Calling all amateur gardeners!! Enter to win two-round trip tickets from Jet Blue.

This urban garden celebration is part of the city's initiative to beautify Boston. It includes porch gardens, balcony gardens, community gardens, and more. The city is often impressed with gardeners who creatively use their land and/or resources to magically transform their spaces (big and small) despite the city's fluctuating weather conditions. Past winners have used compost, rain buckets, herbs, veggies, perrenials, annuals, and other pollinating plants.

Contest Timeline

• Entry deadline: Wednesday, July 12, 2023 (applications close at 11:59 p.m.)

• Finalist notification: Thursday, July 20, 2023

• Judges visit gardens: Week of July 24, 2023

• Awards ceremony: mid-August

Below is a video featuring some of the gorgeous photos. You'll see a homemade green house, repurposed paver stones, koi ponds, fountains, container gardens, and other peaceful and well-maintained greenery across neighborhoods.

During the ceremony, awards are presented to 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place winners of the nine garden categories. They recieve a garden-themed plaque for 1st place and framed certficates for runner ups. Winners also take photos with the Mayor and Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space. The grand prize winner is selected by putting all 1st place winners in a container, while the mayor randomly chooses a name. In the end, this garden contest is a cool experience for families interested in horticulture.

We also created a list of kid-friendly competitions we think all Boston moms should know about. You can check them out here.