Communities in Bloom

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and an annual national program that challenges communities to enhance green spaces.

This year's Communities in Bloom theme is the Year of the Garden. June 18, 2022 will be proclaimed as Garden Day in the City of Barrie to match the National Communities in Bloom Day. 

​​​Register for 2022

​​​This year’s Communities in Bloom theme is The Year of the Garden. To participate in the 2022 campaign, you must submit a photo of your beautification efforts along with the participation form. We will be featuring gardens and will highlight efforts online through the City's website, social media, and a digital publication. 

The registration deadline for this year's submissions and photos is July 6, 2022.

​​​Judges' Tour

National CIB judges tour Barrie each July to evaluate the accomplishments of the whole community (municipal, corporate and individual citizens) on the following criteria: landscaped areas; floral arrangements; tidiness effort; urban forestry development; environmental effort; and heritage conservation.

In 2019, the City received a 5 Blooms – Silver rating and a special mention for the Tall Trees Park ​Forestry Education Initiative. The judges' tour was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What You Can Do

Barrie residents, businesses and organiztions can participate in Communities in Bloom each year by:

Tidying Up

Pull those weeds, sweep your sidewalk and pick up litter in neighbourhood green spaces, vacant lots and local parks.

Showing Off your Creativity

Spruce up your flowerbeds, baskets and planters. No project is too small!

Respecting our Environment

From policies and by-laws to naturalization projects, any effort towards protecting and conserving the environment will help impress the judges!

Inviting Youth and Local Schools ​to Participate

​​There is a Little Bloomers category for Communities in Bloom, for children ages 4 to 14. Little Bloomers can submit photos of flower gardens, container projects, or vegetable gardens.​

Joining the Community

Get involved in the beautification and betterment of our community. Join a local horticulture club​, service group or take part in Barrie Public Library gardening webinars. Many groups are offering online events and meetings during the pandemic. 

Celebrating our Heritage

Barrie's heritage and events shape our community's distinctive character and provide a sense of place. Visit barrie.ca/heritage and barrie.ca/events to learn more.

Supporting Urban Forestry Efforts

Share urban forestry information about how we can protect and enhance our local trees and forests.

Communities in Bloom Advisory Committee

The Communities in Bloom Advisory Committee's mandate is to "help facilitate the development of Barrie, in the Communities in Bloom National Municipal Beautification contest, with a focus on flowers, landscaping, gardens, beautification and environmental awareness." The committee is composed of one member of Council and five citizen representatives. Committee meetings, streamed the City's YouTube channel, are generally scheduled once per month or may be scheduled at the call of the Chair. Learn about advisory committees.
 

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