August 31, 2007
WHERE: Temple University Ambler, 580 Meetinghouse Road, Formal Perennial Garden
WHEN: Saturday, September 15, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
 A place of quiet tranquility. A place of healing. A place of research. A place of history.
The Landscape Arboretum of Temple University Ambler is a living treasure that provides experiences and resources as diverse as the people who study, conduct research, or simply stroll through them.
On Saturday, September 15, the gardens at Temple University Ambler will take center stage at the 2nd annual Rhapsody in Bloom. The event, celebrating the diversity and history of the Landscape Arboretum, will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the campus Formal Perennial Garden.
“The gardens that comprise the Landscape Arboretum and the campus itself have such a wonderful history and have enriched the lives of so many for nearly 100 years! Some of the most accomplished horticulturists and landscape architectects have studied and taught here,” said Linda Lowe, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs at Temple University Ambler. “We invite everyone join us for an evening of music, merriment, and mingling in the campus gardens. Now, of course, no garden lover is too worried about getting a little dirty, so we suggest they dress in cocktail casual with turf-tolerant shoes!”
Rhapsody in Bloom will include cocktails and a light supper in the gardens — with a chance to win a door prize consisting of a wheelbarrow filled with wine, cheese, spirits, and items for your garden. The White Clay Tribute bluegrass band will perform live during the event. A live auction will follow at 8 p.m. on the Learning Center front lawn.
 “We have some fantastic auction items this year,” Lowe said. “We couldn’t ask for better support for this special event and for the Arboretum in general from our alumni and the community.”
Auction items include a weekend stay at the Thomas Bond house and tickets to the Walnut Street Theatre; a “Gardener’s Ultimate Library,” including a signed copy of America's Garden Book by Louise and James Bush-Brown,; afternoon tea for 12 in one of the area's finest private gardens; Eagles tickets and a jersey; a begonia plant collection; a golf package for four at the Philadelphia Cricket Club; a wheelbarrow full of bulbs, a tree, perennials, gloves, garden tools, and a personal garden consultation by Landscape Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey; golf at Talamore with Temple University Ambler Dean Dr. James Hilty and two friends; wine and cheese for 12 at Andalusia; a family portrait in the campus gardens, with frame; a Temple sports package, including tickets for owls football and basketball, a jersey, and a signed ball; a selection of orchids; a Create-A-Scene dinner for 8 at Michael Bowell’s private home; and an evening in Ambler Borough at Bridgets, the Shanachie, LaCava, the Act II Playhouse, and the Ambler Theater.
Proceeds from the second annual Rhapsody in Bloom garden party will help support and maintain Temple University Ambler's beautiful Landscape Arboretum, the gardens of which are an important resource for students, faculty, and visitors alike.
“The event marks an opportunity to showcase the Arboretum and the campus to our many friends who have supported us through the years, to show them what is new and beautiful and also what remains perpetually charming and enchanting, especially in the evening twilight,” said Temple University Ambler Dean Dr. James W. Hilty. “This is a time, too, for us to open the doors to new friends and potential supporters, to introduce ourselves and our ambitions to the community at large and to friends in the gardening and landscape community. We promise an informal evening of good food, good cheer, amid our stunning gardens.”
 Honorary event chairs for Rhapsody in Bloom are Barbara and Philip Albright, Chair of the Ambler Campus Board of Visitors and the Arboretum Advisory Committee, and Faith and Joseph Tiberio.
Tickets for Rhapsody in Bloom are: Benefactor level - $125 per person; Patron level - $75 per person; General level - $50 per person; and Young Friends level (ages 21 to 30) - $30 per person. All proceeds support the Arboretum endowment fund.
“Last year’s event welcomed 160 people and raised more than $7,000 for the endowment fund, which is used to maintain the existing gardens in addition to helping fund and implement the creation of new gardens,” said Lowe. “In the near future, the Arboretum will be adding new gardens and features including the Philip A. and Barbara F. Albright Winter Garden, the Ernesta Ballard Memorial Healing Garden, a conifer collection, an irrigation system, a host of new signs, and an improved lighting system.”
Temple University Ambler has a long history of horticulture and landscape design. Established as the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women in 1910, the 187-acre campus represents a unique mix of natural and designed landscapes. The gardens serve as excellent outdoor learning laboratories for numerous classes and as a source of inspiration for the campus and local communities.
The Landscape Arboretum has a diverse range of learning gardens including a formal perennial garden, an herb garden, a groundcover garden, a native plant garden, a rock wall, a woodland garden, a sustainable wetland garden, an annual trial garden, and our most recent addition — a green roof garden.
The mission of the Landscape Arboretum is to serve as a living, learning laboratory that promotes love and knowledge of horticulture, understanding of the relationship between people and the environment, and awareness of both the need for and means to achieve greater environmental responsibility. The Landscape Arboretum is committed to celebrating the achievements of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women and preserving the historic significance of the campus. Its three areas of focus are sustainability, the health benefits of gardens, and the history of women in horticulture, agriculture, and design. For more information on the Landscape Arboretum, visit www.temple.edu/ambler/arboretum.
For more information on Rhapsody in Bloom, contact Linda Lowe at 267-468-8440 or linda.lowe@temple.edu.
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