What we heard

Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey!

In total, 136 people contributed to the survey and ideas board. We got lots of great feedback and we appreciate the time and effort it took to share your comments and ideas with us. Below is a summary of what we heard from you about:

• Your experience with Kitchener in Bloom and its impact
• How we can develop or improve Kitchener in Bloom

We've also included a description of what we are doing with the perspectives you shared with us. Your feedback is important. It has helped inform our decisions moving forward and will continue to do so. In turn, this will help us improve the program and make it more inclusive for all.

Program experience

People who nominated someone told us that they did so to recognize, acknowledge and say thank you for all the work the gardener put into their space and the beauty it created.

Everyone who said they were nominated had a positive response to their nomination. When they were nominated, they said they felt:

• Happy
• Pleased
• Proud
• Motivated
• Honoured
• Grateful
• Appreciated
• Encouraged
• A sense of neighbourly love
• A sense of community

When we asked what people like most about the program, they said they like:

• That it encourages being outdoors
• Connection to nature
• Beautifying
• Property improvement
• Local pride
• Community recognition
• Promotes greening and gardens
• Encourages people to look for beauty
• Green efforts in their neighbourhoods

You also said that the program is:

• Easy to take part in
• Gets people talking and interacting with each other
• Anonymous
• Promotes creativity
• A shared enjoyment of gardens and gardening

Ways to develop or improve

1. Environmental stewardship

You told us that you see this program as a way to recognize and build awareness about environmentally responsible gardening.

In response, we will update our messaging and promotions about Kitchener in Bloom. We will highlight sustainable gardens and gardening, for example:

• native plants
• pollinator plants
• rain gardens

We will add information to the Kitchener in Bloom pages on the kitchener.ca and Love My Hood sites. We will also create a new printable resource. These will highlight how residents can learn about greening and environmentally conscious gardening.

As this was a frequent theme, we will continue to explore ways to make this a key part of this program moving forward.

2. Recognize a diversity of gardens and gardeners

We also heard that Kitchener in Bloom could be more inclusive of non-traditional types of gardens.

You said that it’s important to not solely recognize front yards of homeowners. For example, we should find ways to include more:

• apartments or condo owners with balconies
• multi-residential dwellings like retirement homes
• pollinator patches
• raised gardens
• community gardens
• boulevard beautification projects

You also said we need to let people know that Kitchener in Bloom recognizes many types of gardens and gardeners.

So this year, and in the future, we will highlight and promote a greater diversity of gardens and gardeners.

We will continue to look for more ways to encourage and include gardeners who don’t fit into the traditional idea of homeowner, front yard gardener.

3. Broaden the reach

We heard that not enough people know about Kitchener in Bloom. We will look for opportunities to promote this program in new and different ways, based on your feedback.

We also heard that the program could be a vehicle for education and raising awareness about:

• gardening in general
• environmentally responsible gardening
• different types of gardens

In response, we will look for new ways to highlight existing learning opportunities about gardening in our community.

Finally, we will also strengthen connections with Love my Hood and the Good Neighbour recognition program. This will help us broaden our reach and impact, and make the program more inclusive.

Stay informed

Again, we thank you for your valuable feedback, input, and ideas!

This engagement is now complete. To stay informed about Kitchener in Bloom and this year’s program, please visit kitchener.ca/kitchener-in-bloom.