Philadelphia Flower Show 2026- American Landscape Showcase

I don't really understand this exhibit very well. Apparently it was to present a variety of typical American landscapes. There were four sections.

This part was created by a studio from California. The description used a lot of words to say very little, but here is part of it. "Land and human presence are inseparable- shaping each other in ways seen and unseen."

The best part of this section was a new-to-me, California-coastal plant called Blueblossom, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, var. Griseus 'Yankee Point.' It has evergreen shiny leaves. Of course it also has thorns and grows to be a tree about 20 feet tall. But the Flower Show is as much about fantasy as anything.

Next was (Decay)dence from Design Under Sky in Rhode Island. I really don't understand this one at all. It also used a lot of words to say very little. The idea is that the roots of weeds break down other plants (which isn't even true, really) to recycle the nutrients. This is a look into the interior.

I didn't see anything in that whole section that was very interesting.

Third is The Ghost Forest by a studio in Maryland. This one is a hoot, but it was pretty. The description made sense anyway. It lamented the loss of the American Chestnut that left a void so we could contemplate loss and create a future woodland in partnership with the gardner.

Here is the void left by the chestnut.

Here's the hilarious part. If you look closely at what's in the void, it's mostly filled with acorns and magnolia pods with some pine cones. I will admit there were a few chestnut burrs (almost certainly not American Chestnut).

The best part of that section? That big globe in the first picture was actually lit with an orange light. From the other side it looked like a huge full moon!

The fourth section was called American Anemoia by a company from Iowa. Anemoia is a term coined by The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows website for "nostalgia for a time you've never known." It was attractive and humorous. The company that made the exhibit had a for sale sign with themselves as realtor on the lot that called it a "beautiful home and garden with native plants."

The best part of this one was an official notice on the fence from the city of Philadelphia citing the owner for having weeds and needing to mow.

Of the plants they used, I really liked the use of Andropogon virginicus, broomsedge bluestem. It grows around the Great Lakes, and it can look quite pretty in the fall. That said, not all the plants they used were native. Some were cultivars.

I'll have to feature a local clump of the Andropogon virginicus on the blog. I thought I had, but apparently not. It IS native.

I guess I'm getting too picky. I know that the Flower Show is about fantasy gardens and temporal beauty. But I sort of think that when places claim they are showcasing native plants that they should actually be doing that.

In other news: I edited hard and continued to work on a couple of projects.

See PFS 2026- Fare to Remember