Talk Philly's Pat Ciarrocchi visits Morris Arboretum

Watch another great news clip with Talk Philly's Pat Ciarrocchi talking with Bob Gutowski from the Morris Arboretum.  Pat takes us to the new exhibit, Out on a Limb, part of the Tree Adventure where we learn more about trees and our interaction with them

The grand prize winner for this year's Scarecrow Design Contest is …..

The grand prize winner for this year is …..

Who you gonna call?  CROWBUSTERS!

The top five Scarecrows for this year were:

1.       Who you gonna call?  CROWBUSTERS!

2.       Tuppence a bag

3.       Eight-Legged Scarecrow

4.       Strawroom Dancer

5.       Dracula’s Bride

With more than 2500 votes cast, this year’s Scarecrow Design contest was thrilling.  Visitors and designers alike lent to this air of excitement and we at the Arboretum are delighted about the ever growing popularity of the contest!  Thank you designers for all your hard work and your fabulous Scarecrows!  We can’t wait to see what you’ll create next year.  

Last week to see the Scarecrows!

For the last three years, Morris Arboretum has held the Scarecrow Design Contest right before Halloween.   Families create a scarecrow, give it a creative name and enter it into the competition.

 
I love the Scarecrow Design Contest and Scarecrow Walk .  Not only does the contest begin when the leafs start changing colors and the weather cools down (my favorite season), but the Scarecrows are always so creatively and wonderfully built.  Kids, beaming with pride after the family fun activity of building the Scarecrows, drop off their creation with their parents here at the Morris Arboretum and inevitably ask "Do you think we are going to win?"  It is not up to me but there are some great Scarecrows that I think are serious contenders!

This year, we have around thirty scarecrows that are displayed along "Scarecrow Walk" also known as the Oak Allée.  All are welcome to come and stroll down Scarecrow Walk and vote for their favorite Scarecrow.  The winner will be chosen based on the results on the voting.

The scarecrows are only on display until October 17 so come out before then to vote on your favorite. 

You can see all the Scarecrows on our website

New Horticulture Center Dedication

On Tuesday, October 5, we had a dedication ceremony for the recently completed Horticulture Center.  The new Horticulture Center is significant for a number of reasons and the staff, donors, architects and others had the opportunity to gather and celebrate this historic event. Remarks from Advisory Board Chair Ann Reed, Penn Board of Trustees Chair David L. Cohen, Penn President Amy Gutmann, Philanthropist Dorrance Hamilton and Arboretum Director Paul Meyer were followed by lunch and a tour of the facilities.

 

The Hort Center provides a much needed expansion of the office and garage space for both horticulture and education staff.  Designed to achieve the highest level of LEED certification, this new complex is a showcase for environmentally friendly design.  Visitors can come and see the green roofs, cisterns, photovoltaic cells and more. 

More information and pictures can be found on our website: http://bit.ly/dDsJeE

Flooding in Philly

On Friday, October 1, Philadelphia received more than five inches of rain.  Although there was a great need for rain in the area, such a large and fast precipitation event caused extensive flooding along the Schuylkill river and Wissahickon creek resulting in closed roads and evacuations.  Morris Arboretum is situated on the Wissahickon Creek and the floodplain for the creek includes the front entrance of the Morris Arboretum.  Northwestern Avenue was closed during the morning and early afternoon (cresting around lunch time) which caused the Arboretum to be closed all day.  Amazingly, the water receded very quickly and by four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the road was accessible and the gates were open.

Enjoy a few pictures taken by Bob Gutowski of the Arboretum during the flooding.

The front gate area is flooded from Northwestern Avenue to the kiosk.

 

This image was taken toward the top of the hill, toward the wetland area.  You can see the Gemination Sequence sculpture near the center of the image.

A close up of the partially submerged Gemination Sequence statues.