University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 2/1996 A child's garden of posies, whimsical vegetables There's one word that describes the world behind-the-scenes at the Philadelphia Flower Show 24 hours before the judges' review. That word is "panic." But, amid the forklifts and Bobcats hauling loads of topsoil and plants-and among the aisles strewn with packing material, posies and peat moss-there's a sense of purpose as hundreds of hands busily go about their work. First, there is the raking and spreading of tons of soil, provided by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, producer of the show. Then, there's the careful placing of plants, the raking of pathways, erection of structures and, finally, the finishing touches: laying of sod, painstaking tying of vines to supports and setting of props. "I'm not sure how we're going to pull it off," said Karin Arentzen, a volunteer at work setting up the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens (UDBG) display. But, pull it off they did. So well, in fact, that the UDBG's display of a child's garden, "Child's Play," won second place in its class: A Peek at Private Places. In addition, the display won the society's maintenance award in its class. The UDBG Friends group-volunteers who promote the gardens on the grounds of UD's College of Agricultural Sciences-began its display months ago. With funds granted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the group rented bench space in the college's Fischer Greenhouse Laboratory. There, they started seed and forced young trees to leaf out early-all to bring springtime a few weeks ahead of schedule to the urban surroundings of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. "We looked at the child's garden as a way to introduce children to being stewards of the land," greenhouse assistant Teresa Holton said. "We designed a child-friendly garden with bright flowers, whimsical vegetables and props to appeal to children's need for play." The group planted a ribbon of annuals in colors-including purple petunias, blue salvia, yellow marigolds, orange calendulas and red pentas-in the 20-by-20-foot garden. Scented geraniums and aromatic herbs of catnip, licorice and lemon thyme brought sweet scents up close. A plant house made from lattice and covered with vines provided a secret place for children to play, and an attached arbor of corkscrew willow supplied additional shade. The vegetable garden included Tom Thumb lettuce, Easter Egg radish and miniature pumpkins and carrots. A grinning scarecrow stood guard among an army of towering sunflowers. Nearby, a topiary frog, butterfly, snail, squirrel and cat were ready for their roles as imaginary friends, while a birdhouse and bird feeder attracted winged wildlife to keep children company. Another UD group from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences took third place for its entryway display and received a maintenance award. The group's winning design, a florist shop storefront on Philadelphia's Logan Square, also was awarded a trophy by the Pennsylvania Nurserymen's Association for successful use of plant materials. -Claire McCabe, Delaware '85M