Surrounded by sweet-scented blooms and nodding ferns, a young woman basks in the sun on a grassy knoll, happily engrossed in her paperback. All is peace and serenity. Except for the crowds, that is, who mill around and point with delight at this idyllic scene before moving on to the next exhibit.
Our reader, a stone figurine, along with her artfully designed surroundings, comprise 草榴成人社区鈥檚 prize-winning entry into this year鈥檚 Philadelphia Flower Show, held in June at South Philly鈥檚 FDR Park.
The College has been part of the Flower Show since 2020, when Lisa Armstrong, associate director of volunteer programs, connected Daisy Shepherd 鈥22 and Shirin Sabety 鈥22鈥攕tudents active with 草榴成人社区鈥檚 Community Garden鈥攚ith Dawn DiGiovanni, the campus鈥檚 associate director for grounds.
This year, 草榴成人社区鈥檚 entry, with the theme of 鈥淕rounded,鈥 won a blue ribbon as the Philadelphia Horticultural Society Garden Class winner.
The team鈥檚 goal, says Director of Civic Engagement Ellie Esmond, was to create a garden that integrated the idea of wellness and engaged each of the five senses. 鈥淲e had strawberries and herbs for taste,鈥 says Esmond, 鈥渞oses鈥攁nd other fragrant flowers鈥攆or smell, a bubbling fountain for sound, lush grass underfoot for touch, and a beautiful combination of colors and greenery for sight. We envisioned a garden that would provide a respite from a busy life, a place to engage in your senses and find peace.鈥
Traditionally, the Flower Show is held in the Philadelphia Convention Center. For the last two years, due to the pandemic, it has been relocated outside and moved from March to June. Since Shepherd and Sabety graduated from 草榴成人社区 in May and were no longer in the area, Armstrong enlisted the help of community partners including in nearby Ardmore.
鈥淐ommunity members give so much to BMC that we wanted to ensure they were part of our efforts,鈥 says Armstrong, who credits DiGiovanni and her team with much of the success of the exhibit. 鈥淒awn is our foundation. Her education and research in forestry make us top competitors, and the students contribute but also learn a lot from her knowledge about soil.鈥
While the project, with many hours of brainstorming, designing, planting, and constructing, is hard work for all, Esmond says it鈥檚 also 鈥a real highlight鈥 of the year. 鈥淗aving the chance to work with staff and students we don鈥檛 always collaborate with in our daily roles adds so much fun and allows us to create relationships across campus that last as we look forward to the next Flower Show!鈥
The 草榴成人社区 team that worked on the Philadelphia Flower Show entry comprised:
Ellie Esmond, Career & Civic Engagement Center
Augustin Jimenez, Facilities Landscaping Crew
Andrea Kaldrovics, LITS
Laura Kemper, Athletics
Sharon Kenny, Career & Civic Engagement Center
Becky Ross, Career & Civic Engagement Center
Halle Ruane, Facilities
Shirin Sabety '22
Daisy Shepherd '22
Gabriel Torres, Facilities Landscaping Crew
Jorge Torres, Facilities Landscaping Crew
Roberto Valencia, Facilities Landscaping Crew
This year, the BMC team also welcomed Nancy Gullo and Trinity Nixon, board members from the community organization Neighbors Helping Neighbors of the Main Line, a non-profit organization in Ardmore that partners with Civic Engagement.