
MARTHA'S VINEYARD ISLAND WIDE GARDEN COMPETITION

The Beginning
Gardening is for everyone!


The Cosgroves of Martha’s Vineyard — multi generational Vineyard family with a keen eye into island life and the Moores of New York — generational visitors to the island and owners of the Larrier House, would take turns inviting each other to their respective homes in early summer for drinks and snacks, in order to show off their gardens. Soon the Grays of New Jersey — aviators and veterans with turn-of-the-century ties to farming and agriculture, along with a trove of heirloom plants and seeds, joined the competition.
During the COVID-19 pandemic while Ms. Moore was talking with her friend and former college roommate, Robin White, the idea for creating something free, fun, and beautiful that would help raise people’s spirits and also showcase some natural beauty developed. Gardening and the Cosgrove and Gray competitions came to mind.
Thus a friendly garden rivalry amongst families evolved into the Martha’s Vineyard Islandwide Garden Competition. Now you too can be a part of this competition! Just take photos of your garden and submit an entry form.
The Details
CATEGORIES
Container Garden
A garden where the majority of plants are
in pots or various containers.
Grand Garden
A garden larger than 500 square feet
Pollinator or Demonstration Garden
A garden that butterflies, bees and other pollinators will love or one that showcases local plants and/or sustainable gardening techniques.
Vegetable Garden
A garden with majority vegetables, herbs and/or fruit.
Whimsical Garden
A lighthearted garden with a tongue-in-cheek theme.
Flower Garden
A garden with majority flowers, trees, shrubs, or vines.
PRIZE
Enter to win a professional photo shoot of your garden, which will appear on the Martha's Vineyard Times website and a commemorative garden award.
COMPETITION
Competition opens June 1st and closes August 31st.
HOW TO ENTER
It's free to enter!
For contest details, entry information and FAQs visit the Martha's Vineyard Times
or enter here:
LOCATION
The competition is an islandwide celebration of gardening on Martha's Vineyard.
JUDGES
Donna Arold has loved ‘playing in the dirt’ since she was a child, introduced to gardening by her dad who was a landscape designer in NJ. She is a Certified Master Gardener who led 'The Giving Garden' Outreach Program for the NJMG and Co-Edited ‘Roots and Shoots’, a quarterly publication for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County in NJ. Donna also conceived and designed the gardens and property of her NJ Bed & Breakfast (previously owned for 12 years). She now serves on the Board of the MVGC, is VP of Communication for the MVGC and in her spare time, tends to the herb, flower and berry gardens at her Oak Bluffs home.
Suzan Bellincampi shares nature through teaching, writing, and speaking. She serves as Islands Director for Mass Audubon, writes the Vineyard Gazette weekly nature column, “All Outdoors,” and has authored two books, Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.
Marc Fournier is the former Arborist/Horticulturist at The Trustees of Reservations’ Mytoi Japanese Garden. Marc has extensive experience in arboriculture, landscape design, sustainability, energy efficiency, building construction, recycling, organics diversion, materials management, public works, and facilities management. He is a Massachusetts Certified Arborist, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a member of the USDA Forest Service Urban Forest Strike Team.
Martha's Vineyard - Noepe

THE ISLAND
The Wampanoag Native Americans called Martha’s Vineyard Noepe which means "Land amidst the Sea." Martha's Vineyard is the largest island on the southeastern coast of Massachusetts. It is twenty miles long and nine miles wide and contains six towns: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury, Chilmark, Aquinnah, and Tisbury, which includes Vineyard Haven.

Les Fleur
"Will somebody wear me to the fair
Will a lady pin me in her hair
Will a child find me by a stream
Oooh, kiss my petals, weave me through a dream
For all of these simple things and much more
A flower was born
It blooms to spread love and joy, faith and hope."
Come to My Garden (1970)
Song: Les Fleur
Sung by: Minnie Riperton
Recorded: Ter Mar Studios
Written by: Charles Stepney
Produced by: Richard Rudolph
Label: StreamWorld Entertainment Classics