Let's get some road trips arranged and get together when we're at the show, too!
The Philly show is opening a day earlier this year (on a Saturday) but still going through the following Sunday.
This year's theme is "Brilliant!" and focuses on the gardens of Britain.
Here's the front page for the flower show site: http://theflowershow.com/
If you've never been, it's definitely an event that should be on everybody's "bucket list," even if it's not an annual "must-do."
I'm open to suggestions... I'd thought about going up the first weekend and staying over Saturday night, "making" Jim go along so he could take Joyanna back to the hotel for breaks...
But now her bestest friend is having a birthday party on Saturday March 2, plus I think i waited too long to get a nearby room that night.
So... waiting to hear what anybody else might be planning...
I'd really love to go, and I'd love to stay over. I've never gone. But OMG -- March is around the corner! We are going to Florida I think March 8 - 18, or something like that. It's a little (a lot) fluid. Is the PG Show better at the beginning -- does it get "tired" towards the end? Or does it not matter?
Too bad the theme is UK plants -- they never do well for me. But they are gorgeous and will make a lovely show.
This message was edited Feb 21, 2013 4:46 PM
But ouch -- the nearby hotels are on the pricey side.
How long do you recommend staying at the Show? I might be happy with staying just one long day -- avoiding buying a second set of tickets. Maybe the 2nd -- that is the longest day.
Here is the info from the site you linked to:
Dates
Saturday, March 2 – Sunday, March 10, 2013
Saturday, March 2: 11 am - 9:30 pm
Sunday, March 3: 8 am - 9:30 pm
Mon, March 4 - Fri, March 8: 10 am - 9:30 pm
Saturday, March 9: 8 am - 9:30 pm
Sunday, March 10: 8 am - 6 pm
Previews
PHS Members Preview:
Friday, March 1: 12 noon - 3:30 pm
Saturday, March 2: 8 - 11 am
Household & Leadership levels only
Preview Party: Friday, March 1 (evening)
Tickets
Advance ticket prices*:
General Admission - $27
Student (ages 17 - 24) - $20
Child (ages 2 - 16) - $15
Under 2 - Free
But as usual, don't count on me. DS is out of town this weekend, and then we are both in town the weekend of the PFS, then we are gone the next two weekends, so it might be nice to have a weekend at home.
ALSO -- if the Show is all indoors, I'd hate to go on a good gardening day.....
I'll have to go during the week
if staying over you can probably stay in south Jersey much cheaper
Midweek (Tues/Wed) often seems to be a good time -- compromise between crowds (lower) and flower quality (still nice & fresh; exhibits do get a little "tired" by the end of the week).
I'd be up for a 2-day visit with a stay-over. We did that last year (Jim's folks came along), and it was just wonderful. Jim thinks he can take some time off that week (but not Monday), so Joyanna has options. She's been talking about going to the flower show, but just now she said she would rather stay home with daddy if daddy didn't have to work.
March 4 (Tuesday) is Joyanna's first swim lesson at the Y, so Wednesday/Thursday might be better days for me, but I can be flexible. (I'm sure Jim could do just as good a job at getting her into the pool!)
Happy, you REALLY need to see this show!
Aspen-Terri and I have gone up together a couple of times and made a wonderful long day of it. Maybe several of us could share a room? I'll take a quick look and see what's nearby and still available. I have to say, it was a lot more relaxing to have a second day to go back and see more of the show, putter around the vendor booths, etc...
When we were with Jim's folks, we did stay nearby at the Holiday Inn, but that was our treat to them. We could certainly stay "near" without staying "right there." Still, that 2nd ticket does add to the cost. There are no discounts for multiple days, although there are some good deals if you're joining or renewing a PHS membership.
In the past, Aspen-Terri and I have arrived at the show about 11, although I could pry myself out of bed a little sooner LOL. We start with the smaller exhibits, then taken a break for a late lunch and a run through the vendor booths. After 4, the crowds really thin out (bus tours have left), so that's when we get a closer look at the larger exhibits. Around 8, we run around the vendor area one more time, picking up things we bought earlier & making sure we didn't miss anything really good. LOL Leaving when the show closes for the evening (at 9) gets us back to Frederick about midnight.
