In a press conference held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA), The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) unveiled five new design concepts that will be a part of the 2023 Flower Show’s major exhibitions, showcasing large-scale gardens over 900 square feet. PHS created an art gallery experience featuring framed renderings and artistic interpretations of many of the key exhibitors among the museum’s backdrop of beautiful collections, elevating floral designers and gardeners into the realm of fine arts. 
This press event was the first time that the Flower Show has released information and visuals on its exhibitors for the 2023 show, “The Garden Electric,” in addition to a video detailing the PHS Entrance Garden, the majestic central feature that dazzles guests upon entrance to the Flower Show.
The Entrance Garden design this year will create a sense of mystery and intrigue with its rounded, transparent mesh scrim that offers a fragrant hint of the opulent and lush floral world awaiting within. The silhouetted plants and flowers on the exterior of the space will invite curious guests inward through a grey-hued entrance. Once inside, guests will experience a jolt of floral magic that celebrates that unique feeling of awe, excitement and celebration that one experiences when encountering majestic beauty. By using a mesh scrim to conceal and encapsulate the space, guests are enveloped in a 360-degree world of unique floral pairings, textures, light, fragrance, and vibrant colors, creating an immersive, sensory experience that captures the feeling of “The Garden Electric.”
For the first time in Show history, several designers have been invited to create gardens that range from 2,200 - 2,900 square feet, the largest gardens ever seen at the event. This creative direction continues the immersive experience of the previous two outdoor Flower Shows, enveloping guests in a 360-degree floral world that can be experienced from multiple viewpoints. This year’s artists hail from around the globe featuring notable up-and-coming designers as well as established industry veterans known for shaping the industry.
PHS also unveiled artist details for the Flower Show’s musical festival component, curated by Philadelphia-based musical group SNACKTIME. Guests can look forward to lively musical performances throughout the Flower Show’s run from DJ Aktive, artists from RECPhilly, Zeek Burse, and many others. In addition, students from the School District of Philadelphia will perform on the Flower Show’s special family-centric day, Family Frolic.
In its return indoors, and for the first time, the Flower Show will adopt the concept of a winding promenade. This guided path is a departure from how all previous Shows have been laid out, creating a lush, self-guided experience for guests to view and engage with stunning gardens and flowers up close.
“This year, we’re working hard to create a cohesive and fully immersive experience for our Flower Show attendees. Design choices are intentionally being made to mimic the feel of being outdoors in nature by creating larger displays that surround guests, and our lineup of exhibitors is incredible,” said PHS Creative Director Seth Pearsoll. “Every exhibitor is creating a unique, spectacular interpretation of the ‘Garden Electric’ theme, filled with bold color and interesting design elements that will really captivate our guests while the promenade-style path ensures that all visitors can closely enjoy these stunning works of art.”
Exhibitor information
The exhibitor lineup for 2023 will place special emphasis on the representation of garden and landscape designers of varied backgrounds, experiences, and specialties, offering them a platform to make their unique artistic voices heard.
“The Garden Electric” will also feature design categories for highly skilled, non-professionals, including several competitive categories such as windowsill decoration, doorway decoration, miniature floral design, floral arrangements, pressed plants, botanical jewelry, and more. These non-professional displays are one of the trademarks of the Flower Show’s long legacy of showcasing the innovative and inspired designs of passionate gardeners, florists, and artists, and blue ribbons are awarded to the top participants in each category.
The PHS Hamilton Horticourt will also return this year in a new, central location within the show’s layout, allowing Show attendees to easily peruse the myriad of award-winning plants and flowers entered into PHS’s competitive classes. This year’s Horticourt will house new competitive class entrants for categories such as forced cut branches, citrus, and several new classes in arrangements, including a new invitational class that will invite top floral designers to compete.
In addition, there will be dozens of additional artistic, floral-inspired displays for guests to peruse.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society