Philadelphia Flower Show
Encyclopedia
The Philadelphia International Flower Show is an annual event produced by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
and held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
in early March. It is the "largest indoor flower show in the world" attracting more than 250,000 people annually.
The show features large scale gardens, which range from elaborate landscaped displays to individual and club entries of a prize horticultural specimen. Each year there is an official theme which serves as the inspiration for most exhibits. The exhibits are submitted for judging in many categories, and are highly competitive.
The amateur division of the show known as the Competitive Classes often have an assigned theme, related to the overall show theme. The 2007 Show, Legends of Ireland, featured Pressed Plant Material (i.e. dried flower pictures) that "..incorporated a Celtic Knot
.". The first weekend's Medium Niche theme was Wish You Were Here "Exhibitors will be sent Irish postcards for inspiration. A copy of the postcard will be mounted next to the exhibit." Entrants for that class typically have a mockup of the niche at home, where they practice assembling and lighting their entry in the months preceding the show. In a Challenge class, entrants bring only pruning shears, and must use show-provided materials to interpret a theme within a limited amount of time. Three typical Horticulture classes are 142: Clivia, flowering. Pot 8" or under, 143: Clivia, flowering. Pot 8"-10", and 144: Clivia, foliage. (There was also a Clivia entered in 2007 under Exceptional plants 10–20 years old, to be judged against “perfection” for their species/cultivar.)
A popular part of the show floor is the Garden marketplace where visitors can buy plants and seeds, cut flowers, craft items, and other flower, landscaping and horticulture-related items.
The Show boasts fabulous floral and garden design, live entertainment, culinary events and extraordinary gardening how-to workshops and lectures by experts.
was founded in 1827. The nation's first flower show was held in Philadelphia in 1829, and showcased many exotic and native plants. The flower show moved to the now-demolished Philadelphia Civic Center
in 1966, where it remained each year until 1996, when it moved to its present location at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
. Today, PHS contributes to the local economy and the green life of Philadelphia and the region. Proceeds from the Flower Show support thousands of revitalization projects in communities.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes horticulture-related events and community activities. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
and held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...
in early March. It is the "largest indoor flower show in the world" attracting more than 250,000 people annually.
The show features large scale gardens, which range from elaborate landscaped displays to individual and club entries of a prize horticultural specimen. Each year there is an official theme which serves as the inspiration for most exhibits. The exhibits are submitted for judging in many categories, and are highly competitive.
The amateur division of the show known as the Competitive Classes often have an assigned theme, related to the overall show theme. The 2007 Show, Legends of Ireland, featured Pressed Plant Material (i.e. dried flower pictures) that "..incorporated a Celtic Knot
Celtic knot
Celtic knots are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century...
.". The first weekend's Medium Niche theme was Wish You Were Here "Exhibitors will be sent Irish postcards for inspiration. A copy of the postcard will be mounted next to the exhibit." Entrants for that class typically have a mockup of the niche at home, where they practice assembling and lighting their entry in the months preceding the show. In a Challenge class, entrants bring only pruning shears, and must use show-provided materials to interpret a theme within a limited amount of time. Three typical Horticulture classes are 142: Clivia, flowering. Pot 8" or under, 143: Clivia, flowering. Pot 8"-10", and 144: Clivia, foliage. (There was also a Clivia entered in 2007 under Exceptional plants 10–20 years old, to be judged against “perfection” for their species/cultivar.)
A popular part of the show floor is the Garden marketplace where visitors can buy plants and seeds, cut flowers, craft items, and other flower, landscaping and horticulture-related items.
The Show boasts fabulous floral and garden design, live entertainment, culinary events and extraordinary gardening how-to workshops and lectures by experts.
History
The Pennsylvania Horticultural SocietyPennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes horticulture-related events and community activities. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
was founded in 1827. The nation's first flower show was held in Philadelphia in 1829, and showcased many exotic and native plants. The flower show moved to the now-demolished Philadelphia Civic Center
Philadelphia Civic Center
The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition...
in 1966, where it remained each year until 1996, when it moved to its present location at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...
. Today, PHS contributes to the local economy and the green life of Philadelphia and the region. Proceeds from the Flower Show support thousands of revitalization projects in communities.