Horticultural Society teases the roots of the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show

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Matt Rader, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, believes people tend not to appreciate what is in their own backyard.

“The Flower Show is a really big deal. It’s a lot bigger than most people in Philadelphia know,” Rader said at the show’s preview event.

“Nobody else in North America has an event like this. Three cities in the world have an event like this: Philadelphia, London and Singapore,” he said. “This is a top-three, big-league event.”

That was news even to Mayor Cherelle Parker.

“So, you said London and Singapore and Philadelphia?” she asked. “We’re stepping in high cotton here in Philadelphia! We should be proud!”

As reliable as a groundhog, the 197th Philadelphia Flower Show is now six weeks away, appearing, as it always does, the first week of March at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

This year’s theme ties into 2026 as the year of America’s 250th birthday, with “Rooted: The Origins of American Gardening.”

At the preview event Tuesday, show designer Seth Pearsoll unveiled renderings of what visitors can expect, including the centerpiece display of a fantasy forest floor comprised of moss, stone and sculptural plantings, evoking timelessness and permanence.

“Overhead, there’s big, giant, sweeping root-like forms adorned with tons of fresh flowers, taking guests into a space and reminding them that gardening is part of a larger thing, bigger than a season, bigger than a trend,” he said. “It’s meant to feel permanent, grounded, calm, intentional.”

Another element of the show will be the American Landscape Showcase, a quad of four tableaus designed by four designers representing different regions of the U.S.: California, Iowa, Maryland and Rhode Island.

There will also be an International Floral Showcase with designers from places like Hungary, Belgium, Spain and New Zealand. And, as always, a botanical competition section with prize-winning plants from local professional and amateur gardeners.

“What excites me most about this year’s show is how personal it’s going to feel,” Pearsoll said. “Every exhibitor has approached the theme differently. A lot are drawing from childhood memories. Others are exploring history of plant travel, of nurseries, horticultural origin stories.”

Funds generated by the Flower Show support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s year-round programs for community development, neighborhood beautification and workforce training.

That is what state Rep. Jordan Harris, chair of the state appropriation committee, had in mind when he said the commonwealth has contributed $250,000 toward the society’s operation costs, despite his personal aversion to gardening.

“I don’t have a green thumb. I kill plants,” he said, although he recalled fond memories of his grandfather sharing freshly grown tomatoes from his garden.

“I don’t know how to garden, and I will probably never learn. I don’t have the patience,” he said. “I still want people to come to the Flower Show. It’s an economic engine for the state, it’s an economic engine for the city and it reminds us who we are as a people.”