A New Year inspires new resolutions. I have two for 2020.

First, I hope to publish many more blogs on In the Garden with Laura in 2020 than I did in 2019! Second, I plan to expand the scope of the website. In addition to native plants, the site will feature information about native wildlife and climate change.

Why the change? Wildlife (whether birds, mammals, or insects) and native plants are different sides of the same coin. We often grow plants for their beauty, yet they would not exist without wildlife. How can you talk about butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, without talking about monarch butterflies?

Climate change will also be given more attention here. It’s long overdue. Climate change is destroying native plants and wildlife. The impact will only increase as climate change continues. The planet cannot sustain these changes.

One stunning statistic from 2019: 3 billion, or one in four, birds in North America have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to research published online in the journal Science in September 2019. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology focused their 2019 annual report Living Bird (vol.8, issue 4) on these findings.

Continue reading Welcome to 2020 →

Vibes of the 1960s emanate from the Philadelphia Flower Show (PFS) this year. ‘Flower Power,’ the show’s theme, pays homage to our love affair with flowers and the 50^th anniversary of Woodstock.

As you walk into the show, you will hear strains of the Beatles, Aretha, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and others. Look up and you will see a hanging multicolor “meadow” of nearly 8,000 flowers.

But before strolling down memory lane, the “Olympics” of the floral world requires some attention.

Designers Attend from 23 Countries

The PFS hosted the 2019 FTD World Cup, the world’s most prestigious floral design competition. Sponsored by Florists’ Transworld Delivery (FTD), it is held roughly every four to six years. It was last held in the United States in 1985.

The designers were chosen to represent their countries based on various criteria including winning national competitions. Each designer worked in a “pod” creating a series of floral arrangements.

Continue reading Step into the ‘60s with ‘Flower Power’ →

Few people have better insight into the Philadelphia Flower Show than Sam Lemheney, Vice President and Chief of Shows & Events for the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS). Here are some of his thoughts about this year’s show:

Laura: The theme of this year’s show is quite playful. How did you choose it?

Continue reading An Insider’s Look at the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show →