Sneak Peek: PHS Philadelphia Flower Show Shares First Glimpse of 2025 Show, “Gardens of Tomorrow”

Art of the Garden

Jan 18

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) hosted a press conference to unveil a first look at the 2025 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, Gardens of Tomorrow. Here’s a sneak peek of the never-before-seen artistic interpretations of the show spaces and exhibits, including the 2025 PHS-designed Entrance Garden, Futura Florentia, alongside a shortlist of new and returning exhibitors, and upcoming activations and events.

The name of the Flower Show Entrance Garden, Futura Florentia is meant to capture the idea of flowers as a symbol of the future while evoking growth, beauty, and vitality in a natural, poetic style.

"At the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, our purpose is using horticulture to foster a healthier, more sustainable, more beautiful future," said Matt Rader, President of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. “The 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show, Gardens of Tomorrow, showcases the power of plants, sustainability, and innovation. As a fundraiser, the Flower Show supports PHS’s programs that bring trees, gardens, and beauty into neighborhoods and schools across the city and region while also cultivating the next generation of horticultural leaders. We’re proud to offer a glimpse into the future of the industry while advancing our mission to create a greener, healthier, and more equitable world through gardening.”

“The 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show is a celebration of innovation, resilience, and creativity in gardening,” said Seth Pearsoll, VP and Creative Director of the Philadelphia Flower Show. “This year’s theme, by design, invokes a sense of optimism, highlighting how planting something today is a small gesture that promotes a brighter future. Our remarkable lineup of world-class exhibitors will explore what this future holds for gardens and landscapes. From sustainable designs and adaptive reuse to breathtaking artistic expressions, this show will inspire and captivate every visitor.”

With the world seemingly spinning off its axis, the show’s promise of optimism for a brighter future feels especially profound.

Now in its 196th year, The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the premiere horticultural event of its kind in the United States, and the oldest and arguably, the most prestigious flower show in America.

After we sold our place in Aruba the first year of the pandemic, we were able to attend the PHS Flower Show again ~ after a nearly 30 year hiatus! And it felt like coming home, and at the same time, experiencing a whole new hortie vibe.

We make a weekend out of it, taking Amtrak (no driving!), meeting up with friends, dining in Philadelphia’s excellent restaurants, and even visiting a museum or two.

I highly recommend exploring the show and the City of Brotherly Love this way. A perfect winter getaway.

*Tickets for the PHS Flower Show are on sale now at: tickets.phsonline.org

In addition to the powerful Entrance Garden that really sets the stage and your mood for the show, we enjoy

The creative, inspiring landscape vignettes:

Kelly Norris’ Award-Winning Native Garden 2024

The “hanging garden” miniature kaleidoscopes ~ that’s just what I call them because it’s like viewing a magical world via the lens into another reflected flowerscape design. So curious and creative. I’ve been inspired to create my own hanging gardens:

My Favorite ~ The Tablescapes (of course!):

Here’s what you can expect to enjoy at this year’s PHS Flower Show, Futura Florentia. Read through and plan your visit with mindfulness 🌷

Flower Show Exhibitors – NEW

Annually, the Philadelphia Flower Show reaches around the globe to bring together renowned garden designers and florists to display their artistic vision and vie for award recognition on this coveted platform.

The Flower Show is excited to welcome several new designers to create works of art for its “Future Flowers” design challenge. Famed floral designers Lily Beelen, Mike Boerma, Berit Laursen, and Ahti Lyra have been tasked with creating their interpretation of a “future flower” that represents hope, resilience, and the excitement and promise of the future.

OLIN, a renowned landscape architecture and urban design firm, has partnered with Remark Glass to create a transformative garden titled “Don't Call it Dirt, Don't Call it Trash.” This innovative installation highlights the potential of circular materials by repurposing items often deemed garbage—glass jars, bottles, woody debris, and food waste—into recycled glass sand, biochar, and compost. These elements, essential to the soils of the future, emphasize a renewable and biologically rich approach to sustainable landscaping. See how one can use these materials to create an environmentally sound landscape for the future.

