The Philadelphia Flower Show: Celebrating 175 Years [Hardcover]

Raymond Rogers (Author), Adam Levine (Author), Edward Lindemann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2003

The Philadelphia Flower Show is a visual celebration of the world's most spectacular indoor flower show. Organized by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the event is staged each year in early March and attracts some 300,000 visitors to the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Covering more than ten indoor acres, the event features a breathtaking array of horticultural subjects. Included are elaborate flower-filled landscapes with blossoming trees, exquisite floral arrangements, impeccably groomed perennials, cacti and other succulents, orchids, topiary, bonsai, and much more. All proceeds of the Show are dedicated to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's education and urban beautification programs.

This beautiful book is a behind-the-scenes tour of the Show with interviews and profiles of exhibitors, organizers, and designers. Lavish full-color photographs of the prizewinning plants and large displays capture the proceedings in stunning detail. Also included is a brief history of the Show along with a passionate foreword by gardening guru Ken Druse that captures what makes the Show so compelling and popular year after year.

Wonderful stories, inspiring advice, and gorgeous photography combine to make The Philadelphia Flower Show the ultimate companion to the greatest plant and flower show on earth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For nine days in early March, spring, summer and fall burst into simultaneous bloom at the Philadelphia Flower Show-the world's largest. Professionals and amateur enthusiasts, garden clubs, nurseries, landscapers and institutions contribute to this 10-acre horticultural celebration, many returning year after year. Now Levine (contributing editor to Garden Design) and Rogers (American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants) guide readers through the pages of this beautifully designed, insightfully written and stunningly photographed backstage tour. In sections organized along the lines of the show itself readers discover what it's like to participate, learn how exhibitors achieve their magic and see the results of their efforts. A winning entry in one of the Horticulture Classes might have been pampered in a greenhouse by an estate manager and his staff; grown in a kitchen window by an orchid hobbyist who says "I just play around"; or named "Joe" and driven to Maine on family vacations. Readers learn how clubs collaborate and individual artists create and see examples of their striking flower arrangements, detailed miniature scenes and fine pressed plant artwork. Major Exhibits feature thousands of plants forced into synchronized bloom and set out in elaborate fantasy gardens complete with trees, ponds and buildings. Those who have been to the show will find their experience enriched and enhanced; those who have not will delight in having it brought so accurately to life.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The queen of all such events, the Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates its illustrious 175-year reign as the world's largest indoor flower show with a sumptuous, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the makings of a horticultural extravaganza. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, this annual spring exposition attracts more than 300,000 visitors, who converge upon 10 indoor acres to stroll through 50 major exhibits and marvel at more than 3,000 entries in hundreds of competition classes organized by some 3,500 dedicated volunteers. As statistically astounding as this feat may be, the real stars of the show are the flowers themselves. From a replica of the Queen Mum's castle gardens to the antebellum opulence of "Tara," the major exhibitions are wonders of botanical magic, showcasing thousands of perfect blossoms horticulturally manipulated into providing a riot of off-season color. Dazzling artistic photographs complement the fascinating accounts of the show's venerable history and lavish production, creating a visually stunning tribute to one city's celebration of gardens and gardeners everywhere. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060575131
• ISBN-13: 978-0060575137
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing look at an amazing show!, December 15, 2003

By 

A reviewer "A reader" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philadelphia Flower Show: Celebrating 175 Years (Hardcover)

I love this book! Beautiful pictures, and the text really makes you feel like you are a Philadelphia Flower Show insider. A wonderful present for gardeners, even armchair gardeners!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philly Flower Power, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Philadelphia Flower Show: Celebrating 175 Years (Hardcover)

Having been to the Phildaelphia Flower Show for the past 20-odd years I am thrilled to finally see a book about this amazing annual event. And what a book! It's filled with page after page of gorgeous photos and wonderful stories about the exhibitors. The subtitle is Celebrating 175 Years and that's just what this book is, a fabulous party of flowers and plants, just like the show!

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Like a bouquet of plastic flowers on your birthday..., December 4, 2003

By 

amnagel "lottiedottie" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philadelphia Flower Show: Celebrating 175 Years (Hardcover)

What a disappointment! I love the Phila Flower Show and have been attending since the days at the old Civic Center. That was what I was hoping to see -- photos from the old days when the escalator lowered you into a garden of Eden. Instead, the book contains photos (very nice indeed) of recent shows, most from this past year's show (2003). Only a few photos of old appear in the beginning of the book. I would have liked to see photos of the shows through the years, diagrams, layouts and photos illustrating what it takes to set up this immense show. The interviews with show stalwarts such as Lee Radon, were great, but just not enough. The show has been in existence for 175 years. The book does not demonstrate this phenomena or the passion of its staying power. All-in-all, its just another coffee table book with pretty pictures. Too bad!