Master Gardener volunteers give presentation to Covenant Cafe
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McELHATTAN -- A handmade quilt of the 50 state flowers was on display at the Nature Trail Park in Wayne Township on Sept. 1.
Penn State Extension Master Gardener volunteers, Kathy Gillen and Lynda Cridge, gave a presentation on a quilt with each state's flower to Covenant Cafe participants, their family and caregivers following a feast of picnic foods.
There's a story behind the quilt, according to Kathy.
Many years ago, Margaret Collins babysat Kathy and her husband, Randy's, son, Lang, and one day, Margaret gifted the couple with a handmade quilt of the 50 state flowers. The quilt was divided into squares depicting the name of each state and flower.
According to Smithsonian Gardens, at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World Fair, hundreds of women proposed the idea of each state selecting a flower to represent their territory in the "National Garland of Flowers."
Women's clubs and even school children helped in each states' selection. Flowers represent each state's history, culture and environment, many of which are native to each state. Pennsylvania's state flower is the Mountain Laurel.
Kathy and Randy still use the quilt to this day.
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Ginny Counsil, Coordinator, has been a Penn State Extension certified Master Gardener since 2016. She can be reached at vlc125@psu.edu or by calling 570-858-0192.