Have no fear, spring is almost here.The 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show is guaranteed to brighten up any gloomy late-winter day. The show takes place from March 3 to 11 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The theme of this year’s show being “Wonders of Water,” it will surely demonstrate the life-sustaining art of horticulture and the natural beauty of water all while displaying the stunning plants.

The Philadelphia Flower Show is the world’s oldest and largest indoor flower show, hosting about 250 thousand guests annually, collecting 47 dollars per person in attendance. With all of the visitors the show attracts high praise from industry leaders such as the International Festivals and Events Association, who named it “the best event in the world” among the ranks of the Kentucky Derby and Indianapolis 500 Festival.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) displayed the first flower show in Philadelphia in 1829. Though the show has grown and evolved over the centuries, its purpose has always remained the same.

“The goal of the show, first and foremost, is to bring visitors together, provide entertainment and display of beauty and power of plants and flowers to inspire people to go out in the world and bring greenery into their lives,” said Kevin Feeley,

Communications Manager of the Philadelphia Flower Show.
The “Wonders of Water” theme will be represented through water gardens featuring moss balls, waterless gardens, and fountains. This year’s entrance will truly capture the power of water by bringing a rainforest to life in the middle of the convention center–the entrance garden will display thousands of leaves, exotic flowers, a five-story bamboo waterfall, a rain curtain and a rope bridge to take visitors up close and personal with the scents and sounds of the jungle.

“This year’s entrance garden kicks off the awe-inspiring, enriching experience that awaits visitors throughout the show,” said Sam Lemheney, PHS Chief of Shows and Events.

The flowers that make up the entrance garden come from a number of sources, including PHS’s own farm and garden, Meadowbrook in Jenkintown, as well as Valley Forge Flowers.
The preparation for the show begins long before the convention center’s doors open. PHS has decided the theme for each year’s show all the way through 2022. Many of the tropical plants for this year’s show have been growing in Florida for the last few months and will be transported up as they bloom right before and during the show. The PHS team moves into the convention center two weeks before the show to begin setting up, in order to ensure that everything is ready for visitors to come on Preview Day.

An event as extravagant as this one brings in many different types of people: anyone who is into flower tourism and is looking for a relaxing break from the cold winter should visit this eye-opening, jaw-dropping event. When the Philadelphia Flower Show comes around, you know spring is not too far away.