Cool Mushrooms: A Hot Topic in Horticulture

By Eva Monheim

Field trips are an integral part of the Temple University experience. These events are probably the highlight of the semester for students and faculty, especially in the horticulture field. This spring I took my Ambler Campus Food Crops class to Phillips Mushroom Farms in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania to tour the largest specialty mushroom grower in the U.S.

Jim Angelucci, General Manager of Phillips, was our guide. When he spoke you could see the twinkle of mushrooms in his eyes. The farm has been in business since 1927 and continues to lead the industry with its contributions to food safety, substrate development, cutting edge technology, and production practices.

Native Flora of the Carolinas

By Cheval Opp

Torrential rains and tornado warnings the day before did not bode well for the GWA Native Flora of the Carolinas Region IV garden tours. But Friday, May 5 dawned with abundant sunshine for the early morning photo shoot at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, the first stop for our tour. Fortified with coffee and juice, thirty-five participants including a gardening couple from South Dakota joined the guided tours.

Garden guides led small groups through Sara P. Duke Gardens.

This Duke Gardens began as abandoned lake construction but in the 1930’s a visionary gardener Dr. Frederic M. Hanes, an early member of the original faculty of Duke Medical School, found the resources to build a terraced garden on the site.

“Frida Friday” From the Eye of a Photographer

By Doreen Wynja as told to Ann McCormick

It was a small group – only six of us – that attended a GWA Connect meeting at the “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” in Tucson, AZ exhibit on March 10. My time there was part of a working photographic tour of Phoenix and Tucson and other points in the Southwest. Since I am more of a photographer than a writer I thought I’d give you my impressions through photography with a little commentary, translated by Ann McCormick, blog editor.

Let’s Get Together: Organizing GWA Regional and Connect Meetings

By Kate Copsey

All regional meetings and connect meetings are intended to keep local members up to date with news from the organization. Connect meetings are considered less formal and are purely a social event where members can get to know each other better. Both members and non-members can attend the meetings. All meeting should be coordinated with the Regional Director but you do not need to be on the GWA board to start the ball rolling and be the organizer.

Springtime in Delaware: The DuPont Triple Play

By Kathy Jentz

Cheval Opp takes a break under a friendly mushroom.

About 45 Region II GWA members and guests met on the last Friday of April for touring a trilogy of DuPont gardens in Delaware. We were pleased to be joined by several new GWA members.

The day started with an early morning photo shoot at the
Nemours Mansion and Gardens just outside of Wilmington. The estate developed by Alfred du Pont includes a 77-room mansion, a large formal French garden, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and nearly 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows, and lawns. Fortified by coffee and donuts, we scattered across the estate to take photos and catch-up with old friends. It was a good time to take a leisurely walk down the Colonnade or in the formal parterre gardens and get to know them.