PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s an immersive experience as attendees enter Philadelphia’s 195th Flower Show.
“They just take your breath away,” said one person, surrounded by colorful petals and floral clouds up above their head. “They are so gorgeous with the water from below and the flowers that are coming from above as if they were drops of rain.”
The Flower Show, which many are calling a "feast for the senses" is put on by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. This year’s theme, “United by Flowers,” celebrates the colorful community that comes together to share in their love of gardening, flowers, and plants, and the impact they make on our lives year round.
One section of the show, created by educational exhibitors, honors the region’s neighborhoods through floral designs.
The “Seeds of Us,” created by Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences, pays tribute to the Roxborough section with reclaimed materials like a tractor and vintage clawfoot bathtub.
Ann from Chester County went to the Flower Show with her mother Martha Ann. They both expressed pure amazement over the exhibit.
“I mean, that high school display right over my shoulder is amazing,” Ann said.
Other featured displays include the Italian Market, a popular exhibit with a cafe, produce market and row homes decorated with quaint flower boxes.
Many traveled near and far to check out what’s in store this year.
Jennifer Maley flew in from Pittsburgh for the weekend.
She spent some of her time at a booth creating her very own flower crown to sport throughout the day.
“We're having a great time. It's just amazing. They've changed this whole place into an area that is surrounded by plants and beauty and you can smell it. It's just wonderful,” she said.
And speaking of smells … If you find yourself walking through the show and notice a funky scent, don’t be alarmed. It’s just the corpse plants.
They get their name because of the stench some say resembles “rotting flesh” that attracts flies when in bloom.
Ryn Somerville of Northern Liberties was taking a video of some of the corpse plants on Friday.
“I would love one of them,” she said. “I’m not a plant person. I go on out in the woods a lot and like them out there.”
Although the corpse plants on display are not yet in full stink, organizers are hoping the flowers will open at some point during the show, which runs through March 10.