Everything’s coming up roses—and lilies and ferns and geraniums—at the Philadelphia Flower Show, opening this Saturday, February 28, and running through March 8.
The Philadelphia Flower Show is the largest and oldest flower show in the country, dating back to 1829. Each winter, it fills the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in downtown Philly, with masses of blossoms and greenery, all in artful and amazing arrangements. Visitors can not only stop to smell the flowers; they can get gardening tips and buy all manner of plants, pots, tools, and botanical-related gifts.
This year’s theme is “Celebrate the Movies,” and the show will kick off with a show-stopping entrance: an art deco theater facade with 200 neon lights and a 29-foot-tall marquee of flowers. A red carpet will lead past towering palm trees, chandeliers draped in moss and jewels, a rose garden with blossoms named for legendary movie including Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, plus more than 800 hostas, 1,500 calla lillies, and other blooms.
Inside, assorted floral presentations will take their inspiration from Disney and Pixar films, including Frozen, Maleficent, Cars, and Cinderella. There will be displays created by designers from around the world—including from Australia, South Africa, and Malaysia. A Butterfly Experience will allow visitors to get up close to the winged creatures.
Individual tickets cost $30 per adult, $20 per student, and $15 per child if purchased online ($32, $22, and $17 if bought at the box office). For tickets, and more information, click here.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
