Brilliant! The Philadelphia Flower Show returns this weekend with lots of tea, crumpets, royalty and a guaranteed fun.

From March 2-10, the Philadelphia Flower Show 2013 will transport you to Great Britain from the convenience of the PA Convention Center. A benefit produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, all proceeds feed back into local efforts to “garden, green & educate”. Since 1829, the world’s largest indoor flower show brings beauty to our lovely (yet often dirty…) city.

This year’s new features include opening a day early (Saturday vs the typical Sunday), an enhanced Flower Show Smartphone App, and a “Make & Take” room complete with opportunities to create your own British ‘fascinator’ or floral wristlet.

We checked out the Media “Sneak Peek” of the Flower Show eve last minute preparations. As a former EXPAT in London, I was psyched to check out this year’s theme. And for you our readers, we have a few of the fabulous 2013 Flower Show scenes for you.

Flower Show Preview: From Philly to a Stroll through England

As usual, the extravagant entrance welcomes you from the city into the Flower Show world. This year’s theme appropriately mimics the Buckingham Palace gates, fit for royalty:

Green all-star Subaru sponsors the “All You Need is Love” display after you pass the royal gates. The Peace, Love & Music garden with flowering cherry trees & sage, petunias & blue ageratum begs for a Beatles Soundtrack. Other fun details include the Outback sign mimicking the British Street Signs on “Abbey Road”.

The next ‘grizzly’ theme, Jack by Schaffer Designs, pay tribute to 19th century not-so-jolly London and Jack the Ripper’s legacy. Rumors were that Jack the Ripper got away with his killing spree using the sewers as his escape route at night. The Streets of JTR include 7 different ‘rooms’, which is based on an average murder victims guessed by experts. Just check out this creepy (but floral) representation:

Are you a fan of that popular Brit PBS show? A sneak peek into an early English Cricket Club will delight the Downton Abbey fan.

Flower Show Disney Themes

Who can forget the favorite Disney Nanny with superpowers and a ‘everything fits’ suitcase? Flowers by David designed an umbrella-filled, mist & gentle rain scene that embodies the dreary London weather. There was a hint dropped that Mary Poppins may stop by this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious exhibit:

Sticking on the Disney theme, the Mad Tea Party by Petals Lane finds Alice in Wonderland down the rabbit hole. This curious tea party includes mismatched furniture, natural plant life, statues & even a card deck croquet set to capture the classic fairy tale.

Alice in Wonderland herself is adorned with various flowers:

Sustainability at the Philadelphia Flower Show

When we think of flowers, green themes naturally come to mind. Philly’s Flower Show is on the same page, incorporating themes of sustainability, reuse & recycling along with nature’s blooms. This exhibit combines all natural plants along the bottom, with a top layer incorporating ‘manmade’ products including paper, bubble wrap & other ‘recycled’ materials:

Even the 38-foot-tall Big Ben (London’s landmark clock tower) uses recycled hoses and other rubber products like tire treads as mini statues standing guard. The tower is decorated with varieties of English roses and has light and sounds shows every hour, on the hour.

Lastly, we can’t forget the Philadelphia Water Department’s reminder that the Flower Show can be a Shit Show, too. (Just kidding.) The Power of Poop showcases PWD’s innovative methods to use sewage to produce energy at its facility. Wastewater picks up heat from sinks, dishwater & industrial processes to travel underground and converts into energy. Each time you flush a toilet or use a garbage disposal, it’s actually creating energy!

Our sneak peek covered only a fraction of the exhibits and displays in Britain (by way of Philly). Want to check out the Philadelphia Flower Show for yourself? The flower show is open daily from March 2-10, until 9:30 PM (minus the final Sunday 3/10 at 6 PM). Tickets are available online and cost $27 for adult, $20 for students & $15 for children. Fun packs with PHS membership also are available.

Readers, what are you most excited to see?

Photos: Julie Hancher/Green Philly Blog

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher