2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show
Attracts Storm-Weary Crowds and High Praise

PHILADELPHIA – With a new name and global appeal – and at the end of a record-breaking winter -- the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show welcomed 247,000 visitors to the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Feb. 28 to March 7.

The theme of the Show, produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and presented by PNC, was “Passport to the World,” and it was enthusiastically praised by local, national and international guests and media.

Good Morning America brought the Flower Show to 4.5 million national viewers, as weatherman Sam Champion marveled at the displays inside while a blizzard whirled outside on the last day of set-up.

The Washington Post highlighted “”jaw-dropping floral displays” and said the Flower Show’s “lushness evokes the floral imagination of the movie Avatar, though in this Philly forum the 3-D experience requires no special eyewear.”

The Boston Globe called the Philadelphia presentation “the best, and worth the trip for flower show lovers.”

The Norwich (Ct.) Bulletin said: “The largest indoor flower show in the world re-invents itself annually, turning 10 acres of exhibit space into a lush maze of horticultural fantasy.”

Garden Design Online reported: “This year’s theme is one of the top shows I’ve seen (and I’ve seen many). It’s a passport to the end of winter and those many snowstorms..and it’s inspiration for the coming year in the garden.”

The Harrisburg Patriot-News declared: “If you’ve never been to this eight-day, world-class botanical wonderland, add it to your bucket list.”

The New York Times snapped guests at the Preview Party. Baltimore Sun garden writer Susan Reimer blogged weekly leading up to the Show. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ginny Smith blogged daily on everything from the hot-air balloon to the hot-water lizard to the blooming blue poppies.

Foreign coverage included publications from the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, France, Canada, Finland, and New Zealand. A Polish-language TV crew roamed the Show floor.

Dignitaries who visited the Flower Show this year included Dara Calleary, Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment; U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter; and Mayor Michael Nutter, who paid tribute to retiring PHS President Jane Pepper.

Pennsylvania’s other senator, Bob Casey, held a press conference at the Flower Show to announce he was introducing the Green Communities Act in the Senate. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, the House co-author of the Act, joined Casey at the exhibit for Philadelphia Green, which receives $1 million in funding from Flower Show revenues.

Another unexpected guest at the Flower Show was singer/actress/green activist Bette Midler, who toured exhibits with PHS President-elect Drew Becher and Show Designer Sam Lemheney. Bette’s review of the Flower Show: “Brilliant!”

PHS has announced that the theme for next year’s Philadelphia International Flower Show, from March 6 to 13, will be “Springtime in Paris,” a toast to the world’s most popular and romantic tourist destination.

For more information Contact:
Alan Jaffe at 215-988-8833
Laura Hoover at 215-988-8836