For the 2025 show, the Northeast chapter of the American Institute of Floral Designers presented "Elysium in Chaos: A Garden Without Boundaries." The concept was meant to explore the "idea of paradise from ancient Greece, while using an unrestrained, maximalist approach," the chapter shared on social media. A team of 32 floral artists from around the U.S. and England helped produce the exhibit.Photo: Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
More than 235,000 attendees came through the show during its nine-day run, and—just as it is every year—the event is a massive team effort between PHS and the more than 200 landscape, floral, and garden vendors who exhibit across 315,000 square feet.
"Every single thing you see on the show floor has a massive team behind it," says Seth Pearsoll, PHS’ vice president and creative director of the show. "By the end of the day, it's a group project that has thousands of people involved."
Pearsoll adds that the futuristic theme was partly chosen to help give attendees agency with the idea that the things they do today can improve the outlook of tomorrow. "The world isn't all dark and scary; if you tend to your plots, both literally and metaphorically, you have a hand in making the world better," he says.
The PHS team also wanted to give gardeners, floral designers, and landscape artists the ability to be forward-thinking in their exhibits and to show off innovative techniques and materials. "We also wanted a theme where they could have fun with the whimsy and magic of an imaginative space," Pearsoll explains.
Every year, a major challenge for the winter-set show is "plant forcing," aka manipulating plants into growing or blooming before their normal season. This year, PHS and GMRdesign forced about 25 cherry trees to bloom for the show's Entrance Garden.
"Whenever you force plant material, you move from science into a little bit of magic," Pearsoll says. "So trying to get it to force just right is a massive challenge. Truth be told, the forcing was probably four days behind where I wanted it to be. We opened the show a little prematurely, but everything started booming gorgeously midweek, and it was incredible."
Floral trends spotted on the show floor this year included the continued tendency of more botanical arrangements, over flowers, that emphasize structure, texture, grass, and leaves. Pearsoll also cited branchwork, negative space, stems, and roots as other design elements that made an impression this year.
Keep scrolling to see 11 futuristic floral designs from this year's PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, with more insights from Pearsoll and GMRdesign's Gary Radin...
"The Entrance Garden is the first impression of the show theme and sets the mood for the full show experience," says GMRdesign founder Gary Radin. "Each year, we look for unique ways to showcase plants and flowers in a dynamic and immersive environment. Given the long history of the show, returning guests expect a 'wow' when they enter."
"There were personality tests that went along with the exhibit, so some audience engagement was involved," says Pearsoll. "This told a pollinator story, so it was relatable and featured all kinds of little quality touches. It was just executed really well."
