Flower Show Inspires and Teaches

A good percentage of the 250,000 visitors expected at this year’s Philadelphia International Flower Show may be humming the old Cole Porter song, “I Love Paris in the Springtime.”  The theme for the show, which opens this Sunday and runs through March 13, is "Springtime in Paris."  In anticipation, Patch spoke with two local exhibitors who have strong histories of attracting awards at the flower show.

Oreland resident Tom Tomer represents the Delaware Valley Fern and Wildflower Society, a 35-year-old organization with members across the region and even from Maryland. The society's current exhibit is “L’Art des Fougéres (The Art of the Fern): A Study in Green.”

Partnering this year with the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia and the muralist John Albright from Albright Studios in Jenkintown, this scene is an archetypal Parisian art studio where painters are obsessed with the magnificence of ferns.  A student will be painting every day from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

“Fern variety is tremendous,” said Tomer, who noted that there are well over 30 prominent native species in this area alone. 

The exhibit features many breathtaking exotic species from Southeast Asia and Central America, courtesy of Meadowbrook Gardens and Morris Arboretum, he said. 

Tomer finds the “simple elegance” of the all-green plants compelling, and the diversity among the fronds captivating. Indoors and outdoors, the average gardener receives much value from these hardy perennials. Whether used as borders or background, or interspersed with flowering plants, the textures and shapes provide depth and interest. And at a time when best gardening practices encourage the use of native plants, native ferns are a plus.

Asked about informational resources on ferns—in addition to the society—Tomer recommended Ferns for American Gardens: The Definitive Guide to Selecting and Growing More Than 500 Kinds of Hardy Ferns by John Mickel.

Each year, said Tomer, the Delaware Valley Fern and Wildflower Society grows its membership from flower show visitors charmed by its exhibit. Society members look forward to sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge with the public.

Students at Temple University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, Ambler, in the School of Environmental Design worked during the past year under Professor Baldev Lamba, MLA, RLA, ASLA, to produce their exhibit, “ecolibrium.”

The question for the students, said Lamba, was how to take inspiration from massive acres of Versailles and blend that with the spirit of Paris—which evokes romance, elegance, style and modern art movements—in a contemporary way, respectful to natural processes and the environment.

Three iconic French garden elements are incorporated into the solution, he said.  They include the Orangerie (greenhouse), Parterre, and the Bassin or Grand Canal.  But in each case, the concepts were adapted to modern design and ecological principles.

Lamba said, “Sustainability is the direction everything’s going.  Society is increasingly aware of limited natural resources, climate issues, and the need for recycling and reclaiming waste.”

Innovations appear throughout “ecolibrium,” from the worm farm to decompose organic waste into fertilizer (vermi composting), to a green roof, to building materials such as papercrete (mixing recycled newspapers with concrete to serve the place of adobe or stucco) and to "plastisoil," (fabricated from plastic bottles for porous paving).

Students also chose to use the work of Piet Mondrian as a unifying thematic notion.

Under Lamba, Temple student exhibitions in the past have earned multiple awards, but that’s not the primary motivation, the professor said. The annual studio project is designed for students to combine theory and philosophy in an authentic contribution. 

“And they have fun building something beautiful," Lamba said. "It’s a thrilling experience."