Weekend Wanderings ... Philadelphia Flower Show

It's March. That means it is time for the Philadelphia Flower Show. And our annual Saturday morning pilgramage into the city.

This year's theme was "Flower Power" and I, in no little part due to marketing done for the show, was expecting a 1960's vibe. As were the folks in line along with us waiting to enter.

And that expectation was met right off the bat with this colorful interpretation of the Philadelphia Love statue.

And a Flower Power truck.

But the theme was not evident in all of the displays, some of which seemed to be generic gardens. And other displays interpreted "Flower Power" in different ways, as we'll see.

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As is our custom, we head for the miniatures first, to beat the lines. This one, which I call Crazy Cat Lady, is hopefully not a foreshadowing of things to come.

Artist Quiqun Chen

Next were the pressed flower mosaics, the theme this year was "The Long and Winding Road". This one was my favorite. I like the firefly-clouds. But overall they did not seem as intricate as in prior years. Perhaps I'm just become inured to the work needed and thus not as impressed as before?

The miniatures and flower mosaics are competitive, with different divisions from grade school kids to adults. And we, along with others, had fun making fun of the judges comments.

One of the other competitive endeavors was floral hats, of which this was a fan favorite, based on the number of folks, obviously including yours truly, taking photos.

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New this year was an exhibit of botanical illustration, a style of art I enjoy. These were two I particularly liked.

Death Cap Mushroom, Deborah Jones

Common Milkweed Pod, Carol Ashton-Hergenhan

Curiously, there was a price list, something else new.

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Next we came upon a beehive. And while the connection between bees and pollination, and thus flowers, is well known, this seemed oddly out of place. Somewhat isolated form the rest of the show and without a clear connection to the overall theme. Yes odd.

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Next up we visited the main exhibit area, with the large displays. Which this year did not seem as large or as numerous as in the past.

This was an interesting exhibit that tried to emulated a kaleidoscope. Mirrors around the edge and a floating spinning raft of flowers. Very psychedelic. And difficult to photograph.

These next two images are part of one exhibit.

There were other sections as well (I didn't notice at the time, but the colors may have been in rainbow order).

I'm not quite sure what they were going for here. What's with the paper plates (someone thought they might be shelf fungi)?

At least those two seemed to be trying to embrace the show theme.

This was a nice enough exhibit, and gave us some ideas for our gardens, but it seemed rather generic.

And it was bordered by wood piles.

And it is not clear if the sign is suggesting that we stand on it.

Another nice garden that gave us ideas.

The info stated that flowers had the power to heal and recharge one. An interesting interpretation of the theme. And one repeated at other displays throughout.

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One reason the main display area seemed smaller this year is that a large portion of it was taken up by something dubbed the "World Cup of Floral Arrangements" with contestants from around the world completing for something. But the displays were not ready when we arrived, with the exhibitors/competitors still assembling, as shown above [Update: This may be by design (pun!) as the competition continues with new arrangements throughout the show]. They were still at it when we left around eleven as the crowds began to swell (as members we can get in a eight, prior to general admission). And while there were a couple of intriguing items, this isn't something that holds my interest.

This is much more impressive in person, as it spirals inward.

And I liked how this one seems sparse and busy at the same time.

Note the blue crate visible in each image, evidence that they hadn't finished and cleaned up.

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Now this is something right out of the sixties.

That is an analog oscilloscope hooked up to plant leaves. And it is getting a signal. The signal was pumped through a synthesizer, as can be seen and heard in this linked video. I have albums from the sixties that sound like this.

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I'm not sure what this one was about.

This is the interior of a camper, note the interesting take on vinyl flooring (broken LP's). And I guess there are some flowers in there.

And this is the exterior. I really don't know how this fits into a flower show. But there it was.

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This one was another variation on the "Flower Power" theme, this time on the power of plants to reclaim and recycle. Something seen throughout the Pinelands I call home, as time and forest remove the traces of earlier inhabitants.

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No visit to the flower show is complete without a tour of the vendor area. And we made a few purchases.

And I have come to enjoy this perennial which continues to confuse me.

How do they get ferns to flower? And how can they be new every year?

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One the way out we toured the individual plant area, where members enter plants in a plethora of different categories. One thing that I noticed was the increasing number of carnivorous plants being exhibited. Very cool (and my purchase at the show were two sundews, Dorsera filiformis and D. intermedia, for my bog garden).

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We ended our time in Philly with delicious lunch at Hiro Ramen. Very yummy!

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As always, a very enjoyable way to spend a morning in the city.

And now spring can't get here soon enough.