Doylestown Landscaper Wins at Flower Show

A Doylestown-based landscaper has won an award at the Philadelphia International Flower Show, the world's largest such indoor exhibition.

The show runs through Sunday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Ticket information can be found on the show's website.

Mark Cook Landscape & Contracting won the Award of Distinction in the Invitational Landscape category with the theme “At Day’s End,” or En fin de journée.

The company transformed a quaint garden shed into a comfortable retreat suitable for sipping espresso or enjoying French pastries.

This is the third year in a row that Cook has won an award. A 2000 graduate of Delaware Valley College with a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture, Cook picked up the PHS Award of Excellence in the “Newcomer Landscapes” category at his first show in 2009.

The flower show's theme “Springtime in Paris” features French tulips, plein air painters, romantic cafes, and of course, breathtaking parks and gardens. You’re guaranteed to leave the show humming tunes such as “La Vie en Rose" and maybe you'll pick up a bundle of fresh flowers from the Flower Show Shoppe.

A 37-foot Eiffel Tower greets visitors at the show entrance. Every hour, you can enjoy the dazzling light show accompanied by a variety of French tunes. One thousand light bulbs cover the Tower, the largest structure ever built in the history of the Flower Show. At the nearby Carousel Stage, cabaret singers and can-can dancers perform daily.

Enjoy strolling through 10 acres of Parisian parks in full bloom with lavender and roses, rhododendrons and azaleas, and spring-blooming trees. Wander by colorful topiary animals, lush green spaces, an orchid conservatory, soothing water features, and tree allées. You’ll leave with impressions of Notre Dame, the Paris Opera House, and Monet’s garden. You’ll even get a taste of the Tour de France and Underground Paris.

All proceeds from the Flower Show support The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and its urban greening program, Philadelphia Green.

The Ornamental Horticulture & Environmental Design Department of Delaware Valley College garnered two awards this year at the show.

Its exhibit “Post-Industrial Agriculture and Urban Art” won the PHS Award of Distinction in the Academic Education category.

DelVal also won the prestigious PHS Sustainability Award for the exhibit demonstrating the best use of sustainable gardening practices to the public.

The exhibit illustrates how post-industrial agriculture can revitalize cities. The exhibit features low-budget ways to transform vacant land into a thriving community landscape.

“The benefits of this transformation include locally grown produce, environmental enhancement, sensory gardening, and expressions of local artistry,” according to DelVal's description.

“We are proud of this year’s exhibit,” said Barbara Muse, chair of the college's Dept. of Natural Resources & Biosystems Management. “The faculty and students showed a great deal of creativity and thinking outside the box to bring the revitalization of vacant lots to the forefront."

DelVal assistant professors Howard Eyre and Michael Fleischacker served as co-advisors for the exhibit’s design and construction. Students from the Flower Show practicum and landscape construction courses worked on the design and implementation of this year’s exhibit. Sustainability and land stewardship are key components of courses taught in college’s landscape design department.

For a special live view of the Flower Show, visit http://www.theflowershow.com/home/eiffel_eye.html to check out the Eiffel Eye where a camera sits atop the Eiffel Tower and streams live footage of the show floor.