The club’s exhibit won three blue ribbons.
The 63-year-old Moorestown Garden Club is flourishing yet again, bringing home three blue ribbons at the Philadelphia Flower Show last month. Both the club and its members have won several ribbons at the show since the club’s founding in 1954.
The club has 86 members and focuses on community service in Moorestown, specifically beautifying the town and educating the community while also increasing the knowledge of its members.
“I like being involved and doing something that helps out the town,” said D’Arcy DiSpirito, Moorestown Garden Club member and entry chair for the flower show.
DiSpirito worked alongside co-chair Lisa Madara to plan and coordinate the entry. The rest of the show committee was comprised of Susan Cunningham, Christine Jacoby, Midge Ingersoll, Sigris Wares and Gina Zegel.
The club competed in the balcony class, a design class focused on live plants in containers. In addition to the blue ribbons the club won, the entire balcony class won a small turquoise commendation ribbon, which is awarded when every entry is awarded 90 points or above. The title of the club’s balcony exhibit was “Anneke’s New World.”
Each participant was required to craft an intent, which explains the design and theme of the exhibit to the judges. The intent must include the setting, orientation and growing condition and cannot be longer than 50 words. Participants are then judged on how well their exhibit fulfilled their intent.
The Moorestown Garden Club’s intent reads: Viewing Manhattan from this sunlit summer balcony, a transplanted Dutch landscape designer reflects on her ancestor’s influence on the island. Surrounded by plants and objects that inspire her creativity, she draws upon her heritage and sense of adventure to create her own island at the center of the world.
“We chose our plant material to represent a very clean and modern take on Dutch design,” DiSpirito said. “We used plants with very interesting textures and shapes to replicate the orderly manner in which the Dutch tend to garden.”
The club was awarded 98 out of a possible 100 points for its display.
“We left a lot of things up to the viewer,” DiSpirito said. “It could have been someone who moved here for good or someone who was just here to take some classes.”
The club participates in the Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s largest horticultural event, every other year. On off years, it holds garden walks and home and garden tours. The entry fees for these tours allow the club the funds it needs to operate.
The Moorestown Garden Club meets each month from September through May at the Moorestown Community House and is not exclusive to Moorestown residents. Many meetings include guest speakers who work to educate the club on different aspects of gardening.
“I’ve enjoyed getting to know new people that I didn’t know before, and working with them has really been nice,” DiSpirito said.
The club is responsible for what it calls “business planters” on Main Street as well as watering many of the hanging baskets in town. Club members also enjoy interacting with senior citizens in the community from various assisted living facilities.
“We drive them to look at the fall foliage and the spring flowers blooming,” Zegel said.
Zegel added the club does two cleanups and plantings each year at the Community House, which the club considers its home base.
For more information or to join the Moorestown Garden Club, visit www.moorestowngardenclub.com.
