Exhibitor Spotlight: Perennial Favorites

Today is closing day of the Flower Show, and we can’t help but get a little misty-eyed. As always the exhibitors have done an outstanding job creating memorable displays with compelling stories.

Take, for instance, perennial favorite Stoney Bank Nurseries. It is easy to get caught up in the story Jack Blandy and company tell with their display! Picture this: you are driving down the highway in Maui, looking out the window at the tropical scenery. Taro crops appear in flooded fields as the road ahead lazily snakes into the distance. Just another afternoon. But wait! You’re not in Maui, you’re in Philly! How do they do it?

The depth in the Stoney Bank Nurseries exhibit is an optical illusion created by clever backdrops, props, and plant positioning. Exhibitors have a limited space and over-sized ideas, so they have to get creative!

The Men’s Garden Club of Philadelphia also succeed in storytelling. And considering it’s their twenty-third year exhibiting, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Their interpretation of this year’s theme is especially fun; they depicted a coffee plantation in the midst of celebrating a victory at a coffee festival! 

John Young, the vice president of the Men’s Garden Club of Philadelphia, pointed out the beautiful triangle palm tree in the corner of the exhibit, a rare specimen with a distinctly triangular trunk, which is how this beautiful palm gets its name.

What stories will these exhibitors cook up for 2013? Who know, but we’re sure they will be brilliant!

Stoney Bank Goes Gourmet

“Chef” Jack Blandy and Stoney Bank Nurseries (61 Stoney Bank Rd., Glen Mills, PA 19342) have cooked up a mouth-watering exhibit to capture the delectable side of Paris. This rooftop garden has everything for throwing the perfect dinner party, including a wine cooler, grill, and a simple table setting.

No need to run to the le supermarché, this garden has all the fresh herbs and veggies you could ever ask for. There are also espalier apple and pear trees that have elicited both “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowds.

Since sustainability is important to Stoney Bank, the crew wanted to highlight some of the services they offer. Look for a green roof, solar panels, recycled pavers, and a rainwater harvest system. “We wanted it to be both environmentally friendly and sophisticated. We think any French chef would feel at home in this setting,” Jack says.

Stoney Bank Nursery Reveals the Many Faces of New Zealand

A little taste of New Zealand.

Jack Blandy, Founder and President of Stoney Bank Nursery in Glen Mills, is returning to the Philadelphia International Flower Show (for his thirty first year) with landscaping perspectives from the country of New Zealand.  For the 2010 presentation, “Passport to the World,” Blandy wanted to reflect cultural influences from the past and show how they shape the New Zealand of today.