Visitors at the Trevose Horticultural Society’s Annual Flower Show, “Bee Inspired” held August 23 and 24, were greeted by 335 horticultural, artistic, junior and senior designs and educational exhibit entries entered by members and area gardeners.
Staged at St. Ephrem Catholic Church in Bensalem, several members and local gardeners earned multiple ribbons in the horticultural and design divisions.
In the horticultural division, the top winner was Christine Dopp (Mountain Top) who received the National Garden Club’s (NGC) Grower’s Choice Award for her White Velvet Cobweb Tradescantia and Awards of Merit for a cut flowering Smooth Oxeye Heliopsis, an Anise hyssop herb, a ‘Big Apple’ gourd and a perfect ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ Dahlia. Dopp received both the Society’s Erich and Virginia Meitzner Award for the most blue ribbons in the Dahlia classes and the society’s Dr. Ethel R. Hankele Trophy Sweepstakes Award for the most blue ribbons in horticulture.
A container grown foliage Barrel Cactus plant grown by show chairperson, Karen Wychock won both the NGC Grower’s Choice Award and THS Arnold Young Award for the most blue ribbons for container grown potted plants.
Lisa Contino (Feasterville) won the THS Joseph and Josie Caravan award for her excellent themed dish garden. Marie Cartwright (Mount Laurel, NJ) earned both the NGC Horticultural Excellence and Collector’s Showcase awards and the Society’s Stella Matczak Award for her horticulture collection of Coleus.
Lisa Contino won the Joseph and Josie Caravan Society Award for her blue ribbon dish garden. An impressive cut specimen of Picea abies pendula Norway Spruce won the NGC Arboreal Award for Lee Gittens (Newtown). Rachel Collins (Philadelphia) won an NGC Award of Merit for her colorful cut specimen of ‘Royal Flush’ Caladium.
Visitors enjoyed, and personally critiqued 24 artistic arrangements reflecting the show theme. Rachel Collins won the NGC Award of Design Excellence for her impressive, ‘Make a Beeline’ novice class entry. Karen Wychock (Warrington) received the NGC Designer’s Choice Award for her creative entry, ‘Sting Like a Bee’ pedestal design and the society’s Betty Sykes Sweepstakes Trophy for most blue ribbons in the artistic design division.
In a botanical arts class, ‘A Bee in Your Bonnet’ Ruth Kurz (Warrington) won the society’s Rachel Schwarz Award for her distinctive hat entry decorated with all dried natural plant material.
The society’s People’s Choice Award for design was won by Lisa Contino (Feasterville) for her unique table design, ‘Be My Honey.’ Aurea Almazan’s (Philadelphia) decoupaged plate won first in the Senior Sponsored Botanical Arts class.
An educational exhibit, “Guardians of the Natural World”, coordinated by Karen Woodson (Feasterville) and Joe Dervane, was awarded the NGC Educational Award and the GCFPA Educational and Conservation Silver Award as well as the Trevose Special Award. Their exhibit highlighted the bee’s complex society and their important role in maintaining our planet’s biodiversity and ensuring global food security.
The staging theme chairperson, Karen Wychock, along with the society’s membership, merited the GCFPA Staging Award for the show’s overall appearance.
For further information about the Trevose Horticultural Society, please contact 856-866-9163, visit www.trevosegardeners.org, or follow them on Facebook. All meetings are open to the public; a donation of $5 is requested from non-members.