May 3, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Home and Garden Festival

Hill to bloom with annual Home and Garden Festival on May 6
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

Activities for kids and entertainment such as a carousel provide plenty of fun at 2005 Chestnut Hill Garden Festival.

Spring seems to be taking its good ole time this year, but come May 6, the flowers should be in full bloom for Chestnut Hill’s 11th annual Home and Garden Festival along Germantown Avenue.

The Sunday festival features an array of local and visiting artists, craftspeople, landscapers and garden vendors lining the Avenue to share their wares with the thousands of festivalgoers milling among the tables.

The typical fair fare — artwork, jewelry, crafts, furniture — is accented by Chestnut Hill’s wide range of delicious food offerings you are unlikely to find anywhere else. There will be over 30 local restaurants, cafés and bakeries vying for the taste buds to guide visitors to their tents and tables.

Hope Lodge a house tour from George Washington to 2007
by JIM WEAVER

Hope Lodge, on Bethlehem Pike north of Route 73 intersection.

Locally there’s a myth that George Washington rode his horse through the central hallway of Hope Lodge, in Fort Washington. But it’s only a myth. No evidence exists that he really did.

However, it is likely that Washington visited the house since it was used as a military field hospital for sick and wounded Continental solders during the General’s six-week-long Whitemarsh Encampment in the fall of 1777.

Morris Arboretum to host annual spring plant sale

Visitors stroll through annual Spring Plant Sale of Morris Arboretum during Mother’s Day weekend last year.

A sure sign that warmer weather is definitely on the way is the Spring Plant Sale of the Morris Arboretum. Every year on Mother’s Day weekend the Arboretum stages this annual sale at Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Arboretum entrance.

Versatile viburnums a vibrant addition to your garden
by MICHELLE CONNERS

Viburnums come in various colors to enhance your garden throughout the year.

This past summer I was asked to collect viburnum seed for the Beijing Botanical Garden from some of the native plants in our collection. While watching the seeds and waiting for them to ripen I got to experience the beauty of their full color range. The maturing fruits of Viburnum lentago, nannyberry, start out greenish-white, then turn pink, blue, and finally black. All these colors may be present in one cluster simultaneously, producing a striking effect.

Attractive late summer-early autumn fruit is not the only reason to include viburnums in your home garden. These shrubs or small trees also boast creamy white flowers, sometimes fragrant, in spring or early summer. The foliage can range from bright to very dark green. Some of the deciduous species have good fall color, while the evergreen species can make a statement in the garden all year long.

Committee tackles design of building for Hill at Whitemarsh
by PAULA M. RILEY

“Design must seduce, shape, and perhaps more importantly, evoke an emotional response.” – April Greiman

When a couple embarks upon the project of designing a new home or even redesigning just one room, emotional response plays a great role in the process. Detailed discussions, intense arguments, appointments with the designers and great expense are often part of the process needed to create just the right atmosphere and functional space.