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Trail in Bloom garden judging ends, awards on Wednesday

Three judges visited the 60 gardens in the contest on Sunday and will reveal the winners Wednesday evening at the Piazza Colombo.

Private gardens entered in this year's Trail in Bloom contest have been judged ahead of the awards ceremony, set for Wednesday evening.

Three judges visited the 60 gardens in the contest on Sunday and they have already made a few final decisions, but chrysanthe'mum's the word until the big night.

“The judges did make their choice for best residential garden and that will be awarded on Wednesday,” said Trail in Bloom Chair Annette Gallatin. “The winners haven't been told yet of course, so it will be a nice surprise [for the winner]. It is a $500 prize, so the winner will be pretty happy with that. Judging went well but, of course, it was a hot day.”

The awards ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night at the Piazza Colombo in Trail.

Gallatin says one of the characteristics that stood out to judges on their tour was the overall quality of the entries.

“The judges commented on the quality of the gardens and the unbelievable diversity of the plants,” she said, adding that each garden was very unique. “Your garden is truly a reflection of who you are and the hard work that goes into it.”

One endeavour that Gallatin is particularly proud of this growing season is the creation of the incrEDIBLE trail program.

“It is just fantastic,” she said. “All the different businesses around town have veggies growing outside and they are taking basket loads [of veggies] to the food bank every week. It is terrific.”

The incrEDIBLE trail program also went through a round of judging and, along with the Trail in Bloom awards, will be announcing a few winners on Wednesday.

Gallatin says the awards ceremony is open to everyone and the more attendees, the better.

“There will be wine and fruit plates. It's a lovely occasion.”

A garden tour is being held all day long on Saturday and maps of the entries are available for sale on Thursday and Friday at Ferraro Foods in downtown Trail from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.