Butterfly effect: New inspiration for gardens
Home Gardening Hub exhibits provide tips and inspiration
The Home Gardening Hub at the Philadelphia Flower Show, running from Feb. 29 to March 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is a new space designed to inspire the home gardener, says Julia Thomé, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Director of Gardener Engagement.
“We pulled together this area of the show to make it a place that people feel welcome, a place where people can see themselves in their gardens,” she said.
The Home Gardening Hub has a myriad of demonstrations and exhibits to inspire visitors at the 191st Flower Show.
Included in the Hub will be three specialty exhibits.
• The “Kitchen Garden” will focus on “all things edible.”
• The “Water Wise Garden: will showcase stormwater management, including rain gardens, rain barrels and permeable pavers.
• The “Eco-Friendly Critter Garden” will present “gardening for wildlife habitats” including birds, pollinators and other wildlife.
In another section of the Show along the Grand Hall Concourse, John Dailey of SkyRiver Butterflies promises “one of the most brilliant experiences people are going to have.”
Butterflies Live! includes roughly 2,000 butterflies which represent 40 to 50 different species and will be a “truly breathtaking experience.”
Dailey said his butterfly experience is unlike other conservatories. In those exhibits, he said, butterflies can be found flying in spaces that are about 20 feet tall.
“In this exhibit, the butterflies are up close. You’re going to be able to see them at eye level,” Dailey said. “I’d be surprised if you go in there and a butterfly doesn’t land on you.”
Importance of pollinators
While the display will be plenty of fun for families, it also serves as a place where visitors will learn the importance of species conversation. Butterflies are one of the many types of pollinators and those who stop by the exhibit will be educated on the importance of pollinators in our environment.
“Walking in, and seeing these incredibly beautiful creatures, and then turning around and saying, ‘you know what? We need to protect them,’” Dailey said. “If people will walk away with that thinking then I feel like we’ve accomplished something.”
While they may not be as aesthetically pleasing, other pollinators -- bees, bats, beetles, and hummingbirds – are just as important to keep plants and habitats thriving as “they’re a critical link in the life cycle chain,” said Thomé.
Garden Chats
The Home Gardening Hub will serve as a learning center where PHS staff and horticultural experts offer 10-minute “Garden Chats.”
Topics will include health and wellness gardening, container gardening, indoor plants, and growing organic roses.
“Garden Chats” will feature interactive activities including container competitions and insect hotels.
Thomé said that container competitions are a “fun way to get people excited about the possibilities of what you can do in a small space.”
Participants will choose from a selection of plants, pots and boxes to create a functional and stylish design..
Insect hotels, which can be installed in gardens to attract particular insects, can be helpful in warding off unwanted pests.
Those are the kinds of tips and helpful resources the Hub was created to provide, Thome said.
“We hope that people walk away with maybe a tidbit or two of information that will get them excited about gardening this year.”
For more information about the Home Gardening Hub, visit theflowershow.com.