When I first heard of the Philadelphia Flower Show over 15 years ago, I thought it sounded like the most boring old lady event to attend. I didn’t garden. Plants never survived my home; I wasn’t even a ‘flowers and candy’ kinda girl when I was dating. So why in the world would I pay more than $40 a ticket for entrance into a convention center 2 hours away just to look at plants and flowers? Am I insane?!
As it turns out, yes, yes I am. This year Mom, Charlotte, and I – plus over a quarter million other people – were certifiably crazy and attended this living art installation. That’s really what it is, an art show. You could hate nature, never garden, not be an outdoorsy person, and know nothing about flowers or plants but have the most incredible day if you love looking at pretty and unusual things.
This event couldn’t happen at a better time of year too, in March, when we’re all so sick of winter and S.A.D. You know, Seasonal Affective Disorder? Being fucking mad that it’s not summer yet and still getting dark at 4pm. So why not pack some snacks, fill up the tank, and take a day trip to Philly and pretend that it’s July!
First, don’t make these mistakes:
- Do not show up without pre-booking your parking. Philadelphia is a metropolitan city after all; you will not find street parking. My old bandmates coined the phrase “Luck of the Box” (that’s me – stage name Sandy Box- a story for another day) because I had a knack for finding street parking in Manhattan within a block of whatever venue we played. The Lower East Side, Chelsea, and even Midtown by our rehearsal studio were never a problem for me. However, I did not want to test the Luck of the Box in Philly… So I pre-booked a $35 self-parking garage spot down the block from the convention center on my Parkwhiz app. Peace of mind is golden when you’re old, ha! Not to mention the lot was “full” when we got there… but not for those with a reservation, suckers!
- Don’t forget to pre-plan a spot for lunch. We knew we were visiting Reading Terminal Market across the street from the convention center on this outing, and wouldn’t it be great to grab lunch there too! Nope, I knew on a Saturday we’d wait for 35 people to get a cheesesteak or 45 minutes in line at Beiler’s Bakery for a donut, so I looked for yummy places with easy parking along our drive to the city. We found Kpot along our route in the suburbs 20 minutes from the convention center in Franklin Mills, and if you don’t mind eating in a shopping plaza that shares its space with Sam’s Club and Dave and Buster’s out the window, it was so effin’ good!
On our walk to the convention center after we had parked, we couldn’t pass up at least a stroll through the market, right? We spent about an hour browsing the shops, rubbing both elbows with strangers in the thick of the bustle, and grabbed a coffee to go. Thank goodness we were full from our hotpot lunch; I would not have resisted the very long lines for all of the amazing food on display!
- Don’t go on a weekend. Trust me. If the above market congestion doesn’t scare you, the crowds at the flower show on weekends will. I typically don’t have a problem with large crowds, but Saturday was cray-cray; each installation had like a 30-minute line. No, thank you! Thankfully the flower show always lasts for a week and a half, so a Tuesday might be a better idea if you can swing it.
- Don’t arrive with empty pockets; be ready to shop! Half of the flower show is set up with over 100 vendors selling their craftwork and clothing, unique gardening gloves, handmade soaps and balms, artwork, and crazy socks. Perfect for gift-giving or treating yourself to something unique, so plan some extra funds for retail therapy. I bought long-sleeve gardening gloves to gift a family member, and my mom bought me a fabulous botanical-themed dress for my birthday. Make sure you bring a large shopping tote to haul off your goodies. It also makes you look like you belong, even though you and I both know we don’t, but at least you won’t look as wacky as the die-hards pushing through with their loaded pull carts.
Once you’ve made it into the show, hopefully avoiding all of my mistakes above, it’s time to soak in the art around you! The entrance is always some incredibly designed gateway leading to the exhibits that speak to the flower show’s theme for the year. On this visit the theme was “Garden Electric,” and they left it up to the floral designers to decide what that meant, and each interpretation was unique and wildly creative.
There were exhibits that combined nature with fluorescent tube lighting and others that placed gardens protruding out of an intergalactic space pod. Mannequins mid-twirl were outfitted with floral ballerina tutus; not a stitch of cloth to be found on their plastic bods. There were electric rotating gardens and tabletop floral arrangements that included retro TVs looping white noise.
One of my favorite installations was a walk through an aisle of store window displays named “Eye Candy.” It was like a stroll through a corner of Chelsea Market’s sweet shops, only in a moody alternate universe where everything was made from flowers and electrical charges. The donut shop? Moss covered in sprinkles made of roses. The candy store? Licorice made of feathery grassy stuff (I’m not googling plant names). Another store window had giant-sized candy button sheets made of carnations, and another wedding cake shop displayed 3-tiered cakes that made me hungry again.
For the committed and focused plant lovers, a portion of the show displays ribbon winners in multiple growing categories for Best in Show, such as “hottest cactus” and “most even-st shrub.” I’m kidding; I’m sure the names are more formal, but you get the point.
So throw out your preconceived notions of what you think a flower show means, and give it a try. Next year’s theme for 2024 is “United by Flowers,” and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society explains that this theme pays tribute to the variety of unique attendees each year. It pays homage to “trendsetting professional designers, amateur competitors, fashionistas looking for the ultimate selfie, and generations of families from all walks of life who come together each year for the show.” That’s you, and me, and some other poor schmuck who doesn’t take my advice and goes on a Saturday.
Make! My Mistake 