Philadelphia Flower Show 2016 Memorable FIRST visit

By Paula Kohler

OSU Extension master gardener volunteer

It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement as my friend Mary Merritt and I joined the long entrance line behind hundreds entering the Philadelphia Convention Center to the Philadelphia Flower Show just a couple of weeks ago.

As we were ushered through the grand entrance by Philadelphia Horticultural Society volunteers, a huge display sign flanking a spectacular grandiose floral display became visible – “Explore America.”

The flower show highlighted The National Parks Service, established in 1916, and celebrating 100 years of service this year.

Visitors were visually transported across the country to many of the national parks, from A-Z, Acadia to Zion.

The entrance replicated a Big Timber Lodge very much like those you see in Yellowstone or Yosemite.

Forty-foot screens gave everyone a glimpse of scenes, rotating each of the National Parks from sunrise to sunset.

Rangers shared their expertise in lectures and video presentations.

Hundreds of trees, thousands of flowering shrubs, bulbs and cut flowers transformed a large empty room into wonderland park venues.

Sculptures of bison, bears and moose made from natural materials, flowing streams and bubbling pots completed the scene.

As we turned each corner, excitement and amazement brightened our eyes and gave us ideas for our 2016 gardens.

Unlike local garden shows, three-fourths of the entire show was totally dedicated to the floral displays, arranging and judging.

Venders were housed at the opposite end of the of entrance. They were not interspersed throughout the floral displays.

We enjoyed checking out the new and innovative tools, the numerous kinds of arbors, trendy and traditional lawn furniture, as well as stunning lighting displays.

If there were a drawback that I could mention – it was crowded!

We moved with the flow of the other attendees.

If you wanted a closer inspection, people were three to four deep at the front areas of the show.

We had to wait a significant amount of time for photo opportunities.

Patience was the key to success.

By the end of the day I was crowd-weary.

I was tired of the crowd-jumpers trying to take selfies.

We survived the day though, because the show was so amazing.

What we did not realize was that this show is the crown jewel, the largest flower show in North America.

The Philadelphia flower show revenues support charitable efforts of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

We spent only half a day – not nearly enough time to understand or appreciate the hours invested in pulling this show together.

You can visit the flower show for more details on the web at http://theflowershow.com.