Just got back from the Philadelphia Flower Show. WOW what a crowd. It was awful. It was so bad we dodged out and went to lunch and went back in the late afternoon-early evening. I enjoyed looking at the displays but was bonkers shopping at the venders. OOoo did I have a good time! I literally shopped til I dropped. I started out with lily bulbs from a vendor that I love going to. I loaded up on more Casa Blancas and a couple pinky/raspberries. Then I hit the deer zapper table. Those D@#!< deer are going DOWN! Then plumerias, gloriosa lilies, flowering ferns, tree peonies, trilliums, and a bunch of other things. Thank G-d I took my extra big granny cart that I bought there last year. Oh yeah and two new varieties of Medanilla. I really wanted some primroses but they were the garden variety so I'll get mine from Graceful Garden. My husband thought I'd lost my mind. I told him I'd saved all year for this so I'm going to enjoy myself and I did. You guys gotta go but wait til later in the afternoon.

Sounds like fun! I'm not sure if I'll ever head up to the flower show. Philly is a great city for a weekend trip, though.

Gardener
I forgot to mention. My husband took me over to the conservatory/4 seasons/greenhouse vendors. Fingers crossed and eyes tight shut, looks like he's going to put one up for me!!!! Yes! If G-d's with me in this I'll be able to sit out in the sunshine in the dead of winter. Its going to go where the deck is where we had lunch at the garden party. We'll keep the lower deck where the grill is because the sukkah fits perfectly there. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I may even be able to get a greenhouse window in the kitchen and a bow window in the dining room out of this.

I know what you mean. I'd love to have a group trip up on the train but it would be too awful with the crowds. They do give group discounts though.

Oooohhhh! A greenhouse! Winter gardening *and* protection from deer!

Personally I would love a sun room.

He just told me, they're coming on Thursday. OMG!!!!! This just might happen!

Always sunny in Philadelphia, right? Impressive displays at Flower Show, liked NPS theme, but far too many people. A few displays we couldn't even see due to crowds.
Was tempted to buy Medanilla but didn't. Let me know how yours do. Did buy plumeria, have had luck with those.
Greenhouse sounds exciting!

Did you get any pictures I have always wanted to go. I am going to try for next year

Yehudith, how exciting! I know some of those vendors have special "deals" going in conjunction with the show. Hope it works out!

I haven't totally given up the idea of going this year... thinking if I can get away by 1 or 2 on Friday, I can be there from 4 or 5 until 9 Friday evening (usually the worst crowds are between 1 & 4), stay overnight, then return Saturday morning at 8 and stay until the crowds get awful again.

In the past, Terri (Aspenhill) and I have cut out for lunch in the middle of the day, then either shopped at the vendors (can pick things up at the end of the day if you ask sweetly... beats carrying stuff all around the show) or checked out the less populated smaller exhibits around the perimeter. The last time we went, though ,they had changed up the layout and alternated big & small exhibit areas instead of putting all the big stuff near the center, so our plan wasn't quite as organized... we just wandered around! I haven't looked at the map for this year...

SSG - take the afternoon off on Friday and come with me! Maybe Aspenhill will be recovered enough by then to come, also. Splitting it into an evening and the following morning does cost another show ticket, but I think it'll be less crowded and easier...

Jill, I'm stuck in VA all day Friday! i hope you and Terri get to go this year!

OK, we're all setting our sights on next year, then! We'll make a plan ahead of time... Aspen-Terri should be retired by then, so she can go any day of the week... we won't be in FL for a week in Jan, so hopefully no problem pulling Joyanna for an "unexcused" day... Her "big sister" Meghan wants to go, too (she just started working at Dutch Plant Farms!)... Shannon, SSG, hopefully others can join us. *counting on fingers* SSG, Aspen, Meghan, Joyanna, me... we can fit 2 more in the Odessey if they don't mind squeezing into the middle seats, so we can pick up Holly & Ric on the way... Oops, didn't mean to leave out Shannon and Yehudith and Donner and... We might need to caravan!

That would be Fun . Going with y'all I don't like going out alone. I have a Suburban lots of room

I'm with you, Shannon... I could go up by myself Friday and stay over so I'd be OK for driving back (have a bum arm and would be pushing it to drive both ways on the same day)... but I want company!

Recommend getting roast pork sandwiches from Tommy DiNic's at Reading Terminal, then plopping down at Pop-Up Beer Garden back at CC.

there's also a cheesesteak place in the middle of Reading Terminal that Terri & I like a lot... long lines, but wonderful sloppy sub!

Yep, that's Spataro's.
We discovered a great breakfast/lunch place, Jean's Cafe at 13th and Walnut. Went twice in three days.

Maybe I could meet up with you there next year.

We definitely have to plan a MAG meetup next year! If we figure things out in advance, for those (like me) who want to stay over, we could get rooms right across the way at Day's Inn.

OK Jill I'm in. I have an Odessy so I can take 7 other people and have some room in the back for purchases. No problem with me staying over night if we go on a Sunday and come back on Monday.

:-)

It's starting to sound like a real plan!

Cheesecake Love the idea of a hotel right across the street