Philadelphia Flower Show 2010

I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show Wednesday imagining the blissful afternoon I would spend flitting from one exhibit to another shooting inspired flower photos through Nikon glass. It would definitely be less crowded on a Wednesday than it is on the weekends, right? Wrong. After ninety minutes I had had enough of being pushed and nudged and hurried along, and I took my leave. The theme this year was "Passport to the World" and there were displays featuring New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, India, Brazil and Singapore. These, of course, were the most crowded of all.

I loved this elephant and stood there forever for this shot because some whiney brat's yellow smiley face balloon kept popping into the frame. anyway, look closely at the elephant's toes painted with sparkly nail polish. It's all in the details, right?

Lilies are always good for some good shots. Stick that camera right up in their faces:

There were many creative displays including this one with little globes of colored water suspended from the ceiling (or a frame, I don't remember) at different heights with assorted flora popping out.

I was surprised to see figs in portable pots. These are the same variety we've been growing at the Cape May house for longer than I have been alive, Turkey Brown. They are green because they are not yet ripe, of course.

These are two of my favorite shots. Just flowers, nothing fancy.

I should add that the Marketplace was not as crowded as the exhibits and I spent some time there. I only bought a small Flowering Maple that I will try to keep alive until summer. If anyone is wondering what to get me for my upcoming birthday, I would like a Bagz-it, an Air Chair, a complete re-landscaping of my backyard, and a special keepsake DVD of the 2010 Flower Show so's I can see what I missed.

The Philadelphia Flower Show Part Two

By the time I got to the individual plant competition, my feet were screaming from the hard concrete convention center floor. But this part of the show is amazing: the perfect specimens; the blue, red and yellow ribbons; and the photo opps! It's like a fashion show for each kind of plant. I'm especially drawn to the bulb flowers since I grow them at home (in the ground, not in pots), but some of the other categories feature breathtaking specimens. I just love this lady's blurred face behind the African violet!

Orchids were very popular this year:

The Philadelphia Flower Show Part One

A couple of Fridays ago, we headed down to Philadelphia on the train to see the Philadelphia Flower Show. I always plan to go to this event, but something always happens to thwart my plans. This year it was a giant snowstorm on the day I had planned to go, but almost on the spur of the moment and without making my intentions known, I decided we'd go on Friday after work. Of course it was still crowded and you practically have to wait in line to see the displays, but the wait is worth it. The theme this year was Italy, and the displays were grouped by Italian geography. Displays featured a gondola, the lost civilization of Atlantis, Roman statues, and non-Italian topics such as the orchid (water)fall, multi-colored tree, and an Irish cottage. Check out some photos below: