Nothing ushers in spring like my annual tradition of attending the nation’s largest and oldest indoor horticultural show. This year, the 2018 Philly Flower Show’s took a deep dive into the wonder of water.
Since 1829, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has featured the latest and greatest in gardening and design. The annual event is held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia. The 8-day exhibition benefits the local economy and preserves community gardens within the city.
Before we look at the connection between plants and water, let’s look at my Philadelphia Flower Show attendance since I started blogging:
🌸 2017: Tip-Toe Through the Tulips – Holland Theme
🌸 2016: A Walk in the Park – National Parks Theme
🌸 2015: Celebrate the Movies – Movies Theme
🌸 2014: Say Hello to Spring – Articulture Theme
The main entrance always has some sort of ‘wow’ factor and it certainly didn’t disappoint this year with its tropical rainforest, 25′ waterfall and 4000 plants. Needless to say such a stunning view stopped people in their tracks. This area was extremely challenging to maneuver because of people congregating and admiring the natural beauty.
It probably was not my best idea to not only attend the show on a Saturday but the on the day before the show ends. It didn’t help that it snowed earlier in the week which probably contributed to the swell of visitors on the weekend. You really do have to get up close to some of the exhibits to see what exactly the designer was trying to do with its theme. Take the photo above for instance. I thought it was a volcano erupting when it was actually a replica of the mountain stream of ice melts. What do you think?
The field of tulips were a welcome sight even with such a focus on water. In the photo above, a parade of tulips as a reminder of last year’s Holland theme.
Above is a photo of a Japanese Sakuteiki garden with metered racked sand mimicking the waves of water. The question is how did someone get in and out with leaving any footprints on the sand?
The exhibition’s nature’s gallery addressed the wonders of water with a small display. This clear acrylic flora is a reminder of how raindrops fall from the sky and refresh the earth. This display represents the water cycle through the art of floral design. This exhibit awarded Special Achievement Award of the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania and a silver medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
The ultimate water display in the exhibit, though, was the educational Windows on the Watershed, a 65-by-50-foot exhibition highlighted to showcase the Delaware River Watershed, representing its four ecosystems to let visitors gain an understanding of how plants contribute to water quality according to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s website.
I will always have sweet memories of the 2011 Parisian theme with the Eiffel Tower at the main entrance. This show was the perfect segue to my first trip to Paris in 2012 (I went again in 2016).
My favorite Flower Show memories are from when I attended in 2015 with my fab friend, Cynthia, who received two corporate tickets from our employer AstraZeneca to attend the black tie preview party. We were able to get the best pictures of the exhibits as well as read everything because there weren’t any crowds!
Attending the Flower Show isn’t not just an annual tradition but a learning experience for me, too, as its a great place to get new ideas for my home and garden.
I’m already looking forward to the 2019 Philly Flower Show, when the theme will be Flower Power. So mark your calendar for Saturday, March 2 -10, 2019. I bet we see a few tie-ins to 50th Anniversary of Woodstock — you know, peace signs and Peter Max art. Hopefully, the cost will remain $35.00.
Thank you for reading. Have a fabulous and healthy week.
