PHS presents the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show, Rooted: Origins of American Gardening

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society says this year’s theme is a nod to the 250th anniversary of American independence, offering “a chance to reflect on the gardening legacies we’ve inherited and the ones we’re growing for the future, shaped by people and plants from around the world.” I came to the show interested in how this lens on the “Origins of American Gardening” would be expressed, and whose perspectives would define “American gardening” here.

Masterful student landscapes

With that in mind, I moved through the larger spectacles to find the exhibit by W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences (a Philly public high school): Before 250 - Honoring Pennsylvania’s Indigenous Roots. It’s a breathtaking imagining of a re-created Lenni Lenape site, honoring the people who inhabited the land that the Convention Center, the City of Philadelphia, and surrounding areas stand on, before colonization. The depth of study and learning that the students must have undertaken in order to bring this landscape to life is inspiring, especially during this dark time when there are attempts in public education to hide our nation’s origins.

For me, it was an emotional moment to take in that landscape; often as I walk through parks and trails, especially in quiet woods, I try to imagine what the land was like for the Lenni Lenape people. The students created a forested hillside with a flowing stream, a Wigwam, trees, plants, and even a dugout canoe. They also included the audio feature of birds chirping to honor the animals who were part of that home. There are educational signs throughout the exhibit helping us to understand what we’re witnessing.

Although I’ve read a decent amount about Native American history, I hadn’t known the intricate details of Wigwam creation—the frame was made of roughly 20 young willow, birch, or sassafras saplings with its bark removed; sheets of ash, elm, chestnut, hickory, or oak bark are used for outside paneling.

In recent years, award-winning chef, author, and activist Sean Sherman (often known as The Sioux Chef) has done great work in supporting and promoting Indigenous food systems. The Saul students also include that kind of knowledge, highlighting how “The Three Sisters” (corn, squash, and beans) were planted in symbiosis because each plays a role in maintaining soil and blocking weeds.

Beyond Saul’s masterful landscape are impressive exhibits by other high schools and colleges. One great highlight is Lankenau Environmental Science Highschool’s depiction of an urban garden, complete with thriving plants growing out of tires. (Lankenau is currently facing closure under a plan from the Philadelphia School District.)

Time to live in a different way?

As my friend and I took our time perusing the hall, we were struck by another series of exhibits focusing on rustic designs. Kindred Spirit by Susan Cohan Gardens honors Martha Brooks Hutcheson, a champion of ecological planting and the use of native plants more than a century ago. We wanted to enter the re-creation of her home, Merchiston Farm, where wildflowers bloom and ceramic sheep graze peacefully.

Nearby was Phoenix Rising, by Laurel-Brook Gardens, another captivating exhibit which creates a wild landscape, revisiting what ancestral cultures learned about how nature can heal the land after wildfire. In a time of increasing global wildfires and other threats to our ecosystem, the exhibitors who explored ways to tend, heal, and live in a more symbiotic way with nature left me feeling hopeful that despite our current climate crisis, there might be time to live in a different way.

Ikechi and Nature’s Embrace

Because of my own sensory needs and info processing, I know an event like the Flower Show will have exhibits I might have loved, but will miss. My brain is better regulated when I’m out in nature, rather than a convention hall with lots of people and noise. But I want to highlight two more designers I’m grateful I saw with full attention. Each brings an emotional resonance to the show and a much-needed reminder that the roots of American gardening can’t be separated from the legacy of the enslaved people who were brought here against their will and forced to work this land for others’ profit.

Floral designer TissaRose created Ikechi, in which two beautiful Black hands hold a bounty of flowers. It is described as honoring the “historic role of African Americans in American agriculture and the cultivation of the land.” At the base of the sculpture are cotton plants, with all of their evocative history.

Next to Ikechi is Nature’s Embrace by Simple Nia Designs, another structure of hands that describes the resilience of gardens and the collaboration between nature and humans. Words like resilience and community are carved into cuts from trees that surround the main sculpture.

The show includes many other wonderful and worthy exhibits, classes, craft-making, fine art galleries, and other experiences. But for me, finding the genuine roots of American gardening felt most compelling.