This year’s PHS Philadelphia Flower Show bloomed outdoors for the first time in its 193-year history this past June 5-13, 2021. In pursuit of increasing PHS’s mission to create healthy living environments, PHS worked with numerous partners and alongside Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Streets Department to ensure that FDR Park and its users would enjoy lasting benefit from the Show’s usage of the park beyond the official Show dates. Among numerous long-term improvements, PHS’s work to beautify the park included: investments in the park’s infrastructure and landscaping, creating and installing new site furnishings that will remain at FDR Park, and promoting the health of its trees, lawns, and green spaces for years to come.
Every year, thousands of items from the Philadelphia Flower Show such as plants and exhibit infrastructure are re-purposed or donated to organizations and community groups throughout the Philadelphia region. This thoughtful post-Show process gives a second life to plants, exhibits, and hardscape items from the Show, further benefitting local nonprofits, schools, community gardens, industries in need, and other locations while helping to spread PHS’s mission of using horticulture to advance health and well-being.
This season, in addition to its annual donations, PHS made a significant “horticulture investment” in FDR Park, refreshing its infrastructure, providing a variety of plants and shrubs, installing new park visitor elements, and building on the environmental health of this cherished park.
“PHS is thrilled that the Philadelphia Flower Show could contribute to the beautification and enhancement of one of the city’s most beloved parks. We are so happy that we can offer such a great array of items to support the work of our partners at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Friends of FDR Park, and the local South Philadelphia community who helped to make the 2021 Show a success.” said Sam Lemheney, PHS Chief of Shows & Events.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society100 N. 20th Street