Presented at the Singapore Garden Festival, the biennial Community in Bloom (CIB) Awards recognise and reward gardening efforts of our local gardening groups.
The Herbs Garden at Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution (Toa Payoh) received the Gold Banding under the Organization Category in 2018. This is the 2nd award received by the Herbs Garden in the CIB Awards, first time being in 2014.
The awards aim to motivate and encourage community gardeners to improve the standards of their gardens, and to continue to enjoy gardening as a fun and healthy activity. Through such efforts, the awards hope to promote a love for gardening to others in the community.
Participating Categories
Outdoor community gardens in:
- Public Housing Estates
- Private Housing Estates
- Educational Institutions
- Organisations
Participating community gardens must be registered under the CIB Programme and be from a Resident Committee/Neighbourhood Committee/Resident Association/School/Organisation.
Excellence & People’s Choice Awards
- Diamond Award
- Best Community Garden Award
- Best New Community Garden Award
- Special Mention Awards (New)
- Edible Garden
- Community Outreach
- Biodiversity & Environmental Friendliness
- People’s Choice Award (New)
Achievement Bands
- Platinum
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
- Certification of Participation
Judging Criteria
Judging was carried out between late Feb to Apr 2018, based on the following criteria:
a) Garden Quality
- Garden Presentation – General appearance (aesthetic), landscaping creativity/ originality and practical use of garden layout
- Plants and Hard Landscape Elements – Use of plants, suitable plant selection, health of plants, state of soil and use of suitable hard landscape elements (paving, trellises, sculptures, pots etc)
- Maintenance – Quality of up-keep and environmental safety
b) Level of Community Involvement & Inclusiveness
- Garden volunteer involvement in maintaining and managing the Community Garden
- Activities and events (gatherings, celebrations, talks, training, learning, outings, etc) organised that are related to the gardening programme for Community Gardeners and for larger community and nearby residents
- Partnerships with other communities, sharing of resources and strategies to foster community bonding and promote a love for gardening
c) Biodiversity & Environmental Friendliness Quality
- Plant Variety – The number of different plants that increase biodiversity
- Environmentally-friendly practices where possible to minimise the impact on the environment
- Habitat Creation – Creating a suitable environment to attract local fauna
Please find the full judging criteria below:
Read more on the Community In Bloom Awards 2018 and its winners on National Parks Board website.
