Pittsburgh, PA - March 3 -12, 2006 - 25th Annual Duquesne Light Home and Garden Show’s Post-Gazette/Bidwell Dream Garden. This collaboration between the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Bidwell Training Center Horticulture Technology Program opens Friday, March 3, 2006.

Where: David L. Lawrence Convention Center

Created by the Post-Gazette’s Backyard Gardener Doug Oster with Bidwell Training Center’s Horticulture Technology Program students.

The “Dream Garden” is a 2000 square foot space consisting of a series of themed gardens. Included are raised beds which provide the perfect viewing opportunity for gardeners of all ages. Some of these beds have viewing windows which allow visitors to see the “magic” that evolves under the garden’s surface. Educational in scope, the display is packed with practical gardening tips and design ideas guaranteed to inspire and motivate even those of us without “green thumbs”.

The students enrolled in Bidwell Training Center’s Horticulture Technology Program are growing the plants and designing the gardens. The Drew Mathieson greenhouse at Bidwell Training Center is a unique extension of the traditional classroom and affords horticulture students an array of practical training opportunities second to none in the area.

As part of an educational endeavor by the school, the students have been part of the project since its inception. This particular venture fit perfectly into the program’s structured curriculum, providing applied learning opportunities for students in the areas of propagation, specialty crops and design.

This year there will be gardens with different themes, including an Urban Vegetable Garden that illustrates the concept of companion planting. The Vegetable Garden will include mixed greens, lettuces, garlic and other plants grown both in containers and in the ground using traditional gardening techniques with some new twists. This garden will also feature an oversized wind chime made out of garden tools.

Just in case you are one of those gardeners who prefer not to get dirt under your fingernails, Bidwell students will also be displaying agricultural and floricultural crops including their signature Phalaeanopsis orchids; all grown hydroponically. A Futuristic Garden will highlight different kinds of hydroponic growing systems; one is called a deep water system where plants grow in a five gallon bucket filled with a nutrient rich solution. In the same area another type of hydroponic system will grow greens and other vegetables. Dahlias from the Greater Pittsburgh Dahlia Society will also be displayed growing hydroponically. The Futuristic Garden will also showcase rare African violets and gesneriads from the Pittsburgh Violet and Gesneriad Society.

A Children’s Garden will feature topiary animals, an herbal knot garden growing on the roof of a dog house and a few other whimsical surprises. The design and construction of the dog house was a collaborative effort between the Horticulture students at Bidwell Training Center and the carpentry students at Triangle Tech.

A Flower Garden comes alive with the magic of roses. The Pittsburgh Rose Society donated these plants and is working with Bidwell’s students instructing in areas of rose culture. After the show, the roses will go back to Bidwell and the students will be charged with designing and installing a rose garden there.

An Asian Garden exemplifies the contemplative ambiance of eastern design and will showcase hostas offered for inclusion by the Daffodil and Hosta Society. This garden is accented by the beauty of natural materials and is complete with a rather unique water feature. The Sogetsu School of the Ikebana Society is assisting by accenting this area with their striking floral arrangements.

For the first time, shrubs, trees and turf will be part of the garden display courtesy of the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association. These plants are incorporated throughout all the themed areas.

Bidwell Training Center students along with Doug Oster will be staffing the completed garden throughout the show along with guests from participating plant societies. Mr. Oster and the students will be happy to explain the magic that sometimes needs to be performed to mesh the art and science of gardening; all will be on hand to answer your individual gardening and landscaping questions.

This collaborative effort between Bidwell Training Center, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and all of their partners in the “green” industry exemplifies how symbiotic relationships between organizations can blossom into extraordinary opportunities that benefit the entire community. A world of opportunity awaits all who visit this wonderful display at the 25th Annual Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show.