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Harvesting IDEAS
Photo
A display of tulips is shown at the Boston Flower and Garden Show in Boston.
By Barb Delisio
OSU master gardener volunteer
We’ll start with one of the oldest and largest, the Philadelphia Flower Show, Feb. 28-March 8. It takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch streets, downtown Philadelphia. You can view fabulous designs, culinary demonstrations, gardening how-to workshops and lectures by experts. The hours vary from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. They suggest wearing comfortable shoes and dressing in layers as it can get chilly on the show Ô¨Çoor. The coolness is good for the Ô¨Çowers; we can add layers if we need to. Tickets for adults start at $23-$27, depending when they are bought. Email phs-inf@pennhort.org for pricing and schedules. When you’re in the Philly area, don’t forget to include Longwood Gardens and the Winterthur Museum in your travel plans.
Next, up to the Boston Flower & Garden Show. This spectacular show runs from March 11-15 at the Seaport World Trade Center. Cost for adults is $20; seniors, $17; and kids ages 6-17, $10. Hours start at 10 a.m. daily, ending at 8 or 9 p.m. on different days. The theme is “Season of Enchantment” with Ô¨Çoral exhibits, a photography division, many gardens to walk through, more than 100 vendors in the marketplace and many lectures and demonstrations to attend daily. Go online to www.bostonflowershow.com for a complete listing of activities. When you’re in Boston, stop at Harvard University of Natural History and see the Ware Collection of Ô¨Çowers all hand-blown from glass. It’s unbelievable.
We have a little overlap here, because the Chicago Flower and Garden Show starts March 14. It runs a little longer than a week, ending March 22. The show is on Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. Tickets are $17 on a weekday and $19 on the weekend. If you buy tickets online (chicagoÔ¨Çower.com), they are $2 cheaper. The show runs daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can walk through featured gardens, shop at the marketplace, listen to horticulture experts offering seminars and workshops, enjoy culinary demonstrations by garden gourmets, view creative tablescapes and view the art of Ô¨Çoral design. Don’t forget to visit the Chicago Botanical Gardens, a little out of the city, but just a cab ride away.
Now we’re off a little closer to home to the Cincinnati Flower Show. The dates are April 15-19. The show has a new location this year, Yeatman’s Cove, along the banks of the Ohio River. This year advanced tickets through March 31 are just $15. General admission is $20 after March 31 and at the gate. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. The show will feature several signature displays including horticultural pavilions, urban spaces, unique container gardens, dramatic table settings, brimming window boxes, and a fabulous marketplace to provide innovative ideas needed to transform your own yard and garden. I don’t have anything to suggest visiting in this are because this is the only show I haven’t attended. But I’m sure there are various gardens listed in the area.
We’ll end our little tour with the grandest of the grand, the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London, England. I had the pleasure of attending this show a few years ago. All I can say is that it was an unbelievable experience, one I will never forget. This year, the show runs May 19 through May 23. The news and Internet are buzzing about how affordable Europe is this year — so why not plan a trip? The times of the show on Tuesday through Friday are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and till 5:30 on Saturday.
You can buy a valid ticket only through the RHS or the Ticket Factory (thticketfactory.com). The tickets to the general public are pricy at 59 pounds for all day. If you go on a tour to England, visiting the various gardens and the Chelsea show, your ticket to the show is usually included. The problem with a tour is that now they’re probably all sold out. We had to secure our reservations an entire year in advance. Just contact a local travel agent for details.
I hope you can enjoy at least one if not a few of these wonderful Ô¨Çower shows. If you can’t manage one this year, visit a local home and garden show and walk through a few of their created gardens. These gardens will give you a little bit of springtime during our snowy winter and generate a few ideas for your own spring plans.