The Philadelphia Flower Show has been introducing its visitors to alien and incredible plant since its very first exhibition in 1829 , when the poinsettia , a flower aboriginal to Mexico , made its U.S. introduction . The effect , put on by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society ( PHS ) , is large horticultural exhibition in the U.S. It stretches out over 10 acres in the Pennsylvania Convention Center , and , according to Alan Jaffe , Director of Communications for the Flower Show , there are , on average , a million works per show .
“ The Parks Service has two exhibits at the show , ” Jaffe says . “ One of them is looking at the account of landscape architecture in the park system , and the other showing is the Find Your Park Pavilion . They ’re bringing in rangers from across the country to do presentations , and we ’ll also have webcam from different part of the country . People will sit in an amphitheater , and they ’ll keep an eye on a ranger who will take them on a wage increase through Muir Woods , for example , explain what ’s blooming there today . And the rangers will be here see hoi polloi and explaining to them the delight of the dissimilar parks around the country . ”
The Philadelphia Flower Showruns until March 13 ; here are just a few of the amazing displays we saw .
1. BIG TIMBER LODGE
The first thing visitors to the Flower Show see is this structure , which was inspired by the architecture of the National Parks . There ’s a 12 - foot falls , floral chandelier and totem , and life - sized sculptures of a grey-headed bear and a buffalo .
Projection display , created by the Philadelphia - ground companyKlip Collective , play mental imagery from our parks , and audio recording make water visitors feel like they ’re there . “ We put in hundreds of grapevine hyacinth this class so people really sense like they ’re getting the first whiff of spring when they arrive in , ” Jaffe says . Other plant in the showing let in crocuses , cosmos , and genus Echinacea .
2. REDWOOD NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS
The centerpiece of this incredible exhibit , make by the Philadelphia - base American Institute of Floral Designers , is an court to the Chandelier Tree . That sequoia , settle in Leggett , California , is more than 300 feet tall and has a pickle in its trunk widely enough to drive through . Visitors walking through the 20 - foot - tall , 15 - foot - wide replica should look up to see a blazing raiment of chandeliers made with ruby flowers and quartz glass .
Around the Chandelier Tree are towering replication of redwoods and artworks created using rescued Mrs. Henry Wood , succulent , branches , and flowers — include this beautiful elk , made with twigs , branches , and roofy bowed stringed instrument .
3. ANSEL ADAMS AND THE NATIONAL PARKS
Schaffer Design ’s video display honors a number of home parks through the lens of photographer Ansel Adams . Standouts include the homage to Giant Dome in New Mexico ’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park , which mimic the limestone formation found in the cavern and top them with amaranth , protea , rosiness , and leucadendron ; a display honor Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Hawaii which include elements of sweet huck , midollino cane , genus Phalaenopsis orchid , and dulcet peas from Japan ( and a little white Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , of course ) ; and a cascade of lily-white flower recall Yosemite ’s Vernal Fall .
4. POSTCARDS FROM THE ARCHES
The Wyndmoor , Pennsylvania - based Robertson ’s Flowers & Events created five vignettes designed to evoke the innate rock structures in Arches National Park . Each display — which , in addition to natural materials like flowers and driftwood , used composition board and burlap , craftily coif to make the most of their texture — was inspired by an actual structure ( Robertson ’s included a picture of the inspiration next to each manmade arch ) . The display won Best in Show - Floral .
5. THE PEOPLE’S PROMENADE
There ’s nothing more Philadelphia than the Liberty Bell , and this display has a elephantine one , enshroud in red , white , and blue blooms ( which are made of theme ) . The surrounding display let in a garden with peonies , blue hostas , roses , and a lawn lined with whitened birch rod trees — and , of course of instruction , an excerption from the Constitution . The display was created by the Wyndmoor , Pennsylvania - based Burke Brothers Landscape Design / Build .
6. MUIR TOWER
This show , created by the Oakland , California - based Hood Design Studio , consists of several mesh rings , some of which are suspended from the cap . The design was inspired by Monument to the Third International , a edifice designed by Russian architect Vladimir Tatlin that was due to be erect in 1917 . ( The structure , dub Tatlin ’s Tower , was ultimately never built . )
The outside is meant to mimic sequoia bark , and the inside invites visitor to await up to see slash of redwoods . A specie of fern find in Muir Woods National Monument surrounds the exterior of the display .
7. YELLOWSTONE - AFTER THE FIRE
It might seem counterintuitive , but wildfire are actually an important part of a wood ’s lifecycle — they allow certain plants to blossom , allow for habitat variety , and return nutrients to the soil . For itsfirst 100 class , fires in Yellowstone were speedily stamped out , which act a theatrical role in a devastating 1988 wildfire that ravaged Yellowstone ; some 36 percent of the common was feign [ PDF ] .
The Glen Mills , Pennsylvania - based Stoney Bank Nurseries ’ display show Yellowstone National Park after the fires . In addition to charred trees , the showing has more than 100 type of plants , from wildflowers and saplings to a replica of the park ’s Morning Glory Geothermal Pool — which even has steam wafting off of it , though thankfully no sulfur flavor — plus a wolf crafted from cryptomeria tree , celebrating the gray Friedrich August Wolf ’s comeback to the green .
8. ART OF BONSAI
The Bonsai artistry manikin has been around for more than two millennium — and after looking at these gorgeous shrub , it ’s not hard to see why . This display , created by the Glenmore - establish Pennsylvania Bonsai Society , showcases tree from 20 to 100 years old . The Shimpaku Juniper tree above is 65 years old and has been training — a technique that involves wrapping wire around the branch to change their shape and slant — for 40 years .
