Watery Wonders Coming to the 2018 Philly Flower Show
February 20th, 2018
Any gardener who has spent a hot, dry summer married to the hose knows how critical water is to plants – and to people and the planet, for that matter.
This artist’s rendering gives an idea what the main entrance to the 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show will look like.
Credit: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
That’s why this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show “Wonders of Water” theme is such a worthy, important one. It also happens to lend itself really well to a variety of creative displays.
I suspect this year’s show, which takes place March 3 through 11 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is going to be one of the more diverse and impressive ones. There’s a lot you can do with water.
The main entrance alone sounds worth the trip – an indoor rainforest with a 25-foot waterfall, five levels of hanging flowers, a way-cool creation called a rain curtain, and a rope bridge leading through a lush, tropical, 4,000-plant setting of palms, ferns, orchids, and a pond with 3-foot-wide water-platter water lilies.
Landscapers are planning dozens of other gardens that employ water in one way or another – including the lack of it in the case of displays on desert plants and xeriscaping.
Expect lots of waterfalls, water features, ponds, rain gardens, bog gardens, and fountains.
If you’ve never seen a Philadelphia Flower Show, it’s the world’s biggest, oldest indoor flower show, featuring acres of wow gardens plus seminars, a huge amateur plant-growing competition, a gardener’s marketplace of more than 100 vendors, floral-arranging demos, hands-on crafts, wine-tasting, and much more.
See George’s PennLive post on highlights from the 2017 Dutch-themed Philadelphia Flower Show.
It’s one of those bucket-list events that even non-gardeners appreciate. People come from all over the world to see it – some 250,000 visitors over the nine show days.
I’ve been to at least two dozen Philly Flower Shows, and I never get tired of them. Every year is different. That’s even considering I’ve been seeing each year’s show five times the last several years.
I go five times because I take bus loads of gardeners there each show weekday.
Lowee’s Group Tours and I have scheduled another lineup of five day trips this year, leaving from West Shore and East Shore locations on March 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. (Note: These have all sold out, so all that’s left this year is to get on the cancellation list.)
I think bus is the best way to see the Philly show. The driver deals with the Schuylkill traffic and turnpike tolls, drops you off and picks you up at the front door, and saves you the hassle of parking.
Our trips leave later in the morning so we get there after the cattle herd has cleared the entrance. We also stay later to enjoy the exhibits as the crowds thin, starting around dinner time.
The cost is $85 per person (same as last year), which includes your show ticket. On the way down, I also give away prizes on the bus and give inside show tips to help you make the most of your day.
If you’re interested, call Lowee’s at 717-657-965 or toll-free 888-345-6933 to see if any seats are left or to get on a wait list in case anyone cancels.
If you’re not going with us, get your show tickets ahead of time. Advance tickets are now on sale for a discounted price of $29.95 for adults, $20 for students (ages 17-24) and $17 for children (ages 2-16). If you wait till March 2, adult tickets go up to $32 weekdays and $35 weekends, and then to $35 and $40 if you buy at the box office on site.
Advance tickets also are available at some AAA offices and Acme, Giant Food, and Wegmans grocery stores.
Separate add-on options are available for events such as doing an early-morning tour before the show opens ($110), having a garden tea ($28), or attending a disco-themed Flowers After Hours event with a performance by the Village People on March 3 at 8:30 p.m. ($75).
This year’s show hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. March 3; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. March 4 and March 10; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 5-9, and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. March 11.