Celebrate

Gardens and natural spaces, whether small and intimate or grand and expansive, often serve as the inspiration and venue for many of life’s milestone celebrations. We’re honored to have you join us in this intimate garden where even the flowers seem to say, “Let’s celebrate this day!”

[EMT Guide Gleanings]

columbine honors Joe Stitt's dad and forget-me-nots honor his 2 grandmothers
Look for Oregon Grape Holly - not purple and doesn't look like holly - early Spring low ground bloomer - small white roundish balls on greenery - latin name Mahonia - I believe there is only 1 but it will have signage by base of a tree - within arms length of path
bare branches throughout are from an apple orchard where major trimming was happening
look for old world narcissus and 'La Paz' and 'Magic Green' amaryllis - 'La Paz' is very slender and graceful
What looks like Lamb's Ear is actually Salvia argentea from Portugal to Bulgaria
The clock misbehaved when initially installed so Joe spoke sternly to it and threatened to replace the works (he has a backup set on order) so it is behaving now --or was on Thursday, at least

PHS Show Notes:

Laurel-Brook Gardens | “Celebrate” [Landscape] | Joe Stitt | 16th Year in Show

Overall Concept: Celebrates how flowers are woven into the fabric of our lives. Flowers are present for every event; birth through death and all of the highs and lows in between.
Show Theme Aspects: This exhibit is a setting where people gather for a moment in time with nature as the backdrop and flowers as the subtle stars of the show.
Specific flower/plants being highlighted: Generous amounts of spring flowering bulbs along with other spring blooming annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees that herald the return of spring and life after a bleak winter. Look for lots of color and a new take on some vintage garden elements.

Exhibit Description and Intent

At the very core of our theme this year we are celebrating how flowers are woven into the fabric of our lives. Flowers are present for every event; birth through death and all of the highs and lows in between.

Gathering Space - Our garden could be a home garden or a public space, either way, it's a setting where people gather for a moment in time with nature as the back drop and flowers as the subtle stars of the show. We will be using a lot of spring flowering bulbs this year along with other spring blooming annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees that herald the return of spring and life after a bleak winter. Look for lots of color and a new take on some vintage garden elements.

Owner and designer, Joe Stitt, has been in the garden literally his whole life. Some of his first memories are tagging along with his mother and grandmother as they worked in their respective vegetable and flower gardens. That early immersion in horticulture and nature planted a seed that rooted deeply and would become the driving force of his career path.

Joe's horticultural career started as a teenager, working in floral design which he still does for special events and holidays. After receiving his degree in Landscape Contracting from Penn State he shifted into professional gardening and landscape design and installation.

One of the favorite events and accomplishments at Laurel-Brook is being part of the Philadelphia Flower Show because it touches so many people and introduces them to the natural and horticultural world on many levels. Joe truly enjoys interacting with spectators at the show and talking with them about plants and landscaping. At Joe's center he loves nothing more than to be in the garden watching things grow and strives to introduce his clients to the marvels of horticulture that go beyond a beautiful landscape.

About the Exhibitor

Laurel-Brook Gardens is a small design build landscape company that focuses on creating inviting residential outdoor spaces. Their reputation is built on our attention to detail and design uniqueness. Laurel-Brook creates landscapes and maintains private gardens in PA, DE, and NJ. Whether it's traditional or modern, formal or informal and naturalized, large estate or small city courtyard -- all of their projects receive equal attention and effort to create outdoor spaces with multi-seasonal interest. During the design process they aspire to create designs that marry the landscape with the architecture, the interior design, and the client's personal style to create a seamless cohesion and flow between interior and exterior spaces. Their collaborative approach keeps the client involved in every step of the design and installation process to ensure that the end result exceeds expectations. Their end goal at Laurel-Brook is create a landscape that you are excited to come home to.