This year’s Flower Show by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) features diversity of exhibitors, and larger, immersive gardens meant to envelop guests in a magical floral world.

The Entrance Garden design this year creates a sense of mystery and intrigue with its rounded, transparent, mesh scrim that offers a fragrant hint of the opulent and lush floral world awaiting within. The silhouetted plants and flowers on the exterior of the space invite curious guests inward, through a grey hued entrance. By using a mesh scrim to conceal and encapsulate the space, guests are enveloped in a 360-degree world of unique floral pairings, textures, light, fragrance, and vibrant colors; creating an immersive, sensory experience that captures the feeling of “The Garden Electric.”

For the first time in Show history, several designers were invited to create gardens that range from 2,200 – 2,900 square feet, the largest gardens ever seen at the event. This creative direction continues the immersive experience of the previous two outdoor Flower Shows, enveloping guests in a 360-degree floral world that can be experienced from multiple viewpoints. This year’s artists hail from around the globe featuring notable up-and-coming designers as well as established industry veterans known for shaping the industry.

In its return indoors, and for the first time, the Flower Show adopted the concept of a winding promenade. This guided path is a departure from how all previous Shows have been laid out, creating a lush, self-guided experience for guests to view and engage with stunning gardens and flowers up close.

Information on the full list of exhibitors, musical talent, marketplace, and more for the 2023 Philadelphia Flower Show are available at: phsonline.org/the-flower-show. Tickets are available for purchase at tickets.phsonline.org.

Below is a short list of do-not-miss designers this year.

Black Girl Florists Network

Among the lineup of renowned exhibitors, is the Black Girl Florists network. This network was created to support and celebrate black women in floristry, and the group offers workshops, group training sessions, and more to deliver on this impactful mission. Their exhibit draws inspiration from their own unity as black florists, illustrating that together, they contribute to the growth and sustainability of their presence in the floral industry. The exhibit features an array of vibrantly colored florals reflective of the theme, lighting elements, and large-scale barrels brimming with stunning flowers pouring into a 10-ft. tree.

Ill Exotics

Ill Exotics, a boutique shop based in Philadelphia and specializing in uncommon plants from aroids to orchids and captive-bred fauna, created “Studio Exotica” a Studio-54 inspired disco taken over by tropical foliage and flowers, complete with a floral DJ, bartender, and dancers. 

Newfields led by Jonathan Wright

Renowned and esteemed designer Jonathan Wright, Director of The Garden and Fairbanks Park at Newfields, is exhibiting this year for the first time. Known as a gardening tastemaker in the field of public gardens for his creative design sensibility and elegant, yet contemporary approach, guests can anticipate a breathtaking 360-degree, mixed-media installation featuring projections, music, and florals reminiscent of immersive art shows.

Harijanto Setiawan

Harijanto Setiawan, a recipient of the Designer of the Year Award in 2013 by the President of Singapore, is an architect-turned-florist and founder of Boenga floral studio. He has worked with high-end clients such as Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Swarovski, Manolo Blahnik, and Audi, uniting floral design, architecture, and high fashion. Look forward to innovative and architectural floral sculptures that captivate lovers of decadent and imaginative design.

Treeline Designz

Treeline Designz, led by Iftikhar Ahmed, will bring to life a concept that pays tribute to children facing war in Ukraine. This exhibit sheds light on Ukrainian children who have been uprooted from their homes and exposed to war. Ahmed believes that garden and landscape design can contribute to making the world a more livable, equitable, resilient, and just place. His exhibit uses locally-grown trees and plants to envision a magical, twinkling fairy house, home to the Peace Fairy, who watches over and protects all children.

Susan Cohan Gardens

Renowned garden and landscape designer Susan Cohan, named “Designer of the Year in 2021” by The Association of Professional Landscape Designers, returns to the Flower Show in 2023. Her firm’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that thoughtful and responsibly designed landscapes enhance our lives. Cohan celebrates the joy and exuberance we feel at the start of spring. Through utilizing a variety of spring ephemerals, a suspended interactive swing, and spiral motifs, Cohan invokes the blissfulness of a spring day.

ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization founded in 1827, uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia region. PHS programs create healthier living environments, increase access to fresh food, expand access to jobs and economic opportunity, and strengthen deeper social connections between people. PHS’s work spans 250 neighborhoods; an expansive network of public gardens and landscapes; year-round learning experiences; and the nation’s signature gardening event, the Philadelphia Flower Show. PHS provides everyone with opportunities to garden for the greater good as a participant, member, donor, or volunteer.

ABOUT THE PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW

The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest, and the world’s longest-running horticultural event and features stunning displays by some of the world’s premier floral and landscape designers. Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Show introduces diverse and sustainable plant varieties and garden and design concepts. In addition to acres of garden displays, the Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations and demonstrations, and special events.