Pennsylvania Horticultural Society - Philadelphia Flower Show

“Brilliant!” That was the 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show, with its emphasis on everything British. After entering through the Royal Gates and walking down an allée of birch trees, visitors arrived at Big Ben Plaza. The clock came to life with a huge video production of music and animation on all four faces every hour.

2013 exhibit created by Burke Brothers Landscape Design/Build is “In Situ.” In situ essentially means “in its original place,” but also refers to structures that use raw, local materials and art installations designed for a specific place. A once-forgotten space has been adopted by an artist, and here she has created her own in situ installations with a contemporary British flair. A stone path winds through the woods and leads visitors to the artist’s sunny glade, where they find themselves surrounded by flowering trees and dense evergreens. The crumbling remains of the original building now support a hand-crafted shelter made from surrounding trees. Throughout the green glade, effervescent pink sculptures jut from the ground, both contrasting and emphasizing the airy feel of the space. A perfect place to relax!

For the British-themed 2013 Flower Show “Brilliant!” visitors entered the Show by walking through this massive floral Royal Gates to walk down an allée of birch trees terminating at Big Ben Plaza.

For the 2013 show with its British theme, “Brilliant!” EP Henry created a display that juxtaposed two very British characteristics: cautious restraint and droll humor. Formal boxwood hedges and beds of flowering perennials set the tone for this proper English statue garden. But upon closer inspection, visitors were startled to discover that the Four Seasons figures keeping the garden under a watchful eye were not statues at all, but real people.

The Hamilton Horticourt was dedicated at the 2013 Flower Show.

The 2013 Flower Show Preview Party opened with the dedication of the Hamilton Horticourt—a spectacular new showcase for horticultural entries. Cutting the ribbon are, left to right, Francesca Northrup, Flower Show vice-chair; PHS staff member Nick Pytel; Steven Besselieu, Flower Show chair; Mrs. Samuel M.V. Hamilton; Drew Becher, PHS president; and Howard Meyers, PHS Board chair. Mrs. Hamilton, a long-time exhibitor, donated one million dollars for the new horticourt.

2013 was the first year PHS created a very popular “do it yourself” experience called “Make and Take.” That year, thousands of crafty guests made their own “fascinators” – floral headpieces with a British flair.

Jim Corrigan, 2013 Flower show guest, is participating in Michael Bruce Florist’s interactive exhibit “Portals: Talking Heads.” To view the display, guests are invited place their heads inside the various height containers, which have several portals for others to join in. Once guests are in place, the display will incite comment back and forth with other “talking heads.”

Michael Petrie’s Handmade Gardens 2013 exhibit is “The Handmade Garden: A Metal Sculptor’s Workspace.” Exhibitor description: Modern design and materials meet nature and handmade elements in this metal sculptor’s integrated workspace. Here, the sculptor is inspired by a contemporary garden that includes a hopscotch pattern of plant beds based on the paintings of Piet Mondrian, and monochromatic walls based on the wood sculptural monoliths of Louise Nevelson. Nearby, swaths of daffodils are offset by a giant, hand-wrought steel and copper daffodil sculpture. The Handmade Garden is contemplation and celebration of two age-old means of human expression that so often go hand-in-hand: making art and making gardens.

Michael Petrie’s Handmade Gardens 2013 exhibit is “The Handmade Garden: A Metal Sculptor’s Workspace.”