I'm hoping Terri will be up for it again this year! We would have room for 2 more -- or 4 more if we take the Odyssey. :-)
Happy, I'd also be able to go Sunday March 2. In the past, that's been the opening day of the show, and we've avoided it... but I think the crowd should be a little more spread out between Sat & Sun this year.
Often if we stay over we drive out of the city, often we stay in Trevose area, or as Jen said Jersey would be reasonable, heck you could make it to AC fairly easy. LOL For Jills' purpose that wouldn't work. We often go on Wednesdays, the displays are still great looking. I know some displays change out tired plants for fresh about midweek. Once we went late in the week and it was not a disappointment. Ric
Due to Holly's work schedule, we probably will not be there (Philly) till Friday, The York show Saturday, and the Md. show on the 9th or 10th, the weekend of the orchid show. Ric
This message was edited Feb 23, 2013 8:47 PM
Surprise surprise... Jim popped his head in to say that instead of taking a day off to watch Joyanna while i went to the show, he'd take 2 days off and stay over with us so Joyanna could do some flower show with me, and some other Philly activity with Jim... as long as I don't make him go see flowers. LOL
The Holiday Inn Express where we stayed last year is a pretty good deal again this year, or at least not awful. Not sure I want to pay $60+ more for the convenience of the "skywalk" at the Mariott. Jim can choose... and if anybody wants to ride back & forth with us (and stay over somewhere within walking distance), that's fine too. I do want Joyanna to be able to go back & forth during the day, so we won't be staying further out this year.
Joyanna does have her first swim class Tuesday morning, so we probably won't get there until 2 pm. But I'll likely at the show more than not until 9pm that night and again on Wednesday morning. We'll see how long Jim wants to stay Wednesday... he's probably thinking 3 while I'm thinking 6 pm LOL.
We'll do the "family associate" membership (I think that's what it's called), which comes with 2 adult tickets & 2 kid tickets, so Joyanna and I will have passes for both days. I'm hoping Jim will join us one day or the other once we're there, but I'm not holding my breath. Maybe Joyanna can talk him into it.
We definitely can't go mid-week, but Darryl is actually enthusiastic about going, so I think we might go for the first Sunday (probably not staying over, but since someone will have to watch the dogs anyway, we might stay over). How far is the train station from the convention center? We might take the train up. Do you end up buying a lot of plants there? Is parking a nightmare?
Parking is pricey but not a nightmare; there are plenty of parking structures near the convention center. There are a few vendors with pretty hard-to-resist plants... we often ask them to stow our purchases until the end of the day, or go there last. Violet Gallery in PA is there as "Rainbow Violets," another place with loads of cute little houseplants and hanging baskets, a couple of places with bulbs and tuberoses and baskets of "air plants," bonsai, "lucky bamboo," and don't forget the flower stands that have pussy willow cuttings that will root perfectly well. Oh, and orchids! So yes, we usually do end up with plants, although not with more than we can carry to the car in one trip.
The York Show on Saturday (March 9) would work for me, too, I think. I'll see if Adventure Girl wants to come. Maybe I can talk Terri or Theresa into it, too!
We're highly likely to be out of town on March 9, sadly.
Such a fun show!! Maybe next time when I can walk better. If I went this time, you all would have to roll me around in a wheel-barrel.
That has possibilities... everybody would leap to move out of our way!
On the other hand, out of habit we might just plant you!
Haha! Very funny!
Going with my neighbor on Thursday
I'm now less sure we'll make it this year. With none of you going on Sunday, and with DH and me away from home so much these past few months (he's flying back from Dallas right now), this might not be the right time. We'll see. I can't say that the theme of English gardens is grabbing me. I love love love English cottage gardens -- but plants that do well in Britain don't do well for me, so all I'd get is jealous.
hahaha At least last year (Aloha - Hawaii), we knew for a fact we couldn't grow most of the lovelies on display, at least not outside. Drool factor was really high.
OMG -- I'd have gone crazy. Good thing I didn't see it. Do they ever do anything like "dry shade perennials" for a theme? Just joking....
There is plenty of shade in English gardens, but dry spots are probably rare. LOL!
The grass is always greener....
To whet your appetite, here are a some photos I took in England.
1. Little Moreton Hall
2. Bridge North
3. Somebody's backyard in Matlock
4. A thatched cottage
1. Packwood House Garden
2. Matlock
3. Powis in Wales
4. Biddulph Grange
GORGEOUS!
