As we go around Kalkan, we see some amazingly well kept gardens. 

Given the hot and dry Kalkan climate, some of you are clearly devoted, and talented horticulturalists.

We thought it would be a good idea to hold an annual competition, to find the Kalkan Garden of the Year, and show off these talents to the wider public.

It's an idea aimed at highlighting the very best of Kalkan: superb gardens, which enhance Kalkan, as a place to live, or visit on holiday.

Anyone can take part, (all nationalities, residents/non-residents), either by nominating a garden, or voting for their favourite, and of course, it's free to enter. 

For the purposes of this competition, we are happy to include all areas of Kalkan, and nearby villages, including Akbel, Islamlar and Ulugöl. 

In this article we explain how it all works.

Competition categories
The competition will be in two categories - private gardens, and communal gardens. 

Sorry, but commercial properties, such as hotels, are excluded.  If you rent out your property, we don't class that as 'commercial', so you can enter the competition.

• Private gardens are those owned by private individuals, and looked after by the owner, or a paid/unpaid gardener.
• Communal gardens will typically be apartment complexes, where the gardening effort is shared, or there is a maintenance company looking after the garden.

Timetable
The hot, dry Kalkan summer, (not to mention water shortages), means that holding the competition right now, is probably not a good idea.  So our competition is to be run between Monday 19th September and Saturday 29th October 2011, (Turkish Republic Day).  We are giving you a bit of notice, so you can get your gardening gloves on!

Register your interest
From now until 18th September, all you need to do is register your interest, by requesting an application form.  We suggest doing this as soon as possible.

Simply click on the link below, and tell us your name, your email and put 'Garden of the Year' in the message subject.  In the body of the message, tell us which category you wish to enter - Private or Communal.  We will then email you an application form. 

Request an application form here: KTLN Kalkan Garden of the Year Application Form

Please note that you can nominate your own garden or someone else's garden, with their permission.

Once you have got your form, there is nothing to do until 19th September 2011, (except to lovingly tend your garden).

When to submit your competition entries
Between Monday 19th September and Saturday 8th October 2011, you need to return the completed application forms to us, together with a number of photographs, showing your garden, in all its glory.  Full details are included in the form.

Voting for your favourite - round 1
On Sunday 9th October, KTLN will publish details of all entrants, and registered members of KTLN will be invited to vote for their favourite gardens.  This first round of voting will take place between Sunday 9th October and Saturday 15th October.

Voting for your favourite - round 2
The 5 private gardens, and 5 communal gardens with the most votes, will go through to a second and final round of voting, which will take place between Sunday 16th October and Saturday 29th October. 

The top three in each category will be announced on the evening of Saturday 29th October.

Below: A rose from the garden at KTLN HQ.

When voting, what should you be looking for?
It's really going to be up to you, the members of KTLN, but here are a few guidelines.

We would like you to consider:

• The overall design/layout of the garden
• The variety and combination of plants, (trees, shrubs, flowers) and their general condition
• The colours on display
• The general aesthetic look of the tended area

Things that are not so important:

• The size of the garden.  Small can be just as beautiful as big. 
• Swimming pools and constructed features such as pergolas or kösks.  They can be attractive, but the main focus should be on the natural aspect of the garden.

The winners
We know that some gardeners take their work quite seriously, but this is meant to be a fun competition.

The owners of the gardens that are voted 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, in both categories, will be presented with stylish plaques, and will have the kudos of having their garden recognised as the pick of the crop.

We hope that through this competition, we can highlight the very best of Kalkan, and we hope you will all enter into the spirit of things, by either submitting an entry, or taking part in the voting.  Or if you know someone with a fantastic garden, suggest to them that they should enter the competition.

Please also bear in mind that this is a good opportunity to highlight the work of some of the property maintenance people working in Kalkan.  It will focus attention on the very best in the business.

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