Interested in competing for a chance to win Garden of the month? Click here to download a blank entry form.
Garden of the Month Contest
Is Your Garden a Star?
Local Commuting Area Only (Spokane, WA)
The Inland Empire Gardeners sponsor a Garden of the Month Contest during the growing season each year.
There are 4 contests a year (June-September). The Garden of the Month Selection Committee chooses the 5 top gardens to visit and a winner is chosen from 1 of the 5. Gardens are judged on design, maintenance, originality, color, and heart.
PRIZE: The winning prize package includes a specially engraved stepping stones, a garden book, and a local garden nursery gift certificate.
ENTRIES: To enter the Garden of the Month Contest (your garden needs to be in Spokane City or County), just fill out the application below and mail in to the address provided or drop off at the East Sprague Northwest Seed & Pet location.
Garden of the Month Application (June – September) –
You can download your application (include a picture and description) and mail it to Garden of the Month Contest, PO Box 13184, Spokane Valley, WA 99213 or email it to tieg@comcast.net.
Good Luck to all the talented and dedicated gardeners out there!
SPOKANE GARDEN OF THE MONTH WINNERS
To Date
“Local Spokane Gardeners Hall of Fame–The Best of the Best”
Their names will live in glory in Spokane gardening history!
Spokane’s Garden of the Month 2011
September 2011 – Violette & Rich Gamba
August 2011 – Michael & Jennifer Gilbert
July 2011 – Julie Moyer-Nesbitt
June 2011 – Barbara Safranek
Spokane’s Garden of the Month 2010
September 2010 - Keith & Pamela Smith
August 2010 – Robert Carnell
July 2010 – John & Maralee Karworski *new address/new garden
June 2010 – Randy & Sharon Micek
“By the time one is 80, it is said, there is no longer a tug of war in the garden with the May flowers hauling like mad against the claims of the other months. All is at last in balance and all is serene. The gardener is usually dead, of course.” – Henry Mitchell
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2009
August 2009 - Stan & Donna Canter
July 2009 - Allan LeTourneau
June 2009 – John & Donna Philips
May 2009 – Jeanne & George MacKay
“The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.” – Vita Sackville-West
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2008
August 2008 – Terri Carstens
July 2008 – Rene & Steve Goebel
June 2008 – Kathy & Gordon Kaufman
May 2008 – Carol McVicker
“I have found, through years of practice, that people garden in order to make something grow; to interact with nature; to share, to find sanctuary, to heal, to honor the earth, to leave a mark. Through gardening, we feel whole as we make our personal work of art upon our land.” – Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2007
August 2007 – Darlene & Douglas Reilly
July 2007 – Annie & Devon Pierce
June 2007 – Nancy & Rick Keyes
May 2007 – David & Kara Trail
“Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let’s stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another.” - Anne Raver
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2006
August 2006 – Jeff & Lorae Sims
July 2006 – Juan Juan Moses
June 2006 – Jim & Phyllis Stephens
May 2006 – Cathi Lamoreux
“Aren’t gardening people the happiest, friendliest, and most generous people you know? Why do you suppose gardening is the #1 hobby in America? Why are there so many people across the state waiting in line to become Master Gardeners or joining garden clubs, individually, as couples, or as a youth? Why are so many millions of dollars spent in gardening retail stores every year? Gardening touches everyone in some way, be it beauty, color, solitude, food, memories, therapy, land value, exercise (some of the best), to attract wildlife or just the thrill of making something grow. It’s a great way to have quality time with your family and friends.
- Sonya Robinson, The Gardener’s Touch
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2005
August 2005 – Julia & David Marcyes
July 2005 – Diane Kelly
June 2005 – Nancy Bell
May 2005 – Charlie & Terry Klement
“I think the true gardener is a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them. I think the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her truculent, wife-beating master. I think the true gardener, the older he grows, should more and more develop a humble, grateful and uncertain spirit.” - Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2004
August 2004 – Lisa Burns
July 2004 – Kevin & Linda Fairhurst
June 2004 – Carol Thomson
May 2004 – Carolyn Starner
“I have come to terms with the future. From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth. Plant trees. Kill no living things. Live in harmony with all creatures. I will restore the earth where I am. Use no more of its resources than I need. And listen, listen to what it is telling me.” – M.J. Slim Hooey
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2003
August 2003 – Joan & Steve Hoitink
July 2003 – Arne & Charmagne Woodard
June 2003 – Paul & Betty Fisher
May 2003 – Bob & Kris Fiala
“Green fingers are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart. A good garden cannot be made by somebody who has not developed the capacity to know and love growing things.” - Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2002
August 2002 – Don & Shirley Mitchel
July 2002 – Anne Trail
June 2002 – Russ Shear
May 2002 – Pat Holmstead
“That a man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2001
August 2001 – Karen Miller
July 2001 – Barbara Clark
June 2001 – Charlene Pierce
May 2001 – Charles Parsons
“Even the smallest landscape can offer pride of ownership not only to its inhabitants but to its neighbors. The world delights in a garden…. Creating any garden, big or small, is, in the end, all about joy.” - Julie Moir Messervy
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 2000
August 2000 – Mary Williams
July 2000 – Al Coyle
June 2000 – Charles Gillingham
May 2000 – Larry & Patty Jenkins
“Still others make gardens because it is part of a full life. To live happily they must invest their hours and aspirations in the activities of another world. And they draw the interest of delight and refreshment according to the measure of their investment. These are usually quaint folk, other-worldly in their manner, but capable of comprehending the idiosyncrasies of Nature as she displays them in a tree and bush and passing season, across the skyline and in the infinite zenith. These, moreover, are the successful gardeners.” - Richardson Wright, Truly Rural
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 1999
August 1999 – Rayna Lee & Bruce Walker
July 1999 – Dee Young
June 1999 – Lynn Mair
May 1999 – Bob Snider
“So, yes, I do experience a type of reverie as a gardener. But it is not something I control or strive for. When I find spirituality in my garden, it seems to go hand in hand with hard work and diligence. Like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day, a feeling of peace will come over me and grab me by surprise. I don’t really know why or how it happens. But then again, I wouldn’t want it any other way.” - Fran Sorin
Spokane’s Gardens of the Month 1998
August 1998 – Steve Scheller & Dennis Dillon
July 1998 – Ted & Betty Parrish
June 1998 – Maralee Karwoski
“To create a garden is to search for a better world. In our effort to improve on nature, we are guided by a vision of paradise. Whether the result is a horticultural masterpiece or only a modest vegetable patch, it is based on the expectation of a glorious future. This hope for the future is at the heart of all gardening.” - Marina Schinz
We would like to thank our business sponsor NW Seed and Pet and our print sponsor The Spokesman-Review Newspaper.