The results of the Garden and Estates Competition for 2014 were announced this week, and prizegiving will take place at 3.00p.m tomorrow, Friday in Cork Co. Council offices, Annabella. Congratulations to the winners, as follows;
Category 1; Best Front Garden (confined to Mallow Town Council estates); 1st, Ann Buckley, 86 O’Keeffe Walk, 2nd Noreen Buckley, 106 Seamus Murphy Place, 3rd Helen Keenan, 28 Collins’ Place.
Category 2; Best Floral Display Without a Lawn; 1st Timmy and Trisha Moloney, 11 Davis Terrace, 2nd Hannah Griffin, 32 Sean Moylan Park.
Category 3; Estates Competition (Town Council); 1st Sandfield/Church View Estate, 2nd Sean Moylan Park Estate, 3rd Woodview Drive Estate, 4th Forest View Estate.
Category 4; Best Front Garden (Private Estates); Joint 1st, Jean Relihan, 29 Willow Bank, Quartertown, and Maura Rya, 73 Rockbrook Lawn (the judge really suffered an ‘ache of regret’ over these two wonderful entries! He simply could not decide on one over the other. Excellent entries); 2nd Martin Murphy, 11 Willow Bank, 3rd William Hayes, Cork Road; Very Highly Commended, Tim O’Brien, 32 The Elms
Category 5; Best Floral Display (Without a Lawn);
1st Pat and Carmel Murphy, 4 Lime Kiln Lawn, Bathview; 2nd Neil Owens, 14 Maplewood, Castle Park; 3rd Nuala Browne, 6 The Laurels, Castle Park.
Category 6; Estates Competition (Private Estates); 1st Rock Brook Lawn Estate, 2nd Town View Estate, 3rd Willow Bank Estate, 4th Eglantine Crescent Estate.
Category 7, Commercial Competition; 1st Mallow Day Care Centre, Court View, New Road (a very limited presentation but the effort was made); 2nd Gilbert Centre, Fair Street (Very interesting lawn/hard landscaping feature here).
Judge Charlie Wilkins’ comments; Judging took place on Wednesday July 23rd in sunny, calm weather. All the entries were therefore seen in the same climatic conditions. Along with floral displays, all properties gained extra points for attention to outdoor paintwork, condition of gates, drives and walling. Plantings which give colour and interest during the ‘off season’ were also taken into account and duly marked.
The estates categories were quite vastly improved, especially those under council management. The most noticeable was Woodview Drive, possibly due to the input of a one or two housewives and certainly that of TUS workers. The estate has a bit to go in catching Sandfield where the lack of litter and graffiti was distinctly obvious. Roadside verges and hanging baskets here were truly magnificent and the residents seem to be taking a far more active part in their safekeeping.