Our top picks from the Club’s 2007 garden photo contest!

Congratulations to the winners of the fourth annual National Home Gardening Club photo contest! Shutters were snapping madly this year—we received more than 5,000 entries. From close-ups of your favorite perennials to majestic garden scenes, we were amazed at the quality of the photos and the beautiful results of your hard work in the garden. It was difficult for us to narrow it down to 12 winners, which were chosen for their creative perspective; sharpness and focus; and combinations of color, texture, and composition. Thank you for sharing your beautiful little corners of the world with us!
—The staff of Gardening How-To

1st Place Life Member Lorraine Gunn Mount Pleasant, SC ‘Little Gem’ magnolia
2nd Place Life Member Teresa Perdue Ashford, WV Butterfly on a zinnia
3rd Place Member Patrick Kramer Aurora, CO Japanese garden
Honorable Mentions
Member Evelyn Alemanni Escondido, CA Cutting garden
Member Denise Bates Fairbanks, AK Asters and violets
Member Pat Davis Acme, PA Sacred lotus
Member Elaine Foran Farmington, CT Tulips
Member Anna Houghton Gulf Breeze, FL Eucalyptus in the morning dew
Life Member Larry Laird Waynesboro, PA Mimosa tree
Member Karen Rollefson Cornelius, NC ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangea
Member Lisa Rufft Independence, WV Water garden
Member Melissa Smith Quakertown, PA Dogwood

Our winners received the following prizes:
First Prize: Vizor umbrella and stand from D’Firo Design, www.dfiro.com. Value: $1,350

Second Prize: Storagehouse XL from FlowerHouse, www.flowerhouses.com. Value: $260

Third Prize: EarthBox Ready-to-Grow Kit from EarthBox, www.earthbox.com. Value: $100

Honorable Mention (9 winners): Organic fertilizers from TerraCycle, www.terracycle.net. Value: $75

Look for information about the 2008 photo contest in the March/April 2008 issue of Gardening How-To.

Official Rules
Open to members of the National Home Gardening Club (NHGC). No additional purchase is necessary. Employees of NHGC, D’Firo Design, FlowerHouse, EarthBox, TerraCycle, their affiliates, subsidiaries, agencies, and suppliers and the families of each are not eligible. Void in PR, Quebec, and where prohibited by law. Entries must be postmarked or e-mailed on or before 7/1/07. No responsibility is assumed for lost, late, damaged, illegible, postage-due, or misdirected entries. All photos become the property of NHGC and will not be returned or acknowledged. Photos will be judged on composition, sharpness and focus, unusual and creative perspective, interesting subject matter, and color and texture. The judges reserve the right to adjust and modify photos prior to publication. NHGC judges' decisions concerning all matters related to this contest are final. Winners will be selected on or about 8/1/07. Winners will be notified by mail on or about 8/15/07. Winners will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility, liability release, and publicity release. Submission of an entry and/or acceptance of a prize grants NHGC the exclusive, perpetual right to publish, use, edit, adapt, modify, and/or copy the entry for any and all purposes in any and all media currently in existence or hereafter invented without further compensation to entrant/winner. All taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Winner releases NHGC and sponsors from any liability arising out of participation in this contest. Winner grants to NHGC the right to use his/her name, photograph, likeness, and biographical information in advertising and promotion without compensation or permission except in TN or where prohibited by law. Winners' names and photos will be published in Gardening How-To magazine at the NHGC's sole discretion. For a list of the winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Garden Photo Contest at address listed above by 12/31/07.