape Construction for “Cypress Moutain”

Planta Landscape Inc for “Britannia Residence”

Welwyn Wong Landscape Design for “Hillside Retreat”

Climate Change

Frydda

CATERPILLAR National Award for Commerical Landscape Construction:

Oakridge Group for “Gardens of Pillar & Post”

Terra Vista Landscape Group for “Wander the Resort”

Government

Trim Landscaping for “Peggy’s Cove”

Leslie Sison, Industry & Government Specialist leslie@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

National Award for Commercial Landscape Maintenance: Bos Landscaping for “Janco Steel”

Certification

ParaSpace Landscaping Inc for “Maquinna”

Edith Oyosoro, Certification Coordinator edith@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca

Strathmore Landscape Contractors for “Consilium Place”

Communications

Stuart Service, Media Coordinator stuart@cnla-acpp.ca www.cnla.ca