The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Non-profit organization · Logan Square ·
Community gardening, library resources, and flower show
Community gardening, library resources, and flower show
"During opening weekend of the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, attendees complained that the show was rife with problems — long, disorganized lines; a lack of water and water refilling stations; and vegetarian hoagies made with microwaved bags of veggies. Combined with a weekend-long heatwave, and baseball and basketball games happening at the same time, many visitors who attended the outdoor event took to social media to demand refunds." - Dayna Evans
"Moved outdoors to FDR Park for the first time in its 193-year history, I found the Philadelphia Flower Show’s opening marred by long, disorganized entry and parking lines in 90–93-degree heat, prompting many attendees on social media to call for refunds. Despite $45 timed tickets, people waited an hour or more to get in with no staff explaining the delays, no one selling water while lines formed, and at least one group only able to enter after finding a distant third entrance. Inside, the event’s rules around outside food and beverages were confusing—buried FAQ guidance said to bring water and noted there were no on-site refill options—yet bottled water cost $4 and many were glad they’d brought their own. Food operations were chaotic: menus advertised raclette sandwiches, Maryland crab cakes, Italian desserts, and to-go cocktails, but many items were sold out or required online ordering; my group managed only olives, short ribs, and chicken rollatini, which felt odd in the heat. Preordered picnic bags were left in the sun so items like deviled eggs, parfaits, and salmon bagels were warm and inedible to some, and vegan attendees reported $15 “grilled veggie hoagies” that tasted like microwaved frozen vegetables, while another hoagie had almost no quinoa and few veggies. Vendors and some staff were working uncovered in direct sunlight, a safety concern for the many older, higher-risk attendees—one 78-year-old waited nearly two and a half hours before leaving—and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was inundated with messages (its auto-reply noted very high email volume) as organizers and the show’s vendor organizer were pressed for answers." - Dayna Evans
"I've noted that the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Flower Show has been drawing the crowds since 1829; the annual extravaganza at the Pennsylvania Convention Center — this year running February 29 to March 8 — is the biggest and longest-running horticultural event in the country." - Eater Staff
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