Philadelphia Flower Show 2021

In the Before Times, the Philadelphia Flower Show was held in March. Indoors.

In the After Times (is it too soon to call it that?) it was held in June. Outdoors.

It was different. And other than the parking (which sucked big time) different was good.

As I noted in last years post, highlighted by the magnet shown below, this year's theme was "Habitat".

Note the optimistic Before Time dates.

But thanks to Covid, the exhibits were in real 'habitat'. The trees in the first image were not part of the installation but never the less add to it. And Patty and I both thought the actual local 'habitat' enhanced the show in a way the industrial trimmings of the PA Convention Center never could.

This openness also made the show seem less intense, less in your face. Another good thing in my opinion. At the Convention Center, as soon as you walk in the exhibits dominate your field of view.

This years entrance is shown above. There isn't an exhibit in sight. Yet the trees made it inviting.

The show was held at FDR Park, and the structures in the park became part of the show.

'Habitat' was very broadly interpreted. Above we have a exhibit purportedly showing nature reclaiming an abandoned building. It did have some carnivorous plants, so that was cool.

This was a somewhat simple exhibit, extolling the virtues of pollinators, like the queen bee shown.

This was an Australian 'habitat', although I have no idea if these plants are just native to the continent, or if they would really be found together. 

I'm not sure this is the right 'habitat' for a hammerhead shark ...

We've several neighbors going for this look ...

A more traditional garden.

Another difference was that the vendors were spread around the show grounds, unlike at the Convention Center, where there was a designated vendor area. This is our friend Adam amongst a number of his awesome photographs. You can check them out at his website Invisible Lenses. 

This exhibit, in the small space for gardens category, did take the habitat theme seriously. Submitted by the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, it shows how to use a small space to support bird life. It took second place in the category.

The Men's Garden Club of Philadelphia went for bird ancestors in their exhibit, a garden playground for "kids".

This exhibit used flowers, in the form of flowers and a Blue-capped Hummingbird, to highlight the plight of this endangered bird, due to the loss of its mountain forest habitat.

🌺  🌷  🌻  🌸  🥀  💐  🌼

Overall, the PHS pulled it off. A Covid Time Flower Show, outdoors. Patty and I both enjoyed our visit. I suspect the show will be back in the Convention Center next year. And while I like having a winter time extravaganza, I think having it outdoors added a lot to the experience. Now I get the concerns about the weather. This is thunderstorm season. And the temps this week are in the 90s F, not optimal. But indoors seems even more artificial now. It's not clear how to take what made this show special, the space and natural surroundings, and bring that to an indoor space. I hope the figure it out.