2008 PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW

01-30-2008

 

 

Philadelphia, Pa. (January 2008) Inspired by the aura and flora of New Orleans, the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show comes to the Pennsylvania Convention Center  March 2 to 9 with the exuberant theme, “Jazz It Up!”

 

The exhibits will transport guests to the Crescent City’s Garden District, French Quarter, backwoods and bayous, and show them how to jazz up their own gardens with exotic and familiar plants and to express their own inner music in their home landscapes.

 

Flower Show visitors will also enjoy the unique music of the Big Easy, as New Orleans headliners like Big Sam’s Funky Nation and local jazz greats such as Dave Posmontier perform on two stages throughout the week.

 

Now in its 179^th year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s largest fundraiser will cover 10 acres with enthralling displays that dispel the wintertime blues.  Visitors will pass under a massive archway of larger-than-life floating piano keys, musical notes and waterfall and enter the Rhythm Rooms Jazz Club, the central feature created by Show Designer Sam Lemheney with Lamsback Floral Decorators. The series of vignettes are inspired by modern art, each built around a geometric shape and striking color combinations. Over-the-top floral chandeliers, full-size palm trees, and imaginative garden rooms will push the limits of “outside-in” décor, while Southern plants from magnolias to bromeliads abound.

 

Second-line parades, the traditional Big Easy street dancing, will wind through the Show floor to the Bourbon Street Stage where Big Sam and local performers, including the Hoppin’ John Orchestra and UCC Brass Band, will bring on the New Orleans sound. The other musical venue, the Legends Stage Presented by Settlement Music School, will feature homegrown talent such as Sam Ruttenberg, Denise Bruckno, and the Crosstown Brass Quintet will perform classical to contemporary jazz.

 

The country’s top landscape and floral designers will expand on the jazz theme with a multitude of great gardens that feature everything from Mardi Gras colors to orchids on the bayou to a juke joint in the woods.  

 

For guidance, opportunities and inspiration on local gardening, visitors can check out the new PHS Village.  The display created by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will showcase its vast array of programs and activities for youth, volunteers, members and garden enthusiasts. The Flower Show funds the extraordinary work of PHS’ Philadelphia Green, the largest and most comprehensive urban revitalization program in the nation.

 

Other informative exhibits will emphasize the importance of greening, and utilizing state-of-the-art, sustainable techniques in urban, suburban and rural environments.

 

Young people will have a big role in the Show and young visitors will enjoy a variety of exhibits created for them. Students from Settlement Music School will perform, and teenage gardeners from the Horticulture Academy at Abraham Lincoln High School and W.B. Saul High School will create amazing displays.

 

In the Show’s amateur competitive divisions, area gardeners and clubs will participate in hundreds of categories that include jazz-inspired arbors, entryways, window boxes, miniature settings, and more. Thousands of perfectly groomed bulbs, orchids, and other potted plants are entered by novices and experts in “classes” that are judged throughout Show week. New categories this year include a series of floral arrangements inspired by the works of fashion students at the University of the Arts and a whimsical topiary dog show that will feature a variety of favorite breeds.

 

The Flower Show is a great place to learn from the experts. Hundreds of presentations take place throughout the week on everything from flower arranging to organic gardening.  In-depth lectures and hands-on demonstrations offer visitors reliable information they can use at home. A complete schedule of speakers and topics is available at www.theflowershow.com.

           

Shopping at the Show is a great way to end the day. The Flower Show Marketplace will offer quality tools, sculptures, plants, artwork, bonsai, orchids, and cut flowers in more than 150 vendor booths. In 2008, New Orleans and Southern-inspired garden décor, tools, jewelry, crafts, and glassware will be featured with special pieces available at the Official Flower Show Shoppe.

            The Philadelphia Flower Show is the premiere event of its kind in the world, attracting more than 250,000 over its eight-day run. The best time to see the Show is weekdays after 4 p.m. when it is less crowded.

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