|
"The Wired Gardener" Online Newsletter
 February 2006
Click on one of the topics below to jump to that section.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web Reviews
The blue flower on the 2006 Philadelphia Flower Show magnet is Meconopsis or Himalayan blue poppy. Affiliated with the Scottish Rock Garden Club, the Meconopsis Group was established in 1998 to provide information about this interesting plant. The web site offers tips for first-time growers, cultivation and propagation information, and a plant portrait section.
Have you been frustrated by paperwhites whose stems grow too tall and flop over? The results of experiments by horticulture students at Cornell University offer a solution. “Pickling Your Paperwhites” describes how to use diluted solutions of alcohol to produce shorter stems. This is a .pdf file and you need Adobe Reader to open it.
Maple syrup production is unique to the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. The Cornell University Cooperative Extension web site provides FAQs, student/teacher activities, and recipes for the consumer.
The Penn State Cooperative Extension will get you started producing your own maple syrup whether you have two or two hundred trees, but you’ll need to identify that maple first. Check out the tree ID information on the website of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.
back to top
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Books in the McLean Library
See the "What's New in the Library" page of our web site.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Philadelphia Flower Show & Flower Show Special Events
Philadelphia Flower Show
March 5 - 12, 2006
Pennsylvania Convention Center
12th and Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA
For details of this year's Philadelphia Flower Show, including its theme, hours, show information, directions, and best times to see the Show, please click here.
Early Morning Tours
Enjoy a special guided tour of the Philadelphia Flower Show before the Show opens to the public! Reservations required. Admission is $105 per person. Click here for details or call 215-988-8782.
Bartlett Day at the Philadelphia Flower Show
Tuesday, March 7, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Pennsylvania Convention Center
12th and Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts, this all-day conference takes place at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Experienced horticulturists and arborists will talk about the latest advances in tree planting and maintenance, with a look toward environmentally sound practices. Registration deadline: February 20. 215-988-8869.
Life3 Renowned Floral Designers
Floral Demonstration
Monday, March 6, 2006
Demonstration: 1 - 2:30 pm
Reception: 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Floral Workshop
Tuesday, March 7
10 am - 12 Noon OR 2 - 4 pm
For the first time in the U.S., Life3, three of Europe’s top floral designers, will help create one of this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show Central Features, “Natura,” and will host exclusive floral workshops and a demonstration at the Show. [more]
back to top
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PHS Events
Book Club “Stories from the Garden”
Thursday, February 2, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society McLean Library
100 North 20th Street, 1st Floor
Philadelphia, PA
This month's selection: Oliver Sacks’ 'Oaxaca Journal.' [more]
Evening Lecture: Gardens of Enchantment
Thursday, February 2, 6 - 8:30 pm
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 North 20th Street, 5th Floor Auditorium
Philadelphia, PA
In keeping with the 2006 Philadelphia Flower Show theme, Enchanted Spring, garden designer W. Gary Smith will talk about fostering the magical connections between people, plants, and art to create enchanting gardens. [more]
Tree Tenders Continuing Education: Brown-Bag Lunch Series
Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21, Noon - 1 pm
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor Auditorium
Philadelphia, PA
Three free sessions will cover winter tree identification, urban tree stresses, and planting the right tree in the right place. [more]
Bus Tour: Flower Show Behind the Scenes -
Stoney Bank & J. Franklin Styer Nurseries
Wednesday, February 8, 8:30 am - 5 pm
Stoney Bank and J. Franklin Styer Nurseries
Glen Mills, PA
This coach tour takes us to the home sites of two popular central feature exhibitors at the Philadelphia Flower Show for a preview of how they will interpret this year’s theme, Enchanted Spring … A Tribute to Mother Nature. [more]
City Gardening Series: Creating a Hanging Basket
Wednesday, February 8, 6 - 7 pm
Sulzberger Middle School
4725 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
Eva Monheim offers step-by-step instructions on creating your own hanging basket. [more]
City Gardening Series: Starting Seeds Indoors
Saturday, February 11, 10 - 11 am
Cobbs Creek Environmental Educational Center
Catharine Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway
Philadelphia, PA
Get a jump on the spring garden; join us as horticulturist Janet Carter gives basic tips on starting seeds indoors.[more]
back to top
Meadowbrook Farm Tour: Flower Show Behind the Scenes
Wednesday, February 22, 10 am - Noon
Meadowbrook Farm
1633 Washington Lane
Abington Township, PA
This behind-the-scenes tour of Meadowbrook Farm’s magical greenhouses will focus on the art and science, the successes and challenges of forcing plants for the Philadelphia Flower Show. [more]
