Posted: March 20, 2025
The 34th Annual Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Delaware County garden contest is open to community and home gardens alike.
The contest is open to all county gardeners (with categories for beginners, intermediate, and advanced) and will be held this spring and summer. Our Master Gardeners will personally visit all gardens entered in the contest. We are interested in gardeners' good gardening practices, design, plant variety, and environmental impact and will recognize winning gardens for their merits. On the judging days, entrants meet with our panel of Master Gardeners, who will not only judge the gardens but also answer gardeners' questions. We will award ribbons and certificates for each category at our annual Fall Fest, which takes place at Smedley Park in Springfield in September.
In addition to home gardens, all Delaware County community gardens are welcome to enter, whether you are a school, senior center, or any other kind of group garden.
The 34th annual Garden Contest has the following three judging dates:
- May 16: For judging ornamental gardens with spring ephemerals such as azaleas, bulbs, and peonies. The deadline to enter is May 12
- June 20: For gardens full of annual flowers and early summer flowering shrubs and trees. The deadline to enter is June 16
- August 1: For vegetable and community gardens throughout the county. Last year, we had many community gardens entering for the first time, mostly from churches, schools, and senior communities. The deadline to enter is July 28
