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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Flower Show Takes Visitors on a ‘Riviera Holiday’

With citrus trees and sweeps of lavender, the world’s leading floral and garden designers delighted visitors at the 2020 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show with a “Riviera Holiday,” immersing them in the sights, scents and tastes of the Mediterranean coastal region known for its beauty, climate and resorts.

The show, held Feb. 29–March 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, featured lush garden landscapes and exquisite floral displays highlighting a variety of Mediterranean plants. The Entrance Garden, for instance, set the stage with its use of specimen trees, including olive, cypress, citrus, mimosa and palm. Regional motifs in materials such as stucco, stone, tile and terracotta added to the effect, while “intimate environments” evoked the romance and allure of the Riviera.




Other exhibits included “Reflection” by Mark Cook Landscape & Contracting LLC in Doylestown, Pa., which won Best in Show for landscape design. Inspired by the Riviera, the display featured an alley of arbors, a soothing fountain and colorful plantings leading to a unique walled room for individual reflection.



Best in Show winner for floral design went to Schaffer Designs in Philadelphia for “Le Strade Delle Cinque Terre” (“The Streets of the Five Lands”). Using color-blocked rectangular panels adorned with bright blooms, Schaffer brought to life the homes of Italy’s ancient fisherman, who painted their houses in bold and pastel colors so they could easily spot them as they returned from sea.





Other honorees included Arrange LLC, silver trophy winner for its floral design “On the Sea,” which used white-fabric sails and an array of tranquil colors to depict sailing, one of the most illustrious Riviera pastimes. Stoney Bank Nurseries in Glen Mills, Pa., also a silver trophy winner but in the landscape category, won for “Paraíso de Andalucía.” The display centered on a meditative garden nestled among the remnants of an old olive orchard in the Andalusia region of Spain. Waldor Orchids in Linwood, N.J., meanwhile, won a PHS Gold Medal – Display Garden for “Rest.” The exhibit conveyed the need to take time to relax in an era of instant gratification, with plants purposely chosen for their ability to grow with very little maintenance.



In addition to the landscape and floral exhibits, there were many opportunities for guests to learn about the importance of connecting with one another through horticulture to create beautiful, healthy and sustainable communities, a key mission of PHS Philadelphia Flower Show organizer, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). The Home Gardening Hub, for example, was an interactive section featuring today’s garden trends, chats with experts and hands-on learning sessions. Potting Parties, meanwhile, was a container-gardening workshop hosted by acclaimed floral designer Tu Bloom, where attendees made their own vibrant container display. And Make & Take allowed
attendees to take home their own handmade plant crafts, such as a recycled-material container with a succulent.



As the kickoff to the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, the Bloom Philly Festival is an annual tradition that encourages everyone in the Philadelphia region to break out of the winter doldrums with a variety of special spring-celebration events such as the Bloom Philly Window & Lobby Decorating Contest. The competition invites businesses in the Greater Philadelphia area and beyond to transform their businesses’ window or lobby displays into festive flowery scenes inspired by the show’s theme. This year, a panel of expert judges voted the ARTrageous Brush & Flow art studio in Philadelphia as both the Grand Prize Winner and the winner of the “Best Representation of the Flower Show Theme.” P.J. Clarke’s restaurant in Philadelphia won “Most Instagrammable” and Philadelphia’s Milica in the Hat Millinery won “Fan Favorite.”



The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running
horticultural event. The International Festivals & Events Association has honored it as the best event in the world, competing with events such as the Kentucky Derby Festival,Tournament of Roses Parade, Indianapolis 500 Festival and other international celebrations. The PHS, an internationally recognized nonprofit organization founded in 1827, plays an essential role in the vitality of the Philadelphia region by creating healthier living environments, increasing access to fresh food, growing economic opportunity and building deeper social connections between people.
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