“Good sense of entry for guests and the lighting which made the yard magical.”
Jake Foutch, Foutch Landscaping Enterprises
UBC Judges
F
or seven years running,
Watkins Concrete Block Co. of Omaha has sponsored the Watkins Ultimate Backyard Challenge. The annual contest allows some of the area’s best landscape design contractors to showcase their premier backyard projects in the past year in a competition for the coveted UBC best title. A panel of three, independent landscape architects (not associated with Watkins Concrete) judge the projects after visiting them in person—sometimes multiple times in daytime and nighttime—and viewing professionally staged and shot photographs of the projects. In 2010, Watkins began recognizing winners in two distinct categories: the Large Backyard category and the “Lite” category. The “Lite” category consists of smaller-scale projects that may be more realistic and attainable in today’s economy. In 2011, five Large Backyard projects and 12 Lite projects were entered into the UBC contest. “In previous years, we’ve usually had maybe 12 to 15 entries,” said Watkins’ sales associate, Laura Baumgart. “This year we had 17.” Baumgart said the growth in entries indicates growth in the landscape design business overall, and the growing popularity of the contest among contractors. While photos were staged and voting among judges took place last September, the 2011 UBC winners were not announced until March 14, 2012, at the annual Watkins Hardscape Contractor Seminar. In the Large Backyard category, Foutch Landscaping Enterprises was recognized for its project at the Pitz residence in the Barrington Park neighborhood, Omaha. In the Lite category, KM Lanscaping was recognized for its project at the Walker residence. Watkins Concrete Block’s Baumgart provided the following judges’ descriptions of the winning entries: may/june • 2012
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