HAY RIVER - Linda Carman has made it her goal to revitalize the Yards in Bloom contest in Hay River.

Linda Carman is the vice-president of the Hay River Beautification Society. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"I said we've got to shake this up a little bit," said the vice-president of the Hay River Beautification Committee about taking on the role of overseeing the annual contest.

She has made changes in hopes of reviving Yards in Bloom, which has been held in Hay River for about 10 years.

Carman said the number of people participating in the contest has been declining in recent years.

"It's a rare instance where a new property has won," she said.

This year, she added three new categories to try to get more people involved – not just people with highly developed yards, but also amateur gardeners and people growing flowers in small planting beds or containers.

"They've made the effort," Carman said. "They've tried to do something with their own hands."

She also introduced a nomination process for yards.

"It's a lot easier for the judges," she said, adding they were responsible in previous years for spotting worthy yards. There were 30 to 40 nominations received this year, but Carman said she was hoping for more.

However, she said there may still be more because judges can still nominate yards that they see in their travels around the community.

New this year is also a prize draw for nominators.

She said the changes were made based on feedback from the community.

"A lot of people felt they couldn't compete," she said.

Carman said it will take a while for the new version of Yards in Bloom to become established and she hopes it will evolve further next year.

"It's a learning curve," she said.

The initial phase of judging for Yards in Bloom wraps up Aug. 3 and final judging will be complete by Aug. 10. An awards ceremony is tentatively set for Aug. 29.

Carman, who was born in the small Alberta town of Blackfalds, just north of Red Deer, grew up around gardening.

Her parents always had a market garden and got their children involved.

"We were always encouraged to have our own garden within the main garden," she said. "My parents had a natural love for the garden and it just passed on."

Aside for brief periods away from Hay River, Carman has lived in the community since 1984.

She works as the laboratory supervisor at H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital.

Her love of gardening drew her to the Hay River Beautification Society.

Carman, 46, has been involved in the society for two years and became vice-president at the end of 2008.

"I love growing things," she said. "That's always been my history as far as I can remember."

Carman has a small vegetable garden behind her house.

"It's very much a work in progress," she said.

She grows flowers in a number of pots in front of her house.

Many other people in Hay River share that love of gardening, she said. "It's a sign that people care about where they live."