Class: The Art of Flower Arranging
Three Wednesdays: February 22, March 1, and March 8, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
PHS Auditorium and the Philadelphia Flower Show
The Philadelphia Flower Show features floral arrangements created by some of the most talented designers in the world. Yet it is also a showcase for the work of skilled local amateurs. For the visitor, it is an ideal place to gather ideas and learn by observing, even if all you ever do is arrange a simple bouquet in a vase. [more]
Evening Lecture: New Ways with Perennials
Tuesday, February 28, 6 - 8:30 pm
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 North 20th Street, 5th Floor Auditorium
Philadelphia, PA
Spend an evening with celebrated British garden designer and prolific author Noel Kingsbury as he entertains and educates us with a fresh look at contemporary approaches to perennials: naturalistic, neo-formal, exotic, and beyond! [more]
Free Lecture Series: Southeastern Pennsylvania Botany in the 18th & 19th Centuries
Monday, March 20, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor
Philadelphia, PA
PHS and the Wagner Free Institute of Science will co-sponsor this series of six lectures (Mondays, March 20 – April 24). This course, taught by Dr. Alfred E. Schuyler, will look at the contributions made to American botany by naturalists working in the Philadelphia region between 1730 and 1841, beginning with the Bartrams. [more]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PHS Co-Sponsors Urban Sustainability Forums
Urban Sustainability Forum
Monday, February 6
Thursday, February 16, 6 - 8:30 pm
Auditorium
Academy of Natural Sciences
19th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA
The Urban Sustainability Forum is a public forum focusing on important issues facing Philadelphia with the goal of making our city the greenest, most livable city in America. This series, running monthly through June, is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Delaware Valley Green Building Council, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pennsylvania Resource Council, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Monday, February 6 is a special evening with Jaime Lerner, former mayor of the “World’s Most Sustainable City,” Curitiba, Brazil. The February 16 topic is “Directing the Flow: Managing Philadelphia’s Water.” All forums are free and open to the public; RSVP suggested; 215-299-1108 or rwall@acnatsci.org.
back to top
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Gardening News and Events
Botany Club Offers Research Award
Awards for research on plants occurring in the Philadelphia area are available through the Philadelphia Botanical Club. Deadline for applications is February 15, 2006. [more]
Continuing Education Courses
January, 2006
Longwood Gardens
Kennett Square, PA
Students may take individual courses or complete curricula in specialized areas to gain a certificate of merit. This month's offerings include Flowers for Romance, Introduction to Ikebana, Orchids & Diseases, Garden Tool Care and [more].
Native Landscape Design: Reality versus Perception
Tuesday - Wednesday, January 31 - February 1
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Symposium for landscape design professionals is sponsored by the Morris Arboretum and will focus on understanding ecological cause and effect. 215-247-5777, ext. 125 or 126, or jlm@pobox.upenn.edu.
Lecture: Phil’s Phavorites
Wednesday, February 1, 7 pm
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Speaker Phil Normandy of Brookside Gardens in Maryland shows his favorite garden-worthy plants. [more]
Begonia Society Meeting
Saturday, February 4, 10 am
Meadowbrook Farm
1633 Washington Lane
Abington Township, PA
Speaker: Nancy Greenwood, “Ins and Outs on Passing Plants for the Philadelphia Flower Show.“ Contact Bernie Wiener at 610-446-2160 or by email.
Guided Tour: Conifers
Saturday, February 4, 10 am - Noon
Departs from Scott Arboretum offices
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Learn about the majestic conifer collection at the Scott Arboretum. [more]
Children’s Workshop: Flowers in February
Saturday, February 4, 10:30 am - Noon
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Create a homemade bouquet using the paper craft art techniques of Ray Gibson. [more]
back to top
Founders’ Lecture
Sunday, February 5, 2 pm
Delaware Valley College
Student Center Music Room
700 East Butler Avenue
Doylestown, PA
Liz Ball and Rick Ray: “Merger Madness: The Making of a Garden.” [more]
Winter Lecture Series
Sunday, February 5, 2 - 3 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Speaker: Bill Mathis, “The Best Kept Secret in the Gardening World: Hardy Terrestrial Orchids.” [more]
Pre-School Reading Hour
Wednesday, February 8, 10 - 11 am
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Parents and children are invited to this reading hour, followed by a walk through the Preserve. [more]
Lecture: Containers - Pots with Purpose
Wednesday, February 8, 7 pm
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Speaker Dan Benarcik of Chanticleer discusses styles, techniques and plants for container gardening. [more]
West Jersey Rose Society
Wednesday, February 8, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Carman Tilelli Community Center
Cherry Hill Township Complex
820 Mercer Street
Cherry Hill, NJ
Members of the society will make presentations about their favorite roses. 856-234-6583.
