Public Service Announcement

Local Celebrities Face Off for National Garden Day

Thursday, June 12, 2014 (Halifax, NS) – What do municipal politicians, media personalities and chefs have in common? Why gardening, of course!

On Friday, June 13, the Halifax Regional Municipality will host two gardening competitions featuring local celebrities in honour of National Garden Day. One event will be at Grand Parade and the other at Dartmouth Ferry Terminal Park.

Both events begin at noon, rain or shine. Residents are encouraged to bring the whole family to watch the competitors race to create the best gardening arrangement using a variety of plants.

Equipped with gloves, aprons, a trowel and water, all competitors will receive identical “black boxes” containing 10 plants. Participants will also be able to choose a few plants from the “wild card” table to add an individual touch to their creations.

Celebrity gardeners for the Halifax event are Mayor Mike Savage, Cyril Lunney from CTV Morning Live, chef Chris Velden of the Flying Apron Cookery, and Louise Renault with CBC Radio’s Information Morning.

Facing off in Dartmouth are Deputy Mayor Darren Fisher, Lil MacPherson of the Wooden Monkey, Jordan Hipson from Seaside FM, and Crystal Garrett with The Morning News on Global Halifax.

Neville MacKay of My Mother’s Bloomers will preside over the Halifax competition and Nikki Jabbour, garden writer and host of The Weekend Gardener on News 95.7, will judge at the Dartmouth event.

Following the competition, photos of all the entries will be posted online at www.halifax.ca/surveys. Residents will be able to vote for their favourite garden arrangement in each competition. Those with the most votes will be declared the winners – for bragging rights only!

National Garden Day is an annual celebration of public gardens and green spaces across Canada. It takes place on the Friday before Father’s Day, which this year is June 13. Organized by the Canadian Garden Tourism Council, National Garden Day is a commitment to celebrate the role and many benefits of gardens in our communities as esthetic, environmental, recreational, cultural, and tourism experiences.

For more information on National Garden Day, please visit http://gardendays.ca/.

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Media Contact:

Jennifer Stairs
Halifax Regional Municipality
Public Affairs
902-476-5975
stewarj@halifax.ca