STUNNING photos, yes! That's definitely got me jazzed.
I love all the brick walls, pathways, etc... inspires me to keep adding stepping stones and rock borders here!
So... anybody going to be there Tuesday afternoon/evening or Wednesday?
I just went online to get my PHS membership ("family" one = 2 adult tix + 2 kid tix to the show, plus a 1 year membership)... easy peasy, and you pick up your flower show tickets at the "will call" window when you get there.
Definitely go through the PHS site, especially if you're getting the family membership (which is a better deal than 2 adult plus 1 kid ticket... Terri & I have gotten that one in the past and given away both kid tickets to the next nice family in line). If you go through the "tickets" link on the flower show site, you'll incur a $4 ticketing charge.
If my yard looked one-tenth like "Somebody's backyard", I'd be so happy.
Jill, I'm not sure when we or I will be there. Holly's work schedule is still up in the air. She has told them she wants off after Thursday evening for her defense class, Friday for Philly, Saturday for her Master Gardner's Gardenwise and the Timminoum show on Sunday. If they tell her that it's all or nothing we may have lunch with you on Wednesday. If she caves in to them, I may meet you for lunch. Ric
I may be going to the Timmonium "thing" on Saturday--all by myself.
Hope the weather is good!
Donner came last year--but she still has her surgical boot and cannot walk that well.
I work Sunday--or i would go then and run into you Ric and Holly.
However--I have found that the best way i DO enjoy these huge exhibits is to meander all by myself.
It is hard to try to stay together--as each person has different interests.
Gita
Great as it would be to have you join Jim & Joyanna & me for lunch Wed., I suppose I should be a good friend and hope Holly can work things out with her job schedule... ? :-)
I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it this year, but the English Garden theme is one I'd love to see. Donner, your pictures are the epitome of what I think of when I think of English Gardens. I'd love to do a garden tour vacation on the other side of the pond one of these years. I have been subscribing to English Garden magazine for years - I love the style, and most gardens featured in the magazine are open to the public. Jill, so you'll be there Tue and Wed? If it works out, I could drive up Wed morning, especially if Holly and/or Ric will be able to make it for lunch. Will have a more definite answer before you leave on Tue...
Terri, I too love English gardens and their effortless casual style. The climate of the British isles is the best for plants, a lot of rain with only about 40 degrees of temperature variations between winter and summer. It is difficult to create that lush look in our area though. My garden, especially the part on the sunny side, is pretty much scorched and looks tatty after July 4th :-(.
There are numerous gardens open to the public in England. A garden tour vacation is a great idea. Even if you do not tour gardens, the English countryside is beautiful to drive through. I love the soft rolling hills, old villages, and the church spires. It is also fun to walk around in towns and villages and drool over people's home gardens :-p.
This message was edited Feb 28, 2013 12:29 PM
I too love English gardens and their effortless casual style. :-p.
So the effortlessness is only in the looks. No wonder my garden doesn't look like an English garden when I put no effort in it. LOL!!!
Terri, although I don't think you'd want to sleep with Joyanna (she can take up most of a queen size bed, like a cat, and she hasn't learned the "sleep" part of "sleepover"), you're welcome to ride up & back with us. We'd be leaving fairly late Tuesday morning, since I don't want Joyanna to miss her first swim class at 9:30... she & I should be home by 10:30, underway before 11, arriving around 2, probably stop for McD's along the way. Use some of that vacation time! Tell your boss it's the quickest turn-around you could manage for a for a tour of Britain. LOL
If anybody else wants to join the tour being launched from Frederick... there's space for 2 more people in the way back! (But you'd get an earlier start launching with Aspen-Terri.)
Yeah, Swimming lessons!
I heard a nasty rumor that we might have some nasty weather coming in around Wed. Didn't check it out myself yet.
Yeah... we're keeping an eye on it. We're already booked our room for Tuesday night, which I'm pretty sure is nonrefundable. Grrr. We may end up booking out after lunch on Wednesday, depending on how it looks. NOAA's latest update has changed that forecast from snow to "rain likely" in Philly, but Wednesday in Frederick is supposed to be snow, so we might not be able to do the "return at 10 pm" thing.
Jill, I was waiting to see what my work week was going to look like - between that and potential bad weather, I'm going to bow out for trying to go this year. Take lots of pictures!
