UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 23, Page 1
March 7, 1996
UD groups net awards at Philly Flower Show

     There's one word that describes the world behind-the-scenes at
the Philadelphia Flower Show 24 hours before the judges' review. That
word is "panic."
     But, amid the forklifts and Bobcats hauling loads of topsoil and
plants- and among the aisles strewn with packing material, posies and
peat moss-there's a sense of purpose as hundreds of hands busily go
about their work.
     First, there is the raking and spreading of tons of soil,
provided by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, producer of the
show. Then, there's the careful placing of plants, the raking of
pathways, erection of structures and, finally, the finishing touches:
laying of sod, painstaking tying of vines to supports and setting of
props.
     "I'm not sure how we're going to pull it off," said Karin
Arentzen, a volunteer who worked on the University of Delaware Botanic
Gardens (UDBG) display. But, pull it off they did. So well, in fact,
that their child's garden display, "Child's Play," won second place in
its class: A Peek at Private Places. In addition, the display won the
society's maintenance award in its class.
     The UDBG Friends group- volunteers who promote the gardens on the
grounds of UD's College of Agricultural Sciences-began its display
months ago. Teresa Holton and Susan Foster, greenhouse assistants, and
Karen Gartley, soils testing program coordinator, were co-
chairpersons.
     With funds granted by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, the
group rented bench space in the college's Fischer Greenhouse
Laboratory. There, they started seed and forced young trees to leaf
out early-all to bring springtime a few weeks ahead of schedule to the
urban surroundings of Philadelphia's Convention Center.
     "We looked at the child's garden as a way to introduce children
to being stewards of the land," Holton said. "We designed a child-
friendly garden with bright flowers, whimsical vegetables and props to
appeal to children's need for play."
     Other UDBG Friends who pitched in to construct the display in
just a day and a half were Peg Baseden, Barbara Bonner, Ann
Chronister, John Cornwell, Paul and Sue Dennison, Gerri Gomersall,
Nancy Nicholson, Doris Payne, Jackie Root, Marian Shirkey, Jane Warter
and Jonathan Watkinson.
     The group planted a ribbon of annuals in colors-including purple
petunias, blue salvia, yellow marigolds, orange calendulas and red
pentas-in the 20-by-20-foot garden.
     Scented geraniums and aromatic herbs of catnip, licorice and
lemon thyme brought sweet scents up close. A plant house made from
lattice and covered with vines provided a secret place for children to
play, and an attached arbor of corkscrew willow supplied additional
shade.
     The vegetable garden included Tom Thumb lettuce, Easter Egg
radish and miniature pumpkins and carrots. A grinning scarecrow stood
guard among an army of towering sunflowers. Nearby, a topiary frog,
butterfly, snail, squirrel and cat were ready for their roles as
imaginary friends, while a birdhouse and bird feeder attracted winged
wildlife to keep children company.
     Another UD group from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
took third place for its entryway display and received a maintenance
award. The group's winning design, a florist shop storefront on
Philadelphia's Logan Square, also was awarded a trophy by the
Pennsylvania Nurserymen's Association for successful use of plant
materials.
     "The theme for our class was 'On the Square,'" Cathy Olsen,
supervisor for the UD soils laboratory, explained. "We looked into
Philadelphia's history and discovered that James Logan was an amateur
botanist in Colonial Philadelphia. So, a modern-day flower shop seemed
appropriate."
     Kate Murray, a UD soils lab technician, said they chose all
container plants so that city dwellers with small spaces would be able
to recreate the effect.
     "We're happy to show the public that a small space doesn't have
to be a constraint when it comes to gardening," she said.
     The group, which also included Denise Woods, secretary, and
Georgia Black, a student, selected a palette of summery watercolors to
provide a soothing visual escape on a city block. The display included
baskets of white impatiens, pink celosias and pale blue lobelias, with
terra-cotta pots of lemon thyme and white geraniums.
     Purple petunias cascaded from window boxes and wall shelves,
while green ivy provided background color and outlined the storefront
window. A topiary basket of creeping fig and a florist's cart were the
final touches to this display. All plant materials were grown in the
Fischer Greenhouse Laboratory.
                                                        -Claire McCabe