Field Trip:
Garden Design Ideas from the Philadelphia Flower Show
Looking for garden inspiration? Here are creative design ideas from the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show that we gardeners can adapt for our own yards.
Have you ever walked in from the cold into a warm room and been overcome by the scents of roses, hyacinth,freesia, peonies – all in a wave of floriferous glory? Like the most glorious perfumes all wafting together in a wall of fragrance – powerful and yet pleasant. Stepping in from the chill outside into the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week, a cloud of floral perfume greeted me long before I even showed my ticket for the press preview of the Philadelphia Flower Show.
Hilariously, across the hall of the same convention center, an annual meeting of allergists enjoyed the same fragrant air – and probably could have done a brisk walk-in business. Achoo!
But I had taken my allergy meds and was prepared for the day ahead – or so I thought.
I've been to flower shows before. Just last summer I attended the Chelsea Flower Show, the Grande Dame of them all. But the Philadelphia Flower Show claims to be "the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event" with roots running back to 1829. That's 197 years of flower shows! So in honor of our nation's 250th birthday, it seemed a good year to visit Philadelphia's crowning jewel. And it did not disappoint!
a spring fantasy woodland at the entrance
Rooted: Origins of American Gardening
This year's theme – Rooted: Origins of American Gardening – was particularly poignant. As gardeners it’s critical that we acknowledge that the history of American gardening is deeply intertwined with injustice, racism, slavery, and genocide. From the earliest days of colonization the American garden has been tangled with our history of oppression and genocide of the Native Peoples of this continent. Likewise, it's impossible to extract the American garden from our history of enslavement. And our agricultural and gardening present depends on the work of migrants.
Indeed, the history of the American garden is a gordian knot, and most of the flower show entries skirted the thornier parts of our history in favor of beautiful fantasy.
But amidst the fantasy floral arrangements, two displays took on our history.
This display by florist Tissarose is a testament to the role of African Americans in agriculture and horticulture. Featuring cotton – a commercial crop the cultivation of which relied on enslaved labor – as well as a rainbow of blooms supported by beautiful, black hands – the entire display is an homage to the florist's ancestors.
And WB Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences explored the role of the Lenni Lenape peoples, the “original stewards of this place.” Featuring a traditional Lenni Lenape dwelling sited along a bubbling creek surrounded by native regional plants, this garden acts as a living plant list for local gardeners. In their description, the students wrote: "What has been uprooted in the Philadelphia region needs to be replanted, and so we will."
Both are thought-provoking and powerful moments for reverence and reflection.
Flower Show Highlights and Your Gardening Questions Answered
When I go to a show like this I find it is very helpful to have a focus – otherwise I get a little overwhelmed and don't know where to even look! So I asked you all: what gardening problems or questions do you have that I can look for solutions? And you delivered! You asked so many great questions, and I scoured the show for your answers.
So before we get into it, here's a distillation of the whole huge show in 45 seconds… an impossible task, to be sure!
Planting in Multiples
One reader asked: is planting in multiples only for perennials/small or mid perennials or for trees/shrubs, too? She is referring to my number one rule of gardening: Plant in Threes. Rather than planting just one of a particular plant, choose at least three. Three of one plant is better than one each of three. It gives pollinators and other wildlife that like that plant, more options. And the answer is: Yes! This applies to trees and shrubs, too!
Check out this great show garden that illustrates how trees and shrubs can be planted to achieve a thicket habitat.
Want to know more about planting in multiples? Read on here:
Dense Planting for Weed Control
One of my favorite show gardens was designed by Kelly D. Norris of Iowa. His garden evokes an abandoned yard left to its own devices – with a beautiful result! And unlike many show gardens, he planted everything very, very densely which is the most effective means of weed control. Check it out!
Want to know more about wildlife gardening and dense planting? Check out my Wildlife Gardening Guide. And Amelanchier was one of our Plants of the Week last season. Read more about it here!
Raised Bed Idea
Another reader was on the hunt for good raised beds, and I saw this technique in use on a show garden. I can tell you from first-hand experience that this works beautifully for wildlife, too. I have a wide range of insects and mice living in mine – and probably more creatures I don't even know about!
Looking for more raised bed ideas? Check out my Raised Bed Gardening Guide!
Dead Wood in the Garden
The Men's Gardening Club of Philadelphia created another great display with dead wood a it's heart. There aren't many people in North America who talk about stumperies – and that is a mistake! Stumperies are an invitation for wildlife, and can be absolutely gorgeous, too.
Interested in the how and why of leaving dead wood in your garden? I have you covered here: