Delmarva Day Trip: 2016 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Philadelphia Flower Show

The Pennsylvania Horticultural SocietyPhiladelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. This years flower show runs March 5 – 13 at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

The 2016 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates the centennial of the National Park Service and our country’s natural landscapes. The theme is “Explore America” and visitors will view displays inspired by iconic parks like Acadia, Cape Cod, Valley Forge, Shenandoah, Yellowstone, Yosemite and many other parks and historic sites, created by the nation’s premier floral and garden designers.

“The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is honored that the Philadelphia Flower Show has been chosen by the National Park Service as a centennial event marking this amazing milestone. This is a wonderful partnership, and ‘Explore America’ will be an extraordinary show,” said Sam Lemheney, PHS chief of shows & events.

That is exactly what the Philadelphia Flower show is — extraordinary.

As soon as you walk through the doors into the exhibit hall, bright tulips of many colors catch your eye and the aroma of fresh flowers fill the air. The room is also filled with many visitors and their cameras taking pictures of all the beautiful, unique, quirky arrangements.

Interview with Alan Jaffe, director of communications for Pennsylvania Horticulture Society:

The University of Delaware exhibit:

Floral head piece exhibit:

Flower show judges have the job of selecting which exhibits are the most deserving of a ribbon. The exhibits are judged on quality of design, plantsmanship, among other qualities such as:

• Cultural Perfection: Vigorous, healthy appearance including foliage, flowers or fruit, and form characteristic of a well-grown plant; there should be no indication of pests or disease.
• Distinctiveness: Meritorious in aesthetic appeal; noteworthy in size and relationship to container.
• Bloom: Quality and quantity of bloom, including freshness and substance; mass effect if appropriate to the class.
• Fruit: Quality and abundance of fruit, if appropriate to the class, including color and mass effect.
• Maturity: Size of plant and foliage characteristic of a mature specimen.
• Difficulty: Challenging to grow (and bring to bloom, if applicable to the class); requiring specialized growing conditions, skill, and care.
• Rarity: Seldom grown and exhibited by amateur horticultural enthusiasts.

Show proceeds, including tickets and sponsorship contributions, support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, including Plant One Million and City Harvest campaigns.

PHS Philadelphia Flower Show

Address: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Tickets:

Get tickets here.

Show Hours: