You just can't go wrong at the Philadelphia Flower Show, even when it's outside in 90 degree weather -- along with the occasional downpour. And this year's theme -- Habitat: Nature's Masterpiece, of course was perfect for the location at FDR Park, a 348-acre site in South Philly designed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1914.
Top prize in design this year went to horticulturist and landscape designer Wambui Ippolito, who fell in love with plants back in her native Kenya. The design, called "Etherea," is inspired by her mother and her early childhood years. "Nature is home," she says, "a place to be nurtured and to be at peace."
The design includes winding paths and some of her favorite plants, among them viburnum, roses, hydrangea, delphinium, and lots of rosemary.
You will not want to miss "Habitat" by Laura Santin of Nomad Studio in New York City. It's a micro-woodland surrounded by 1300 kokedama (which means "mossball" in Japanese) orbs planted with a variety of tree seedlings. It's all inside an intricate metal frame that provides drama, indeed, to the installation.
Kokedama is an adaptation from an old Nearai Bonsai method, which has existed for centuries in gardening. As Santin explains, it's a "visual reflection on the hidden importance of the dwellers within the soil and their partnership with plants to create a suitable habitat for all of us."
And ... gardeners always like to see unusual plants, so make sure to visit "The Reinvention of Nature" by Patrick Cullina of NYC. Taxodium ascendens, pond cypress, is a beautiful native conifer with upright foliage that you'll likely encounter only in botanical gardens ... and although many of us love magnolias, how many gardeners are familiar with Magnolia ashei, another native with huge leaves and fragrant, creamy white flowers that open flat as they mature.
I'm only scratching the surface of this year's flower show, -- which includes all of the normal flower show exhibits -- miniatures, botanical drawings, specimen plants -- but the outdoor setting makes it something special this year, so surely try to see it before it closes next weekend.
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