Kazuyuki Ishihara, a celebrated Japanese garden designer, will collaborate with the visionary Iftikhar Ahmed of Treeline Designz on an innovative two-tiered garden titled “Tomorrow’s Eden - Gardens for a Changing World.” This unique exhibit explores the interplay between two distinct yet interconnected garden spaces, highlighting how one garden can uplift and sustain the other. Inspired by the resilience of nature amidst threats like pollution, climate change, and drought, the garden presents a hopeful vision of regeneration and renewal.

Visitors will journey through a lush, futuristic landscape that celebrates the adaptability of plants and emphasizes humanity’s responsibility to preserve the delicate balance of our planet.

New York’s Simply Nia Design is a former member of the Black Girl Florists collective who will be exhibiting independently at the Show for the first time. Her exhibit will focus on faith, perseverance, and collective goodness. Drawing inspiration from the heavens, she envisions ethereal spaces filled with pastel hues and breathtaking florals, anchored by carnations. Often overlooked as ordinary, carnations—known for their longevity, durability, and vibrant colorways—take center stage in her design, proving that beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder.

Also new this year, is Bloom Bold & Co – this Philadelphia native is another former member of the Black Girl Florists collective who will exhibit independently and will create an exhibit that explores time through the medium of a deconstructed clock, visually representing how the security of our collective future, as well as the floral industry, is determined by the time and effort we invest into the next generation of designers, growers, and environmental stewards.

Flower Show Exhibitors - RETURNING
This year’s Flower Show welcomes back fan-favorite exhibitor Jennifer Designs, presenting an enchanting exhibit titled “Welcoming Wildlife Home.” This immersive display brings to life a home overtaken by florals and wild creatures, symbolizing the harmonious interaction between humans and nature. Through a rich tapestry of plants and thoughtfully crafted habitats, the exhibit underscores the vital role of wildlife in sustaining a thriving, biodiverse ecosystem and how intentional design can support the balance of the natural world while inviting its beauty into our daily lives.

Robertson’s Flowers & Events returns with an inspiring exhibit rooted in the Chinese proverb, “One generation plants the trees, and the other gets the shade.” At its center stands a majestic tree symbolizing the world, with an intricate root system stretching across the display to represent the interconnectedness of communities. This design highlights the impact of individual and collective actions on the planet’s health, emphasizing the shared responsibility to nurture a thriving, sustainable world for future generations.

Renowned exhibitor Susan Cohan returns with “Field of Vision 25/50”, a futuristic garden set in a reimagined post-industrial space. Using recycled urban materials, including a repurposed water tower, the exhibit highlights water conservation and the need for shelter and shade—key elements for gardens of the future. This forward-thinking garden demonstrates how adaptive reuse can be sustainable, inclusive, and strikingly beautiful.

Apiary Studios, the Flower Show’s 2024 “Best in Show – Landscape" winner returns with an imaginative exhibit exploring the nostalgia of childhood play and the journey through life’s stages. Featuring plants like pussy willow, clover, daisies, and grass, the display unfolds across distinct spaces, each symbolizing a phase of life. The “Woodland Meadow” evokes infancy with its lush, protective environment, while the “Savannah” reflects youth in an open, playful setting with primitive structures like teepees. “Kid City” captures the ambition and hubris of middle age with built environments, and the “Mountain Grotto” represents maturity, wisdom, and the tranquil perspective of old age.

I’ve long appreciated Apiary Studios thoughtful and inspiring designs at the Show.

Apiary’s re-purposed~recyled urban garden design, 2022

Local educational exhibitors who are training the horticultural experts of tomorrow will bring future-focused environmental and sustainability practices to life.

Love to see the creativity and energy of the students’ vignettes!

For the first time, the Flower Show will feature a student-created floral exhibition by Bucks County Community College’s Floral Design Program, which the show promises will offer a playful futuristic twist.

Flower Show Activities:

In addition to all the incredible things to see at the Flower Show, there are a plethora of things to do. From activities for children, to shopping and elevated DIY crafting and educational sessions, the Flower Show features something for all interests.

