The Philadelphia Flower Show

One thing that always brings me out of any winter doldrums, thaws the cold of late winter restores the color to my spirit, The Flower Show.

We in the Delaware Valley don’t need to ask which flower show, for us there is only one, the grand dame of them all, The Philadelphia Flower Show. The oldest and largest show of it’s kind in the nation.

The very first show was held in 1829, in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, just two years after the formation of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Occupying two rooms in the temple it’s first year, it has grown to cover over ten acres of enclosed horticultural display, within the Philadelphia Convention Center.




This year’s theme is “Jazz It Up”. The music and spirit of New Orleans is played out in the central feature, repleat with a glass piano created by Dale Chihuly himself. A structure to invoke the feel of the French Quarter serves as a background to this amazing entrance. Plants cascade down second story balconies to the crowds below, the colors and the sounds of Jazz flood the show floor.




Live lectures given in the Gardeners Studio, on the show floor entertains topics such as Container gardening, Herbs and pruning techniques. A new talk starts every hour that the show is open, and the show run for nine days. That’s a lot of free information!



Large-scale exhibits, many by regional landscape companies comprise much of the display area, although many smaller and non-profit organizations have displays as well.




The Horticourt is where the action is before the show. Individuals entering, primping, and fussing and finally relinquishing control of there prized plants to those overly objective judges. And for what? Ribbons, blue ribbons, and bragging rights for the season.