Monmouth County Students Bring Home Awards From Philadelphia Flower Show

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Blue ribbons were in bloom for the Monmouth County students who participated in this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show.

The annual show, which took place from late February through early March at the Philadelphia Convention Center, is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, which features displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers.

Each year, students from the Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) Career Center participate in the show, and this year was no different, as students submitted an exhibit that brought home multiple awards.

According to district officials, the Career Center won two blue ribbons with perfect scores of 100 in the Garden Class at the event, impressing judges with the students’ vision and execution.

In addition to the blue ribbons, the exhibit also received several special awards, including:

• The Penn Valley Garden Club Trophy (presented to the outstanding blue-ribbon winner in the Garden Class)
• The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society Sustainability Award
• The Betty K. Greene Award
• An award from the Herb Society of Philadelphia

“Outstanding! Excellent execution!” one judge wrote of the exhibit. “Staging and props perfectly placed; plant quality excellent; clever labeling; attention to detail.”

“Wonderful attention to detail. Beautiful composition and plants,” another judge said. “This garden ‘reads’ like a place I want to go.”

The concept for this year’s Career Center display was “Gather & Grow Bookshop Garden.”

According to district officials, Philadelphia's Gather & Grow Bookshop transforms its courtyard into a “sunny culinary community garden,” with the neighborhood garden and book clubs working together to invite the community to “read, grow, and harvest.”

“Bug hotels, compost, upcycled containers and a growing wall celebrate sustainability as stories are shared within this spring garden,” district officials said.

Students in the Career Center’s Horticulture Floral program have been working since the beginning of the school year to prepare this year’s award-winning display, though they weren’t the only ones involved.

Students from the Center’s Horticulture Landscaping, Building Trades and Building Services programs also contributed to creating the display, according to horticulture teacher Jill Wetzel.

“Our students created a garden filled with thoughtful details, creativity, and imagination — designed as a place where any gardener would love to get lost with a good book,” Wetzel said. “Watching their vision come to life at the Philadelphia Flower Show has been incredibly rewarding.”

Career Center Floral Design Instructor Kristina Guttadora echoed Wetzel’s sentiment, adding that working alongside their students to create the artistic details of the garden has been “incredibly special.”

“From the hand-drawn chalkboard art to the brick ‘book’ accents woven throughout the space, their creativity and imagination helped bring this bookshop garden to life,” Guttadora said.

The Horticulture Floral program started participating in the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2021.

The program first received recognition with its first blue ribbon in 2023 and has earned blue ribbons and special awards each year since.

MCVSD’s Career Center accepts students on a half-day basis from about 30 Monmouth County High Schools, and provides students with vocational instruction in 10 different career pathways.

Those interested in applying to the Career Center program must work with their home school district, and can click here for more information.