February 28, 2025
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoice
A gigantic butterfly, turtle, bumblebee and other woodland creatures dine together at the 'Welcoming Wildlife Home' exhibit at the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show.
From miniature movie setups to a squirrel sitting at a dinner table, the displays at the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show come in every shape and size.
Freshly cut, newly planted and dried flowers are expanding across the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 1-9. This year's theme, "Gardens of Tomorrow," explores planting for the next generations, how humans can live in harmony with nature and the role of sustainable technologies like aquaponics.
Here's a sneak peek of exhibits you won't want to miss:
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoiceThe "Tending To Our Roots" exhibit, above, is inspired by a real tree of life in a Singapore park and the proverb: "One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade." With a floral cityscape, creators Robertson's Flowers and Events wanted to show the importance of growing an ecologically conscious future.
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoiceLankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School in Roxborough re-created a schoolroom in their "Bloom Where You Are Planted" showcase. The life-size figures study aquaponics, which merges raising aquatic animals with hydroponics, where plants are grown with nutrient-enriched water. In this "classroom of the future," learning is centered on sustainability, and brains (literally) blossom.
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoiceThe miniature arrangements exhibit features tiny versions of scenes from famous movies, including "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," above, "Tangled," "The Karate Kid," "Hocus Pocus" and "My Neighbor Totoro." In the displays, mosses and young, delicate plants are used in place of grasses, trees and shrubs from the scenes.
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoice
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoiceArtist Mei-Ling Hsu created a scene (top) made entirely from dried, pressed plants and flowers, meant to depict how trees are crucial for supporting life on Earth. Also using dried plants, a student competition (below) asked young artists to create self-portraits in the "Faces of our Future" exhibit.
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoice
Michaela Althouse/For PhillyVoiceA giant squirrel, bumblebee, ant and hummingbird (clockwise, top left) are among creations in the "Welcoming Wildlife Home" exhibit from Jennifer Designs. The partial house and dining table are meant to symbolize humans' interaction with nature, and how intentional plant choices can help create a healthy habitat for animals and insects.
