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Contest To Recognize The Best in Environmentally Friendly Yard Design
Smart Yard Contest is Open to All Arlington Homes – Entry Deadline is July 23

by Cheryel Carpenter
April 08, 2004

The City of Arlington announces a new citywide contest that recognizes Arlington residents who have incorporated environmentally-friendly yard design concepts into their landscapes. The entry deadline is July 23.

Project Coordinator Roni Crotty said the Smart Yard contest supports the design concepts developed from Texas SmartScape, a regional initiative that promotes the usage of native and adaptive plants and trees to create landscapes that require less water, pesticides and fertilizer to thrive in the North Central Texas climate. To learn more about Texas SmartScape, go to www.txsmartscape.com.

The Smart Yard Contest is sponsored by the City of Arlington in partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington. This program supports the North Central Texas Council of Governments regional efforts to promote Texas SmartScape.

How to Enter:

Each landscape or address is eligible to enter only two categories.

Each entry can submit only five recent photos per category. Photos can be taken in June and/or July. Include five additional photos to be considered in the Best Overall Yard category.

E-mail or mail photos of your "Smart Yard" to the City of Arlington by July 23, 2004. Digital photos are preferred. A site visit could be a part of the judging process. All entries will be judged and considered in the Best Overall Yard category.

All photos submitted for the Smart Yard Contest will become the property of the City of Arlington.

E-mail photos to crottyr@ci.arlington.tx.us or mail them to Roni Crotty, P.O. Box 90231 MS 01-0220, Arlington, TX 76004-3231.

Winners will be announced in early August.

For more information, call 817-459-6587.

The Arlington Smart Yard Contest

Winners will be judged solely on the criteria of the judges. Winners will earn "braggin’ rights" and receive yard signage declaring their landscape a "Smart Yard." Review the categories below and prepare to enter your landscape in the Smart Yard Contest.

Category I – Mulch/Compost

Best use of on-site mulch

Best use of commercial mulch

Best use of organic mulch

Best use of inorganic mulch

Most visually appealing

Biggest compost pile

Best overall

Category II – Plant Materials

Best use of variegated foliage

Best use of ground cover

Best use of shade tolerant plants

Best use of sun tolerant plants

Best use of vines

Most colorful

Best use of eatables in the landscape

Best use of ornamental grasses

Best visually appealing

Most diverse plantings

Best use of wildflowers

Best incorporation of trees into landscape

Best use of shrubs

Best overall

Category III – Wildlife Value

Bird friendly

Butterfly friendly

Critter friendly

Most wildlife friendly water feature

Best overall

Category IV - Design

Best use of an ugly feature

Best use of irrigation

Best use of downspouts

Best use of yard art

Best example of rain garden

Best use of rain water

Most unique water feature

Before and after (before photos must not be more than four years old)

Presentation of a side yard

Presentation of a front yard

Presentation of a backyard

Best use of structures

Best prairie/meadow

Best woodland

Best overall