The Newton Centre Garden is competing for a national award this summer after Spark Newton entered it in the 2026 All-America Selections Landscape Design Challenge, the nonprofit announced Aug. 7.
An expert panel will evaluate the garden at the end of the growing season, judging its landscape design against other display gardens across the country. Winners will be announced in October. Gardens compete in three categories based on annual visitor numbers.
This year's challenge theme is "The Goodness of Gardening." The Newton Centre Garden showcases AAS Winners, flowers and plants recognized through independent horticultural trials by All-America Selections, the oldest independent plant-testing organization in North America, founded in 1932.
The garden traces its roots to 1988, when Leo Levi accepted a challenge from then-Mayor Theodore Mann to help beautify Newton. That vision grew into what is now the Newton Centre All America Selections Display Garden, maintained by Spark Newton's volunteer Beautification Committee.
The committee is led by Julie Pierce, Barbara Rutberg, Anne Kane and Howie Sholkin. More than 20 volunteers tend gardens and planters across Newton from April through late October, according to Spark Newton. The group also maintains plantings at the Newton Free Library, Albemarle Park, Newton Centre Plaza and the Cooper Center for Active Living.
Spark Newton said the garden represents Newton's community of volunteer gardeners in the national challenge. The nonprofit invited residents to visit the garden and see the creativity and care that went into this year's AAS design.
Executive Director Leandra Sharron has described the nonprofit's broader mission as bringing creativity into Newton's shared public spaces. In July, discussing Spark Newton's Crystal Lake bathhouse murals with the Newton Beacon, Sharron said the projects "spark curiosity and invite people of all ages to encounter art in their everyday lives."
To celebrate the garden and its volunteers before judging wraps, Spark Newton and Newtonville Books will host the final "Summer in the Garden for Everyone" event on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 2 p.m. at Newton Centre Green. The free, all-ages gathering will feature coloring activities, stories and chances to connect with fellow nature lovers.
What's ahead
- October 2026: AAS Landscape Design Challenge winners announced; photos of winning gardens featured on the AAS website.
- Sunday, Sept. 6, 2 p.m.: "Summer in the Garden for Everyone" finale at Newton Centre Green. Free, all ages. Partnership with Newtonville Books.
