Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => GARDENING AROUND THE HOUSE => Topic started by: MrILoveTheAnts on March 09, 2008, 02:20:42 pm

Title: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: MrILoveTheAnts on March 09, 2008, 02:20:42 pm
I know it's a little late to post this since the flower show ends today, but I felt like sharing my pictures. So I went to the Flower Show on Friday with my mom and it was a fun experience. My GPS kept freezing up so that was fun. Navigating all the one way roads was also fun, in that I hated every second of it. It got to the point where I believed there was no flower show at all, just a big room filled with cheese at the end of this rat maze. Parking was near impossible too, Oh there were plenty of spaces but if you weren't on the right side of the road as the next parking garage you were out of luck. In the parking garage itself I ended up with a tight space between two SUVs and a poll right behind my space. Somehow I managed to fit my van in there.
The flower show was over hyped but still amazing. All the while driving we kept hearing this ad for it where the man kept saying "This is the year to come see it!" I've got to say it wasn't anything to special but again everything still looked amazing. The problem is barely any of the displays are photogenic. They're in odd lighting or lacking appropriate backgrounds, and the people there didn't help at all when taking a pictures either. Flowering trees (a few weeks early) looked increasable among the foliage but many were placed in such a way that things behind them showed through in the shot.
Here is the only shot I took that came out good of the landscaping exhibits. An Irish garden or something like that. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/Medow.jpg
This is only a small portion of one of four they had setup, and I think the nicest looking. There were snapdragons standing higher then me, and much taller then I've ever seen.

Other exhibits towards the middle were more focused on design and contest entries.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/PinkandOrangeRoom.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/PinkandOrangeWall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/PinkandOrangevase.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/PinkHoopofDeath.jpg

A random plant I decided to take a picture of.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/PurplePinch.jpg

I noticed an emphases on bulbs too that I didn't like for some reason. It seemed like they were the easiest thing for a flower show to have since they can be fooled into growing early.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/RowofBulbs.jpg
I was more impressed with the small flowering trees they had.

I got a pic of this plant too, which according to their website is a rare or uncommon plant. I forget the name but it's written on the paper there... if you can read it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/RareFlower2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/RareFlower.jpg

At last we came to the third portion of the show, the shops. This part of the show room was actually in some sort of good lighting. But there were few things of interest for sale. Again the emphases seemed to be on bulbs, but they have a few there that I liked. Because I'm friends with a few Carnivorous plant lovers I was sure to snag a few of the CP's on sale.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/VenusFlyTrapJar.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/NepenthesTall.jpg (I messed up a spot in editing this photo. I missed a portion of the box as you can tell. The plant itself didn't stand out at all with the background.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/Nepentheshanging.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/NepenthesSpiked.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/NepenthesHuge.jpg
If I had the $20 at this point I would have certainly bought one of these. The pitchers on some of them were seriously 6 inches long. I like these photos in particular because the also show off some editing techniques. Notice how they jump off the page somewhat thanks to my having selected the background and blurred it more to give the illusion of distance.

At the show I bought a Black Eyed Susan, an Orange Eremurus (Giant Foxtail Lilies) bulb, and some other plant I've already lost the name of but it looks like a tropical vine with small almost pill-like flowers. They're yellow at the tip and bright orange/pink for most of the rest of the flower. Apparently hummingbirds like them.

I hope you enjoyed.
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: poka-bee on March 09, 2008, 04:57:27 pm
The nepenthes are amazing!!  and for only $20??? :shock:  The outside plants like  Sar's & VFT's do better for me though, less work! (better colors too)  It's always fun to get different ideas for things at those places!
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: Moonshae on March 09, 2008, 10:33:56 pm
I got caught in all that traffic trying to eat in Chinatown.  :'(
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: Kimbrell on March 10, 2008, 12:07:44 am
I guess that's one of the perks of living near a big city- being able to attend a flower show! Beautiful pictures!  I like the one of the Irish garden.  It would have been great to see all the green and growing things even if it was over-hyped.
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: Cindi on March 10, 2008, 12:17:55 am
MrILoveTheAnts.  Wow, you have some wonderful narration and the pictures you took were very nicely done, good for you.  I liked the one that you had called the PurplePinch, very pretty.  Thank you for taking us into this part of your world, excellent, have a wonderful and beautiful day, Cindi
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: KONASDAD on March 10, 2008, 10:51:00 am
I got caught in all that traffic trying to eat in Chinatown.  :'(
Most people dont know it, but you can park on opposite side of Vine st for free. I always get a spot even on saturday nite.  Right in front of pay lot between 9th and 12th.

Haven't been to flower show in years, looked very nice.
Title: Re: Philadelphia Flower Show
Post by: reinbeau on March 10, 2008, 01:05:43 pm
Excellent photos, MrILoveTheAnts.!  I'm going to the Boston Flower Show tomorrow, I'll post pics then.  This is my annual pilgrimage, spring will officially be sprung for me during that show!