ARTiculture: Highlights from the 2014 Philadephia Flower Show

This year the Philadelphia Flower Show explored an entirely new theme focusing on the connection between Art and Horticulture.  Teaming up with various art museums such as the Barnes Foundation, The Brandywine River Museum, and Grounds for Sculpture, the atmosphere was alive with creative potential.  Inspired by the works of famous artists such as Wyeth, Calder, Dali, and Mondrian, landscape designers came together to create unique and colorful displays.  Most striking this year was the contrast between geometric lines, architectural forms, and the organic quality of the plants and flowers.

Here are some highlights from my photo collection.

Upon entering the convention center, a giant Calder display greets visitors with bright primary colors of red yellow and blue.  Also functioning as a performance stage, there were a variety of entertainers including BANDALOOP, a vertical dance troop who flew through the air cascading down the flower covered forms. 

Next, a Mondrian inspired display with red, yellow, and blue flowers nestled inside of a linear, geometric structure.  This worked to create a somewhat believable natural and architectural environment while making the two-dimensionality of the painting come to life.

Bright colors and geometric forms were everywhere, with organic textures playing off of the more structured yet fluid architectural lines.

Many of the colors stood out like a vibrant palette of blues, reds, and oranges.

Along with the artwork inspired displays were some of my favorite tablescape settings.  The one above had so many wonderful details, including pieces of decorative blue glass, hanging lanterns, and a creative potting bench.  Salvaged items made for a rustic and whimsical setting.  I was particularly excited to see the pieces of blue glass that I had written about it in one of my posts this past summer.  

The culinary table setting below, was one of my favorites of the show this year.  The attention to detail in this sushi inspired feast was amazing, with an imaginative and bountiful harvest created out of organic and edible colors and textures.

Every year there are a variety of displays showcasing artwork created by both adults and students.  The two beautifully detailed landscape pieces below are made with entirely organic plant and flower materials.

The small dioramas using small landscape plants always offer a fun escape into a miniature world.  

Like Frieda Kahlo's studio...

Leonardo DaVinci's studio...

Keith Haring's house...

The Lady of Shalott...

And finallya scene from The Birds...

And as always, the plant specimens are a highlight and great research opportunity.

 

A fun time at the Flower Show this year, can't wait until next!

In the Blink of an Eye

Ever wonder how one day in late March or early April, the landscape suddenly seems to transform from it's cold, gray, skeletal structure into a colorful, lush paradise, in what seems like the blink of an eye?  I am constantly amazed by the magic of nature, and how year after year it is able to produce so much life and growth out of nothing in an instant.  There is so much going on while these plants are dormant, so much that we don't see.

In the distance, a lime green haze is forming on the trees in my neighborhood.  This is the moment that I look forward to most in spring (despite the allergies), because I know that soon the trees will be full of bright green leaves and the air will be getting warmer. With this moment of transformation in mind, I have decided this year, to pay particular attention to the way that these familiar plants and flowers emerge, some poking though the soil, and others leafing out on what seem like dead, lifeless branches.

As I observe these plants undergo their yearly transformation, I am hoping to learn more about them, and about the nature of growth and life itself. 

I started thinking about this about two weeks ago, when I first started my spring clean-up in my yard.  I was walking past a lilac that I've kept in a pot for 8 years, when I noticed small clusters of tiny buds.  I took a small sucker from another, more mature lilac 8 years ago, intending to plant it in my then, new yard.  As the years passed, I watched this little plant grow bigger and bigger, becoming full of green leaves, but never blooming.  I repotted it over and over again but eventually figured that I would have to plant in the ground it for it to bloom.

When I noticed the bud clusters, all over the plant, a giant smile came across my face, I wanted to scream out and jump up and down with joy.  The excitement of seeing these little clusters was as if someone told me that I had just won the lottery.  There is something in this discovery, watching this process of growth, that gives me such a rush of adrenaline.

A few days later, the bud clusters extended into full lilac blooms waiting to open.  I can hardly wait!

Here are a few others....

 Peony.

 Sedum.

 Hydrangea.

 Hosta.

Tulip Magnolia.

 Peas.

And the tulips of course.  They are late to bloom this year, but seemed to suddenly emerge from the ground with bright orange, red, and yellow blooms.

Last fall, I picked up a pack of daffodils at the hardware store, making an effort to fill my backyard with them.  I have had a couple that bloom, here and there, but have never a real attempt to plant them.  I prefer the less traditional varieties, and picked these up.  To my surprise, these are rather unique little daffodils with tremendous personality.  They have multiple creamy white bblooms branching off of one stem, causing the flowers to turn downward.  They look shy and bashful.

I plan to continue my observations as spring marches forward.  Stay tuned.