Photo: Carl Stevens/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Winners have been chosen in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's 2025 Boston Garden Awards.
Many gardeners gathered at Boston's Public Garden for the 2025 Boston Garden Awards ceremony Tuesday evening.
Wu gave out awards in ten different categories to the dedicated gardeners, including a brand-new category, best pollinator garden.
"The garden means peace of mind to me, it's a space where I feel like I'm able to decompress and enjoy the plants," Kimba McDonald said, second place winner in the new category.
1st place winner of the Pollinator Garden category was M. Scott Knox in Roxbury
The other categories included:
- Small Yard - 1st place winner being 133 Commonwealth Garden Committee being accepted by Beth Kates, Michelle Vanparys, and Debora Holland - Back Bay
- Medium Yard - 1st place winner being Elizabeth McDonough - Roslindale
- Large Yard - 1st place winner being Molly Duggan - Mattapan
- Shade Garden - 1st place winner being Ellen Scalese - Hyde Park
- Community Garden - 1st place winner being Jenny Li & Mark Springel - Berkeley Community Gardens
- Vegetable or Herb Garden - 1st place winner being Suzen Holohan - East Boston
- Porch, Balcony, or Container Garden - 1st place winner being Peter Cahn and Donald Hess - Back Bay
- Age Strong Garden (Senior 65 and older) - 1st place winner being Nancy Kressin and John Derbort - West Roxbury
- Storefront, Organization, or Main Street District Garden - 1st place winner being Friends of Christopher Columbus Park - North End
"You have to be very particular about your plants because a lot of plants don't like to grow in the shade" Ellen Scalese said, first place winner of the shade garden category.
These gardeners and many others were recognized by Wu during the ceremony for their passion and dedication to the gardens and brightening up their communities.
"I love my neighborhood, a lot of people stop by to look at the garden and ask questions about it and that's really fun," Scalese said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.