PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After two years in FDR Park, the Philadelphia Flower Show is indoors once again. Doors are open for the annual event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme this year is “The Garden Electric,” and the exhibits combine flower setups and light displays. As for what that exactly means, creative director Seth Pearsoll told KYW Newsradio it’s about “that moment when your jaw drops and you say ‘Oh my gosh.’ That’s what this show is about. It’s a celebratory theme, a colorful theme. It’s all of those things.”
The theme is much easier to accomplish now that the show is back at the Convention Center, making this year’s Best in Show winner possible. That’s an exhibit that takes visitors through a full 24-hour cycle, complete with designers, designed by Hari Setiawa.
“It’s talking about happiness in life, so even if you’re very small you still have a glow,” said Setiawa, the first Singaporean floral designer brought in to assemble his display in the show’s 194-year history.
That meaning wasn’t lost on Barbara Sperber, from Camp Hill, as she walked through the display. “I love the colors, they're very vibrant, the blacklight colors. I like the whole string art thing,” she enthused. “It’s just different and it really speaks to the theme of the show.”
Frank DeFazio makes the trip to Philly with a group from Pittsburgh every year just for the show. “We’re passionate gardeners. We believe flowers bring life and creativity. So we come here for inspiration about what we’re going to do in our home gardens,” he said.
Visitors say they’re happy to be back inside, partly because they no longer have to battle the elements. And while organizers say they’re happy to have not missed a year during the pandemic, they’re also happy to return to the Convention Center.
Returning to the Convention Center should also mean good things for Center City hotels and restaurants, as the district continues to rebound from the pandemic.
The Flower Show runs through March 12. Tickets are available online and at the door.
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