Delaware Valley Water Garden Society
Guidelines for Exhibit Attendees​

At the Exhibit – All attendees
  • The DVWGS exhibit is in the same place as last year -- against the wall between Doors B and C, just past the “Horticourt” competition area next to Garden Railway Society exhibit.
  • We have a storage box marked “DVWGS” in the society exhibitors’ storage closet. There are some gardening tools, a watering can and spray, DVWGS aprons, and DVWGS leaflets.
  • The society exhibitors’ storage closet is NOT SECURE. Please don’t leave valuables in there.
  • Please wear one of the DVWGS aprons. Pass it on to the next person taking a shift or put it back in the store-room if you are on the last shift of the day.
  • Please ask visitors NOT TO THROW COINS IN THE POND. They can be toxic to the fish.
  • Do not let visitors sit or lean on the retaining wall.
If you are first to arrive in the morning
Before the visitors arrive and the doors open.
  • Get a DVWGS apron from the store-room and put a few brochures in the pocket.
  • Check whether any of the plants, especially the hanging baskets, need water.
  • Trim off any dead or fading flower heads and dead leaves. Clippers and scissors are in our storage box.
  • Take the chairs down from the patio and place near the exhibit for volunteers.
  • If you are there Monday – Friday, be ready to greet early morning tour groups at the exhibit between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, before the show opens to the public at 10:00.
If you are last to leave at night
  • Clean up any untidy plants or litter.
  • Put aprons and leaflets back in the store room.
  • Put the chairs on the exhibit “patio”, off the floor
What to talk about with visitors
  • Share your personal knowledge of and enthusiasm for ponds and water-gardening. We want people to become interested in having a pond or water feature of their own.
  • Tell them about the fun side of ponds and water features:
    • Provide beauty and interest – new colors, shapes, sounds
    • Relax mind and body
    • Change the microclimate in the yard
    • Attract birds, animals, butterflies and dragonflies
    • They allow us to grow aquatic and marginal plants
    • Reduce mosquitoes with frogs and fish
    • Can be inexpensive to build and maintain
  • If they are interested in becoming members of DVWGS, or already have a pond in the local area, offer them a DVWGS brochure. (We have a limited supply in the storage box).
  • If they want a pond built in their yard, and they live in western Main Line, Montgomery County, Delaware County or Chester County refer them to Pezzotti Brothers and give them one of Paul’s postcards.
Contact Information
Sandy Grimwade
610 888 2104
sandy@grimwade.us

Victor Barsky
215 840 0811
petfoodboy@aol.com

Emergency Numbers
Emergency from Convention Center House phone: 4911 (Do not call 911)
Give nearest pillar number. Our exhibit is between pillars B4 and  BC4.

Emergency in Convention Center from a cell phone: 215-418-4911
 
Transportation to the Flower Show
The main entrance to the Flower Show is at 12th and Arch Street. Show your ticket and go upstairs to the main exhibit floor. The main entrance is through Door A. Turn left immediately and walk along the wall to reach our exhibit.
Train: SEPTA regional trains stop at the 12th and Market station (Jefferson Station). You can walk up the stairs directly to the Reading Terminal Great Hall, which is one of the main entrances to the Flower Show. PATCO trains stop at 8th and Market so it is a few blocks walk. SEPTA Trolley lines stop at the 13th Street Trolley Station.
Bus: Many SEPTA and NJ Transit buses stop at 12th and Market.
Parking: Reserve in advance via SpotHero and get lower parking rates. Visit SpotHero for special rates. There are several inexpensive parking lots close by, as well as some very expensive ones.
Bad Weather: The Flower Show can be disrupted by late-season snowstorms. If it is not safe for you to travel to or from the Convention Center for your volunteer shift, please call or email Victor or Sandy. (Fingers crossed!)

Exhibit Facts
​
Construction
  • Backdrop and deck built by volunteers, brought it in sections and assembled on the Convention Center floor in 4 days.
  • Pond is made of cinder blocks and EPDM rubber liner – about 500 gallons (= 2 tons of water)
  • Rock donation and pond design by Paul Pezzotti of Pezzotti Brother landscaping.
  • Pump pushes 7500 gallons per hour through the waterfall.
  • Antique windows and doors provided by Delaware Valley Aluminum Corp.
Plants
  • Over 60 varieties and species of plants – many grown in members’ homes.
  • Small vegetable and herb garden on left of exhibit: lettuce, swiss chard, thyme, lemongrass, lemon balm, pineapple sage, rosemary and lavender.
  • Tree in pot at the front is a “Biltmore Ballgown” abutilon (flowering maple).
  • Tree at back right is a pink pussy willow.
  • Water lilies, dwarf papyrus and striped cannas were donated by Lilypons Water Gardens of Hagerstown, Maryland. They were forced in Florida and shipped here a few days ago. The water in the pond is probably too cold to keep them flowering.
Fish
  • There are about a dozen small goldfish in the pond – probably hiding under the deck.
  • We don’t feed them during the show. The water is cool, and we don’t have any filtration.
Decor
  • Lava lamps in the windows for that 60’s feel.
  • Ducks and rain chain on loan from Garden Accents, Conshohocken.