Press Information

JAZZ IT UP!

 At the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show
March 2 -9, 2008
Presenting Sponsor: PNC Bank

Philadelphia, PA (January, 2008) From the Garden District to the Rue Bourbon, New Orleans will provide a scintillating backdrop for the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show’s Jazz It Up, March 2-9 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

With the toe-tapping sounds of The French Quarter to set the mood, Show designers will take gardening to a new level with pumped-up versions of New Orleans-walled courtyards, cast-iron balconies, and fountains.

The journey begins with an artful archway of floating piano keys, larger than life instruments and musically infused waterfalls that will lead visitors to The Rhythm Rooms. This contemporary twist on the great jazz halls of the past will pulsate with over-the-top floral designs in jazzed up settings that push the limits of “outside in” décor and design. Daily jazz performances will take place on The Legends’ Stage presented by Settlement Music School .

The Show’s themed displays will culminate in an energetic version of The French Quarter’s famed courtyards and musical magic.  Ornate balconies and courtyards drip with flowering vines and overflowing planters. The Quarter’s lively scenes will come to life when visitors join “the Second Line” stroll, a parade through the Show that leads to “The Bourbon Street Stage” where performances of N’awlins style music will take place daily. A complete entertainment schedule will be available in January, 2008 at www.theflowershow.com.

The country’s top landscape and floral designers will expand on the theme with dozens of displays that challenge visitors to take their own enthusiasm for decorating, flower arranging and gardening to a new level. Their designs will provide hundreds of ideas for creating new exciting spaces for the home with plants and flowers.  New ways of looking at standard floral design will also be explored by the exceptionally skilled entrants in the Show’s amateur competitive divisions. Designers will enter hundreds of floral arrangements that interpret aspects of the Show theme, Jazz It Up. Plant lovers will delight in thousands of entries of bulbs, orchids, topiary, and potted plants. This showcase of perfectly groomed and presented specimens, are judged throughout the week of the Show with the best receiving the coveted blue ribbon.

The Philadelphia Flower Show is an extraordinary source of gardening information and expert advice. Horticultural schools and organizations will present displays that illustrate a multitude of useful gardening techniques and environmental programs to benefit homeowners. In addition to the thousands of displays of plants, gardens and flower arrangements, hundreds of inspirational presentations take place throughout Show week. Some are in-depth lectures or hands-on demonstrations; others encourage visitors to interact through a lively Q & A with local experts.  A complete schedule of presentations will be available in October, 2008 at www.theflowershow.com.

No visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show would be complete without perusing its burgeoning Marketplace for the finest selection of quality tools, sculpture, plants, art work, bonsai, orchids, and cut flowers. The Marketplace features more than 140 “shops” from all over the country.

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets are non-refundable

Tickets available at the Box Office:
Adults -$28 Opening Sunday (March 2), $24 March 3 – 7; $26 March 8 & 9
Students (ages 17-24) any day - $17 (must have valid student ID; proof of age)
Children (ages 2 – 16) any day - $13  

Advance purchase tickets:
Adults - $22.00*
Students (ages 17-24) any day - $17 –may be reserved online; NOT available at retail outlets
Children (ages 2 – 16) any day - $13*

*On sale from participating retail outlets in January, 2008 including select PNC Bank branches, AAA Mid-Atlantic, Acme Markets, Philadelphia-area Borders Books & Music, Giant Food Stores, SEPTA ticket sales outlets, local garden centers, nurseries and florists. In some cases, service charges may apply. Please call retail locations for details.

Student tickets are NOT available at retail outlets for advance purchase. They may be purchased at the Show Box Office or reserved online at www.theflowershow.com and picked up at the Show’s Will Call window located at the West Entrance, 12th & Arch Streets during public hours. Student must present valid ID and proof of age to receive student discount.

Group tickets (minimum purchase of 25 adult tickets) - $21.50. Available in November. Groups may purchase tickets by completing an order form available at www.theflowershow.com or by calling 215-988-8839.
Private tours of the Show (before public hours) will be held March 3 to March 7. Individuals and groups can make reservations by calling (215) 988-8800, e-mailing earlymorningtours@pennhort.org, or at www.theflowershow.com. Tours can be reserved for $95 per person for groups of 15 or more. After Nov. 16, 2007, tour price is $105 per person. (PHS members receive a special $85 rate). The early morning tour package includes: guided tour, celebrity flower arranging presentation, one-day discount Shopping Pass for the Flower Show Shoppe, and one additional general admission ticket.

Outside of the Show, Philadelphia blooms with special offers on dining, shopping and accommodations. A complete Flower Show Week listing of activities, including coupons, individual and group hotel packages, is available at www.theflowershow.com.

About the Philadelphia Flower Show

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor Show of its kind, is produced by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and presented by PNC Bank. PHS has more than 14,000 members throughout the country, offers hundreds of gardening programs year-round and is considered the nation’s foremost authority on urban renewal through greening. 

Show revenues, including contributions from PNC Bank, support PHS’s programs, including its acclaimed Philadelphia Green program. Philadelphia Green works in partnership with agencies, corporations and community groups to transform derelict vacant land, streets and parks into vibrant, stabilized and well-managed open spaces. These efforts contribute to the quality of life throughout Philadelphia, serve as economic stimulus for communities and provide a model for similar efforts nationwide.

PNC Bank is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. PNC is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations, providing retail and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.

2008 Philadelphia Flower Show sponsors include: Presenting Sponsor, PNC Bank; Premier Sponsor, Subaru of America Inc.; Official Sponsors- Acme Markets, Bartlett Tree Expert Company, Cabrini College, EP Henry (Official Hardscaping Supplier), Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living, and Philadelphia International Airport; Media Partners, WPVI-TV 6 ABC and Philadelphia Newspapers. Inc.; and Caterer, Aramark.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
ALAN JAFFE, email or call 215-988-8833
LAURA BEITMAN, email or call 215-988-8836