This criterion supports all efforts to create an environment showcasing the overall surroundings: parks & grounds, green spaces, streetscapes, and including turf & groundcovers. The overall plan and design must be suitable for the intended use and location on a year-round basis. Elements for evaluation include: native and introduced materials; balance of plants, materials and constructed elements; appropriate integration of hard surfaces and art elements; use turf and groundcovers. Landscape design should harmonize the interests of municipal, commercial, and residential sectors of the community.
Winners of the
Canadian Nursery Landscape Association Award
2009: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is rightfully proud of its excellence in landscaped areas and initiatives such as the Community Placemaking Initiative designed the beautify the community, enhance the public life of streets and common spaces, and strengthen the sense of place.
2008: Town of Huntsville, Ontario
The new landscape of Huntsville is awash with various heights, color and texture. It is even very inviting city to visit and live.
Recently the two major entrances into the urban core have gone through an extensive change in the past two years; King William Street and Main Street West have new landscapes.
The Main Street West once lined with ditches and culverts, has now been improved with curbs and sidewalks. This was a major improvement for traffic, both automatic and pedestrian. The plans also include the planting of 5 large flower and shrub beds and 37 new trees.
2007: Town of Whitby, Ontario
There is good mixture of landscape techniques observed throughout Whitby - each new development area is being designed and developed to fit in with the local environment - Landmark Square is an excellent example, as it celebrates the area's agriculture heritage through art and horticulture.
As an alternative to traditional acoustic barriers, the Town has constructed a Living Wall in one neighbourhood – the first to be built in the province, and only the second in Canada.
Since assuming ownership of Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, the Town is undertaking a visioning exercise to determine future development and partnership potential. In the meantime, some of the formal gardens have been restored to complement the existing event venue buildings. Congratulations on the excellent work done thus far in preserving this landmark attraction for years to come.
2006: City of Winkler, Manitoba
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Winkler is a town blessed with a dedicated Horticultural Society that plants more than 30,000 annuals each year. With additional flowers planted in the community by businesses or in the residential areas, the town is an oasis on the prairie landscape with an abundance of colour and a good variety of flowers.
The Town has employed a landscape architect to design the parks. The result is carefully planned parks and green spaces with an extensive, well used trail system.
Although the town promotes and funds much of the development and maintenance costs, the Winkler Horticulture Society and the Communities in Bloom members provide thousands of hours annually towards the maintenance and upkeep.