Our summer meeting in the Philadelphia region was different from most, as it was held in the heat of summer to coincide with a conference held by Fleuroselect, the international organization for the ornamental plants industry. We enjoyed a roundtable exchange of ideas with our international colleagues, and also found time to visit some outstanding gardens. Our home base was Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center in Blue Bell, PA, a meticulously restored American landmark hotel that had all the amenities we required – good food, meeting spaces, and an accommodating staff.

Our itinerary for the days ahead included visits to three public gardens, a shared meal with our colleagues from Fleuroselect, a stop at Fordhook Farm, the historic farm owned by W. Atlee Burpee Co. where they breed and trial plants, and our ever-popular “Dinner with Peers” in the picturesque town of Doylestown.

Our traditional evening welcome reception, sponsored by JBM Packaging, was held at Normandy Farm, and was followed by a buffet dinner sponsored by Vego Garden. This was our chance to connect with old friends, and meet the new members in attendance. Seed companies, seed packagers, seed testing organizations, and other related businesses from throughout the United States as well as Germany, the Netherlands, and France were represented.

Chanticleer, a pleasure garden recognized for world-class horticultural artistry, was the first garden we visited. After a warm welcome by Executive Director Bill Thomas we explored the many parts of the garden on our own. Afterwards, we arranged to share bus transportation to our lunch destination with the Fleuroselect group—our first opportunity for networking with this international crowd.

We enjoyed lunch, sponsored by American Meadows, at the Fleuroselect conference site, the Alloy King of Prussia. Rob van der Hoort, a prominent Dutch flower breeder and owner of Van Hemert & Co. Seeds, spoke, celebrating the company’s 150-year heritage, followed by a panel discussion featuring Fleuroselect and HGSA panelists. Diane Blazek, Executive Director of National Garden Bureau and All America Selections, introduced thought-provoking topics, which stimulated conversations about a range of matters concerning the seed trade: the effects of climate change, consumer trends, new technologies, and more. Panelists were Mark Schermer, Syngenta Flowers; Matthias Redlefsen, Ernst Benary; Mary Gomane, Applewood Seeds; Patty Buskirk, Seeds by Design; and Mike Lizotte, American Meadows.

Our next stop was Stoneleigh, the public garden of nonprofit Natural Lands. This magnificent property has been transformed from a private estate to a garden that features majestic trees and inspiring displays of native plants that support the local ecology. We were welcomed by Director Ethan Kauffman, who surprised us by offering us a peak into the 17,000-square-foot Tudor Revival stone mansion, a welcome respite from the heat of the day. Among other treats, the garden features “Tree Sculptures,” Stoneleigh’s preferred name for snags left in place for the benefit of wildlife.

On Thursday evening, our traditional dinner and open bar was held at Normandy Farm, sponsored by Applewood Seed and Wild West Seed. Jimmy Owens, Vice President of Business Development at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), gave us an inspiring talk about the wide-ranging community impact work, partnerships, and neighborhood-based programs PHS is involved with—aside from the Philadelphia Flower Show (the nation’s longest-running indoor horticultural event) that it is known for.

On Friday morning we enjoyed a visit to W. Atlee Burpee’s Fordhook Farm. Fordhook is a beautiful property featuring a display garden, a stump garden, and several restored historic structures. We also got a look at Fleuroselect’s trial garden, at the rear of the property. George Ball, Chairman of W. Atlee Burpee, gave us a warm welcome and talked about Burpee’s 150 year history, and the deep emotional value of fresh flowers.

Our trial garden was conveniently located just across the street from Fordhook Farm, at Delaware Valley University’s sprawling campus. We enjoyed an indoor lunch on the campus sponsored by Walters Seed Company, and received a welcoming introduction from Chris Becker, Director of Agricultural Operations at DelVal. Our HGSA trials were meticulously tracked and documented, and Chris commandeered a wagon to take us for a short tour of the farm. Across the lane, Terrain, a high-end garden center on land leased from Del Val, afforded a cool space for an indoor break from the July heat.

Our next destination was Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, the only accredited museum in the country dedicated to native plants, where we enjoyed a tour of the property, sponsored by True Leaf Market.

Our final meal was in the charming borough of Doylestown. “Dinner with Peers” is a tradition in HGSA summer meetings. Meals at Doylestown restaurants were sponsored by American Meadows, Wild West Seed, Seeds by Design, JBM Packaging, True Leaf Market, and Walters Seed. The enjoyable evening was a perfect ending event for a summer meeting filled with a variety of rich experiences.