LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
ASSOCIATION NEWS Landscape Ontario members to celebrate front line workers
Enter the 2020 Garden Centre Awards program
The Garden Makeover Appreciation Contest will see volunteers build 10 gardens across the province.
Landscape Ontario recently announced an initiative designed to celebrate the dedication of healthcare professionals and frontline workers in the fight against coronavirus. The Garden Makeover Appreciation Contest is seeking nominees across the province for a chance to win one of nine $5,000 garden makeovers, one for each chapter. There will also be a grand prize makeover worth $25,000, putting the total value of prizes at $70,000
Nominate your frontline hero today We want association members and the general public to share stories of friends, neighbours or family members who work on the front line and have helped to improve the lives of those in their community throughout the Covid19 pandemic. To nominate a frontline hero, simply complete the nomination form found at LandscapeOntario.com/ hero. All nominations must include a
brief paragraph describing your nominee’s contribution, their name and the community they live in. Nominations are being accepted online until Aug. 31, 2020. Nominations will be reviewed by a committee, with winners announced sometime in September.
Volunteers and donations needed This is our chance to say thanks to those who selflessly answered the call to keep all of us safe. If you would like to donate plants, products, supplies, labour or your expertise to a garden makeover in your chapter, we would love for you to join the team! Installation is expected to take place this fall. To express your interest in participating, simply complete the online form at LandscapeOntario. com/hero to be a part of this amazing effort.
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Entries for Landscape Ontario’s Garden Centre Awards of Excellence program are open to retail members July 1 to Sept. 1. The annual awards competition recognizes the unique and innovative marketing efforts of retailers using photographs and descriptions of their efforts. Whether it’s a creative merchandising display of plants or seasonal goods, a permanent display garden, print advertising, a website, or a special event designed to attract customers to their store, the program offers many categories for retailers in all shapes and sizes. Garden centres are invited to showcase their best plant material, including: deciduous shrubs and/or trees, annuals and/or perennials, evergreens and/or broadleaf, specialty plants material your business is noted for, and new varieties of annual and/ or perennials. Companies with their own permanent display gardens are invited to showcase features under 500 sq. ft. or over 500 sq. ft. in size. The awards program also recognizes outstanding retail displays of giftware, hardgoods and seasonal goods. Other Merchandising Techniques is divided into creative P.O.P. area, outstanding promotional event, outstanding print advertising, and outstanding website development. The program is only open exclusively to members of Landscape Ontario and a fee of $75 per entry applies. Non-member entries will not be considered. Details about the Garden Centre Awards of Excellence ceremony will be announced at a later date. Organizers continue to plan for a live ceremony, but are also exploring a number of virtual options. To learn more about the program, please contact Myscha Stafford at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 2333, or e-mail awards@LandscapeOntario.com.
