Dear Benny,
I’d like to know what kind of roses are planted on the trellises at University Square. They have the loveliest flowers, and they appear to be quite durable—I can’t seem to get my own roses to climb that well.
— Lover of Blooms

Dear Floraphile,
According to University Landscape Architect Bob Lundgren, two varieties of climbing roses are planted on the 36th Street trellises: “New Dawn,” a pink rose with a yellow center blossom, and “Golden Showers,” a pale yellow rose. “The two varieties complement each other,” he said.

He added that the original landscaping specifications for the 36th Street project called only for pink roses, but since the nursery supplying the roses did not have enough of the variety called for, the pink-and-yellow mix went in instead. “Often, what you plant and what you spec are different,” he said. The roses have fared very well since they were planted in 1998.

Dear Benny,
How many animals visit the Ryan Veterinary Hospital and New Bolton Center each year? What types of animals have been seen there?
— Animal Planet Inhabitant

Dear Pet Person,
School of Veterinary Medicine administrators tell me that last year, the George D. Widener Hospital at the New Bolton Center treated 6,000 animals, 5,000 of which were horses. Besides horses, the Widener veterinarians saw cows, pigs, llamas, alpacas, oxen, sheep, goats, and pygmy goats last year.

The Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania handles about 27,000 cases a year, including followup visits. About 11,000 of these cases arrive via the hospital’s emergency room. The four most common animals treated at Ryan VHUP are dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets, in that order. Pet owners have also brought birds, fish, reptiles and other exotic animals to the hospital for treatment.