Learn How to Grow at Junior Flower Show

For many years PHS has partnered with Temple  University Ambler for a special event called EarthFest—a spectacular Earth Day festival that in 2012 falls on Friday, April 27 (9:30 am – 3 pm). The aim of EarthFest is to have students, teachers, kids, and their parents explore important topics like the environment, sustainability, healthy lifestyles, and protecting and preserving the planet!

The Junior Flower Show (previously known as the Kids Grow Expo) is an essential component of the EarthFest celebration. Just like the “big-people’s” Flower Show in March, the Junior Show is a showcase for talented plant-lovers to show off their skills!  And you have to see the young people’s exhibits first-hand to fully appreciate their creativity. The theme for the 2012 Show is “H20: How to Grow.” This topic is meant to further our understanding of the importance of water as a natural resource.

So how do you get involved? Educators can work with their classes to create exhibits or attend as a field trip; check out the educators guide for details. Parents of toddlers and pre-schoolers should also make a plan to swing by. EarthFest is free and unforgettable! Click here to learn more.

All Smiles at Spring Events

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then PHS has a lot to say about the marvelous spring events of the past few weeks. Highlights include:

• Kids Grow Expo
• Meadowbrook Farm Open House
• Party in the Garden
• Race Street Pier Ribbon Cutting

Check out the PHS Facebook page for photo albums of the events. (You don’t need a Facebook account to see all the smiling faces!) And if you missed out on the fun, hit the “like” button to stay informed on what’s ahead.

Kids Grow Expo: Inspiring the Next Generation of Gardeners

Now that the snowmen have melted away and the sleds have been put back in the shed, school children can look forward to the 2011 Kids Grow Expo, an event that celebrates the warmer temperatures and inspires students to enjoy the outdoors and help out in the garden.

Presented by the PHS, the Kids Grow Expo is a horticultural exhibition for school-age children in the Greater Philadelphia Region that fosters awareness of horticulture and the environment and encourages their active participation in growing and gardening.

As part of the Temple University Ambler EarthFest, this free event is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day…and Arbor Day!

After all, the Kids Grow Expo theme for 2011 is “Magical, Mystical Trees,” which will intrigue and inspire through projects pertaining to the famous trees of folklore and fairy tales.

So mark your calendar for this year’s Kids Grow Expo event on April 29 from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Your kid may be the next budding horticulturist waiting to bloom! For more information from PHS about the event, click here or visit the EarthFest Kids Grow Expo page.

Junior Flower Show Award-Winners Announced!

PHS's Drew Becher and Flossie Narducci with Best in Show winners from the Junior Flower Show at Kids Grow Expo

On a beautiful spring day on Friday, Drew Becher, president-elect of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, awarded 11 students “Best in Show” ribbons for their entries in the Junior Flower Show at Temple Ambler’s Earthfest and Kids Grow Expo.

Students in five age divisions – A: up to and including second grade; B: grades 3-5; C: grades 6-8; D: grades 9-12; and E: ungraded — competed in several artistic and horticulture classes for Earthfest, which attracted 6,000 children, families and educators.

Artistic classes for the Junior Flower Show included crafty creatures, table setting arrangements, bird feeders, seed mosaics, jewelry, and more.

The Horticulture classes included blooming flowering plants, foliage plants, container-grown vegetables, cactus and succulents, herbs, hanging baskets, dish gardens, terrariums and more.

The Best of Show Winners were: