DAL is no gardener, but you don’t have to tend your own plot to enjoy the gorgeous colors and scents at the 2024 Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The show’s theme is “United By Flowers” and although there are several displays suggesting that unity, like the big floral map of the U.S., the idea doesn’t get very far. In fact, there seem fewer displays than last year’s show, although the orchids and tulips and roses are stunning.
But too much of the enormous hall is a marketplace: crafts, trinkets, potted plants, bouquets, scented soaps, artisan olive oil, jewelry, hair wreaths. So if you came expecting to be dazzled by the floral displays, you’re likely to be disappointed.
The room of the butterflies (a $5 charge for admission) is charming—you can feed the exotic creatures by holding a q-tip soaked in liquid sugar. If you’re wearing bright colors, they will land on your hair and your clothes, making you feel quite privileged.
And a tip if you go, the hall is kept quite cool for the health of the flowers, so you might want to keep your coat instead of checking it ($4).
[Philadelphia Horticultural Society at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street] March 2-10, 2024; phsonline.org
