Philadelphia Flower Show- Window Box and Lamp Post

  This was a youth category this year. I'm not sure of the maximum age for participants, but the entrants were a Scout Troop, a high school, a girl's club, a vo-tech school (or whatever they call them now, but in essence that's what it is), a cultural club, and a garden club that I couldn't find out about.

So, you can forgive some of the entries for perhaps not being as "full" as they might have been, since the designers are still learning. The class was "Window Box and Lamp Post" (with a planter). Each entry was to have one predominant color.

I've always liked this category because it seems like a manageable sort of thing an actual normal human could create. The link at the end is to the same category from 2015. (Not all categories are offered every year.) I took a lot of care to put in all the entries because a lot of us would like to have pretty windows or entryways at our homes.

There were two honorable mentions. This is "Youth Horticulture in Bloom." The intent said, "We nourished not just a garden, but our culture." (Latino of some unspecified variety) The judges said, "Tropical feeling, but needed more thought in scale and design of basket."

The other honorable mention had a similar problem. This is by the Scout Troop and is called "Seek Adventure." The intent was more like an ad for Scouting and didn't really say anything about how the plants tied in with that. The judges noted that the plants in the box were not in scale with the size of the box.

Two third places were awarded. One went to the high school. It is called "Shades of Green." The intent says, "the rich shades of green bring a reminder of dappled sunshine on a warm day." The judges really liked the textures, forms and color, but thought the window box needed to be fuller and better arranged.

The other third went to the Searth Garden Club. Their entry is tied to a Japanese folk tale where the lunar god invites a rabbit to live on the moon. The rabbit plants his favorite spring flowers. The judges said the labels were hard to read (not true) and the plants weren't in good condition. I would add that they didn't manage to hang the planter at the best angle to complement the box, and the rabbit should have a different pose with more motion. And there was no coordination of plants between the box and the planter. I think this one could have taken first place if they had managed to tweak a few things.

Here is the planter from a better angle. This was actually my favorite planter on a lamppost from the category.

And look at this stunning Streptocarpus 'Grape Ice!'

Second Place went to "Soeurs du Soliel" (Sisters of the Sun) by the girl's club. They said, "The Mauritanian sunset mirrors a spectacular array of bright flowers." The judges said it was a delicious variety of colors but they didn't like the ordinary plant sticks used to ID the plants. I would add that the design form of the box doesn't match the planter.

They really did a wonderful job with the plant selection. Here's the planter close-up.

Now for the blue ribbon. This is called "Blues for a Greening Future" and is done by the vo-tech students. The intent says, "our classroom and verandah's plants help bring beauty, harmony, and restoration while soothing the soul like a classic blues tune." Yes, that's nice verbiage, and yes, it's a FLOWER show, but tying the plants into the theme counts for something. The judges said, "horticulturally rich and voluptuous design."

Notice, too, that like the lunar rabbit, this exhibit chose to not leave the window blank. I suspect the view through the window is some of their students working in their own greenhouse. It adds depth and meaning. Here is the window box closer. I do think it's interesting that they got the most significant blue in only through use of the plant ID stakes. I was surprised that wasn't mentioned. But... it's definitely a nice entry.

Today I worked on various projects, including reclaiming two drawers of tablecloths and napkins from the mice. Sigh. I rested my back after yesterday, but it's pretty good. I took a very small walk just to keep from getting stiff. Misty rain in the afternoon.

Miles hiked in 2025: 91.

See PFS 2015- Window Boxes