Philadelphia Flower Show 2017Recently I had an amazing floral adventure doing volunteer design work at the Philadelphia Flower Show.
Along with 30 amazing floral designers and helpers from around the country, we spent several days last week helping Bill Schaffer and Kris Kratt-Schaffer of Schaffer Designs install their floral exhibit for the 2017 Philadelphia Flower Show. |
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This year's theme of the flower show is Holland: Flowering the World. Many garden and floral displays included tulips, bicycles, bridges and canals. The Schaffer design incorporated 10 large white bicycle structures to pay homage to the White Bicycle Plan in Holland in the 1960's, the world's first such movement to provide free bicycles for public transportation. The orange flowers in the display represent the national color of Holland.
When the floral designers arrived last Monday, 100's of hours of work had already been put in by Bill, Kris and a core team to design the exhibit, select and order flowers and create the structures; welding bike frames together and painting them white, then transporting them to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and hanging them from the ceiling in the days before we arrived. A group of 30 people, floral designers and other amazing help, from all over the country became Team Schaffer as we spent over 40 hours in three days layering orange flowers, more orange flowers and even more orange flowers to complete the design.
For me, one of the most difficult parts of the design process was working on a ladder. Not because of the height, but because the way the structures were suspended from the ceiling, they moved and turned. Sometimes this was on purpose, but the random movements were quite disorienting when standing near the top of a 10 foot ladder. |
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| The finished design. 10,000+ stems of orange flowers, 10 white bicycle structures, plus additional bicycles around the perimeter. |  |
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| The experience was amazing and inspiring. A collaboration of people with the same passion for all things floral. The best part? Working with and getting to know 30+ people who are now a part of an extended family. It was a privilege to be a part of this amazing group and work on this project! |
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A few of my new friends: photos above: Me & Lynne Tischler (Your Enchanted Florist, St. Paul) Yoli LaGuerre, (AIFD, EMC, The New York Botanic Garden) The Core Team**: Steve, Kathy, Diane, Kris Kratt-Schaffer (AIFD, PFCI) Bill Schaffer, (AIFD, AAF, PFCI), Nancy (EMC), Robert & CJ; Me & Sherrilyn Roundy (CFD, Pink Floral and Events, Larkspur CO)
**Shared photo. |
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| Most of the team has returned home, but the work continues through the show. For example, Tuesday night after hours, several people spent time removing and replacing 1,000's of stems of flowers to refresh the design for the rest of the week. This is a flower arrangement after all. And then there is still break down at the end of the show. |
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The Philadelphia Flower Show is put on by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. At just over 10 acres, it is the largest indoor flower show in the world. (Unlike other shows I've been to, no boats, grills or hot tubs, JUST FLOWERS!)
This year's event runs 9 days, March 11-19. The entrance garden (below) had over 30,000 tulip bulbs- ALL of which were replaced on Tuesday night so those who attend the show later in the week get the same wow! as the first visitors. |
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| Here are a few more highlights: |
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Do you Instagram? Me too! Click here
Bill Schaffer, AIFD/Schaffer Designs here
Philadelphia Flower Show here |
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