Put on your hiking boots,  find your walking stick and head down to the Pennsylvania Convention Center!

The 2016 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, ”Explore America”, in commemoration of the  National Park Service’s 100 years, is celebrating the majestic national parks.

The show runs from Saturday, March 5^th to Sunday, March 13^th.  In one day, you can experience the wonder of our national parks, visit historic sites and experience the cultural heritage that makes our national park system outstanding. This show is for adventurers of all ages so bring the family for a once in a lifetime experience.

Your experience begins once you walk through the Big Timber Lodge. You will be immersed in the parks as the overhead screens show you some of the spectacular sights and sounds are seen daily in the parks.

The life-size sculpted bison and bear greet you on the start of your adventure along with a dazzling 12-foot waterfall and floral totems. Three well-marked trails, History, Culture and Nature, will lead you through the various exhibits.

Examples of the National Parks represented are the first, Yellowstone, with its geysers, mud pools, and hot springs. Stoney Bank Nurseries (Glen Mills, PA) recreated the landscape to how it looked after the rebirth of the fire of 1988. Look for the gray wolf roaming around in the wildflowers.

Michael Petrie of Handmade Gardens in Swarthmore interpreted Washington state, Olympic National Park with a tiny house in his design, which shows sustainability and reducing one’s carbon footprint.

A few others you can also visit include Acadia, Arches, Death Valley, Muir Woods, Redwoods, and Valley Forge National Park. The newest National Park, First State National Historic Park created by Irwin Landscaping of Hockessin, DE gives us their interpretation of an early colonial garden.

Take a hike along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, NJ Coastal Heritage Trail or the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail like Cheryl Strayed all in one day.

You can see which one inspires you to plan your next adventure in the wild. The one difference is you will not have to hike the high peaks to explore the trails here.

You can visit the Wissahickon right from the Convention Center! WB Saul High School students did a miraculous exhibit of the Valley Green Inn on Forbidden Drive:

The Philadelphia area is well represented with historical sites including Independence National Historic Park and Valley Forge.

You can also visit Abe Lincoln’s Birthplace, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, and Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.

There is a Ranger Station where you can visit with Park Rangers present or by webcast and listen to their presentations. Kids of all ages can become part of the Junior Ranger program and earn Ranger badges, have your Park passport stamped or receive the New National Park Service trading card created especially for the Flower Show. You can also pin your favorite park on a large scale map.

The 1500 square foot Railway Garden sponsored by Amtrack with Bachmann Trains features a vast display of model locomotives and rail cars rumbling through miniature national parks set up along its tracks. Young and old alike will be amazed.

You can also see our friends at Philadelphia Water’s display about Green City, Clean Waters. I was especially excited to learn about green stormwater infrastructure.

Special events to plan for include:

• March 5^th – Cabin Fever Country Hoedown
• March 9^th – Wedding Wednesday
• March 10^th – Flowers After Hours
• March 11^th – Fido Friday
• March 13^th – Flower Show Jamboree (Teddy Bear Tea, Junior Ranger Day and more special appearances),

All of the National Park displays (40 or more), are resplendent with very authentic looking landscape displays including plants, trees,  groundcover, shrubs and park structures and of course,  beautiful displays of flowers as they are seen in their natural environment.

Proceeds from the Flower Show benefit the year-round programs of PHS that include City Harvest, Philadelphia LandCare, and Plant One Million.  Find more about these programs at PHSonline.org.

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