Know to Grow Educational Sessions:

The Philadelphia Flower Show’s educational lecture series, Know to Grow, will return this year with industry experts leading presentations on diverse topics several times a day. Presentation topics include garden design, vegetable gardening, native plants, container gardening, shade gardening, houseplants, and information on PHS programs. Whether you are “plant-curious” or a professional, learn something new and walk away with practical takeaways from acclaimed experts.

New this year, attend Know to Grow sessions Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 9 and hear from presenters sponsored by Great Grow Along - the world’s largest virtual garden festival. GGA is excited to be showcasing a curated list of popular gardening experts and authors sharing tips, ideas, and inspiration to make your 2025 garden great! Other Know to Grow partners include Fine Gardening Magazine and Timber Press. Free with admission.

Artisan Row

Artisan Row is the Flower Show’s experiential hub where guests can create an elevated floral or gardening-inspired craft working side-by-side with artisans. Now even larger due to popular demand, Artisan Row will feature 8 artisans creating fresh floral crowns, Flower Show candles, custom scents, fresh and dried bouquets, terrariums, hand painted vases, botanical jewelry, custom hats, bags and more. Purchase required.

Butterflies Live!

Experience native and exotic butterflies with spectacular color in a serene setting. Hundreds of pollinators will spread their wings together in this all-ages activity. This is an all-ages activity, perfect for both kids and kids at heart! Purchase required.

Kids Cocoon

A kid-focused play space where young visitors can plant seedlings, enjoy story time, and participate in engaging activities and live programming from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, excluding Sunday, March 9. In partnership with The Franklin Institute (TFI), Kids Cocoon will feature a Flower Show-themed version of TFI's Creation Station, where children can create floral-inspired masterpieces using LEGO® bricks.

Free with admission.

Bloom Bar 🌸

Everyone loves this! And so, back by popular demand, Bloom Bar provides a walk-up experience offering guests the opportunity to purchase pre-assembled, fresh floral crowns in the heart of the Show floor. These gorgeous, wearable pieces of floral art offer a beautiful way for guests to grab, go, and wear -- showing off their floral best. A pop-up Bloom Bar Cart will be stationed at the main entrance with pre-made floral crowns so you can be decked out in flowers for all your photo moments. Purchase required.

Potting Parties

Learn the tricks of the trade at these energetic container gardening workshops hosted by designer Tu Bloom, The Official Botanical Artist of the Grammy® Awards. These parties are engaging for all, and end with you taking home your very own creation to be enjoyed all season long. Purchase required.

Flower Show Events

There is a full schedule of family friendly events throughout the show. Be sure to check the website for a full list of hands-on crafting; yoga and wellness; and an intriguing after Flowers After Hours, Out of This World event akin to a Night at the Museum, dancing the night away among the gardens!

and 90s pop culture with futuristic, space-age aesthetics. Dress in your boldest, most eccentric and daring best, and dance the night away among the gardens.

Flower Show Tours

The Show offers Early Morning Tours with experienced tour guides, and Early Morning Photography Tours, also with a guide. The guides are like private sherpas to escort you through a garden safari; plus they have the behind the scenes stories… shhhh.

Shopping

What’s a show without the Merch? There’s lots and lots of flower and plant inspired items to tempt you from decorative garden wares, garden tools, garden apparel and accessories, live plants, florals, jewelry, and home decor. We purchased our Veggie Pod at the show ~ and we love it.

We also buy flower jewelery and my Fascinator for the year!

I have a Blue & Peach Fascinator ~ so far!

Plus, The Flower Show Makers Market features a variety of regional artists and their handmade wares; with 33 curated artists and makers selling artwork, jewelry, decor, and apparel.

If you love flowers and gardens ~ especially Garden Glamour ~ you will thoroughly enjoy the PHS Flower Show. Go ahead, treat yourself. You’ll learn so much, and be inspired.

ABOUT THE PHS PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW
The award-winning 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.

ABOUT THE 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.