82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003
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Imagine the time and skill involved in having plantings
at their peak for the nine-day show.
Each individual flower is tagged so that visitors can jot
down the names of plants, trees, and shrubbery they
want to add to their home landscaping designs.
Rustic buildings and elaborate facades of houses were
erected to show how plantings add accents to the sur
roundings.
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
PHILADELPHIA Brilliant
colors and fragrances of hya
cinths, roses, and herbs mingled
together at the world-famous
Philadelphia Flower Show last
week.
For the sun-deprived, it seem
ed as if the growing season had
finally arrived.
Although few of the lush gar
den exhibits were projects that
do-it-yourselfers can duplicate,
the show sparks gardening
dreams and offers the opportuni
ty to learn from the workshops,
lectures, and personal one-on-one
time with top gardeners from
around the world.
The spectacular landscaped
exhibits with towering trees,
blooming bushes and gentle
ponds appear to be permanent
grounds. In reality, the exhibits
were only erected days before the
show opening and were torn
down at closing.
The ability to force blooms of
spring, summer, and fall flowers
at this time of the year is no easy
feat for growers. It requires horti
cultural skills of adjusting light,
humidity, and carbon dioxide
levels in greenhouses, where
thousands of plants are grown in
preparation for the annual event.
Flowers on display are name
tagged so that visitors can jot
down the names of plants they
want to include in their landscap
ing themes.
This year’s “Festival of the
Flowers” carried a Latin theme
with many tropical flowers. Col
umns, urns, waterfalls, water gar
den, and indoor water ponds
were interspersed among the dis
plays. Patios, walkways, and
walls used a variety of masonry
materials in unique designs.
One of the most popular spots
is the marketplace with 140 na
tional and international vendors.
People bring large shopping bags
and even carts to fill with the lat
est gadgets to make gardening
easier, or one of the many flower
related gift items to decorate
their homes.
Crowds gathered around a
vendor from the United King
dom. Called the Great Hang Up,
the stand featured metal brackets
used to hang any type of a pot or
container indoors and outdoors.
Plants, flowers, and almost ev
erything imaginable connected
with outdoor living were avail
able for sale.
It’s impossible to capture the
magnitude of the magnificent
displays, but here are a few
glimpses to encourage you to
mark your calendar for next
year’s show, March 7-14, 2004.
Patios, walkways, and
walls incorporate a variety
of masonry materials
among plantings to help
Philadelphia Flower Show
visitors visualize the possi
bilities available for out
door designs. In addition,
vendors from around the
world were on hand as re
sources for answering
questions and purchasing
materials.
Blossoming trees are tucked into landscape settings
that appear to be permanent at the Philadelphia Flower
Show.
This Italian kitchen display is typical of the Latin theme
for this year’s event.
Unlike home gardening, the Flower Show has typical
spring, summer, and fall flowers blooming simulta
neously. -
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