The Philadelphia Flower Show, By the Numbers
We break down the data from this year's show and shows of the past.
Philadelphia Flower Show rendition courtesy of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s annual event — the longest-running and largest of its kind in the country — runs February 28th through March 8th at the Convention Center. Here, we break down the data.
2,157
Perennials, annuals, and grasses that make up the Forest Floor, the entrance garden at this year’s show that also includes 38 live trees and shrubs, 10,020 individual bulbs, 465 cubic yards of mulch and soil, 65 tons of natural stone and boulders, and 3,400 gallons of water.
83%
Portion of attendees who identify as women. Overall, 48 percent are baby boomers; 8 percent are Gen Z. No word on what portion of the Z’ers are dragged along by their parents.
53
Number of men (yes, all men) who came together in 1827 to show off their prized plants and quickly realized that a big flower show might be a good idea. Their first one came two years later.
$252
Cost for two adults and two kids to attend the show with a “flex pass” that allows you to pick your day and time on the fly. If you choose your day and time in advance, the cost drops to $170.
$15
Price a food vendor at the 2021 show was charging for a “grilled veggie hoagie,” which turned out to be a bunch of microwaved frozen vegetables on a limp roll. News of the culinary insult quickly went viral, earning well-deserved ridicule and a Worst of Philly award.
2,700
Size of the volunteer battalion needed to produce the show.
$4,000
The vendor fee for a 10-foot-by-10-foot booth. Not just anyone can be a vendor. (You have to apply. The acceptance rate is around 40 percent, similar to that of Purdue University.)
$0
Prize money offered to the 6,500-ish contestants in the various plant and flower competitions. A win is not about money. It’s about bragging rights. And fancy medals.
2016
Year the first marijuana-themed exhibit was expected, but leadership wound up nixing it after it became clear that the exhibitor intended to push weed legalization, as opposed to educating the public about the plant. Politics are strictly forbidden at the Flower Show.
19
Guests you can bring to this year’s VIP preview party if you signed on as a $30,000 sponsor. Vintage cocktail attire preferred — break out the spats!
$1.2 million
What the 2013 Flower Show was said to have lost due to overhyped snowstorm forecasts from Cecily Tynan, Kathy Orr, and the like. After all, who has time to gaze at geraniums when you’re panic-shopping at the Ack-a-me?
0
Knowledge of poinsettias that Americans had prior to the first show in Philadelphia, where controversial United States diplomat Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced the native Mexican plant.
Published as “The Flower Show by the Numbers” in the March 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
