Dear Gardener Friends,

The Philadelphia Flower Show, Thanks and Gardeners’ News:

Thanks and Congratulations to all our participants!! The Gardeners had many exhibitors, but also many more members assisting others and doing expert work behind the scenes, all equally valuable to the success of the show. It was also lovely to see many Gardeners at the Preview Party rooting on their fellow members!

I know we are all anxious to hear of our members’ awards, but the final results are shared very slowly, so this is tentative…….. The Gardeners did splendidly at the show, and were runners-up for the Margaret Buckley Zantzinger Award (for the garden club with the most points and with a distribution of entries) which was awarded at the Saturday luncheon. We proudly won that award last year; this year it went to the Garden Club of Wilmington, but we were still acknowledged at the awards event for our achievement as runner-up, and we thank all those who worked hard to make that happen!

In flower arranging and in horticulture, we were especially pleased that we had novice exhibitors trying their hand for the first time at the show. “Bravo” to novice exhibitors Pam Thompson and Connie Stelzenmuller for horticulture entries; and gold stars to Gale Gillespie and Lynn Marinchak who were brave to try a small niche for the first time. We hope they all enjoyed the process and will return next year for more fun and glory, and also special thanks to all those who helped the novices as mentors!!

In horticulture, I will omit the ribbon tally as it is not yet confirmed, but it will be extensive! We know Deb Donaldson, our current star horticulture-exhibitor, compiled well over a thousand points with her 100+ entries; Anne Kellett won several ribbons once again with her well-honored specimens; novice exhibitor Connie Stelzenmuller won two second place ribbons, and I know that Barbara Geltosky won some ribbons, among them her first blue, and was justly thrilled!!

In artistic arranging, Pat Fernandez won a blue ribbon with a stunning niche as you previously heard; and in their niche-classes Deedee Heyward/Eileen Longacre, Sue Hansen, Gale Gillespie/Lynn Marinchak, and Sidney/Stewart Spahr, all won honorable mentions I heard, and please correct me if I am wrong! Eileen Longacre and Wyn Coghlan and their committee did the club proud with a red rebbon and then a blue ribbon for The Gardeners’ fabulously creative table-class entry; our exhibit also won “best of the blues”! Eileen tells me that one of the judges gave the entry 100 points; a perfect score.

Click Here to view pictures on our website!

The Philadelphia International Flower Show is now over, and many will rest their feet, but not for long as our gardens are demanding attention in the bloom of early spring. I look forward to seeing many of you at The Grange on April 3rd, at the Executive Committee meeting also on April 3rd. On April 10th we will all be together at what should be a beautiful meeting and flower show at Appleford!!
More on that later…
Betsy

PS: Make sure to check out our Calendar for all Gardener Events and Garden-Lover’s events, in and out of the neighborhood that will interest you. All worth attending!!!