Workshop: Winter Plant Identification
Friday, February 10, 9:30 am - 2 pm
Scott Arboretum Classroom and Gardens
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Andrew Bunting will explore all the identifying characteristics of dozens of trees and shrubs. [more]
back to top
Growing Native Plants from Seed
Saturday, February 11, 10 am - Noon
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Learn to grow wildflowers from seed. [more]
Winter Lecture Series
Sunday, February 12, 2 - 3 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
David Hughes, “Hedgerows: Echoes of our Vernacular Rural Landscape.” [more]
Guided Tour: A Walk with the Curator
Monday, February 13, 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Departs from Scott Arboretum offices
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Andrew Bunting will discuss the Arboretum’s most recent accessions and why certain plants were removed from the collection. [more]
Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Wednesday, February 15, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
American Philosophical Society
104 South Fifth Street
Philadelphia, PA
Bartram’s Garden sponsors a reception and behind-the-scenes-tour of Bartram holdings at the American Philosophical Society. [more]
Lecture
Wednesday, February 15, 7 pm
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Speaker Patrick Cullina of Brooklyn Botanic Garden explores new plant varieties and lesser-known ones that deserve more attention. [more]
Sixth Annual Land Ethics Symposium
Thursday February 16, 8 am - 3:45 pm
Sheraton Bucks County Hotel,
Langhorne, PA
Symposium for professionals focuses on creating low-maintenance, economical, and ecologically balanced landscapes using native plants and restoration techniques. Sponsored by Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. [more]
back to top
Lecture
Saturday, February 18, 1 - 3 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Lecture: “Knowing Native Plants: Trees in Winter.”[more]
Lecture
Sunday, February 19, 2 - 3 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Speaker: Reeser Manley, “Creating Ecologically Functional Landscapes with Native Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers.” [more]
Lecture: The Design Process: A Guided Tour
Wednesday, February 22, 7 pm
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Speaker Tres Fromme of Longwood Gardens will share an accessible and useable framework for approaching garden design. [more]
Philadelphia Botany Club
Thursday, February 23, 7:30 pm
Marvin Comisky Conference Center
Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP
One Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA
Lecture: Matt Palmer, Columbia University, “Plant Diversity in New Jersey Pinelands Fens (a.k.a. Savannas).” [more]
Selecting and Planting Quality Nursery Trees
Thursday, February 23, 9 am - 4 pm
The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
100 Northwestern Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
A. William Graham, Jr., discusses how to plant and grow trees that will thrive. [more]
Workshop: Trees for Architecture
Friday, February 24, 9:30 am - 2 pm
Scott Arboretum Classroom and Gardens
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
This workshop will highlight specimen trees that add great interest to the winter landscape. [more]
Children’s Event
Saturday February 25, 1 - 2 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
Program features best-selling children’s book author Jane Kirkland (“Take a Tree Walk”) followed by a book-signing. [more]
back to top
Working with Nature: Native Plants for Rain and Water Gardens
Sunday February 26, 2 - 3 pm
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
1635 River Road
New Hope, PA
This lecture features Judy Glattstein and will be followed by a book-signing. [more]
Lecture: Into the Third Dimension: Vines for Your Garden
Wednesday, March 1, 7 pm
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE
Speaker Dan Long will show a wide range of vines, highlighting natives and unconventional planting ideas. [more]
Schuylkill Watershed Congress
Saturday, March 4, 8:30 am - 4 pm
Montgomery County Community College, West Campus
Pottstown, PA
The Congress offers a keynote address on fish habitat plus 20 sessions covering a broad range of watershed topics. [more]
Illustrated Lecture and Dinner
Thursday, March 9, 6:30 pm
The Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA
Noted British garden designer Todd Longstaffe-Gowan speaks on the gardens and parks at Hampton Court Palace. For information contact 215-587-5594 or Library@unionleague.org.
GardenWise 2006: A One-Day Gardening School
Saturday, March 11, 8 am - 3:30 pm
York Suburban High School
1800 Hollywood Drive
York, PA
York County Master Gardeners sponsor a symposium covering backyard wildlife, natural plant combinations, designing and maintaining containers, and designing an eco-friendly yard and landscape. 717-840-7408 or ama24@psu.edu
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Submit News & Events
The Wired Gardener is issued 11 times a year (no December issue) on the 1st of the month. We post notices of gardening events and give precedence to Philadelphia-area events. Deadline: the 15th of the month for listing in the next month's issue. Email details of your event and reference "Wired Gardener" in the subject line.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ask a Gardening Question
Our 20 gardening experts volunteer their time to answer your questions. Use the form on our web site.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Wired Gardener
Edited by Janet Evans, library manager, McLean Library, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; contributions: Jane Alling.
back to top |
