Thousands of vibrant flowers are annually on display at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and the Shipley Sprouts Club is always a major contributor. This year, the event was held March 2-10 inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center with the theme “Flower Power”. The exhibitions ranged from elaborate landscapes to a judged plant competition among amateur horticulturists. 

For the Shipley Sprouts, preparation for the flower show begins in the fall. The members of the club hand-make their concrete containers for their succulent gardens and plant bulbs for flowers, such as daffodils and hyacinths. Later on in the year, they begin to plant their succulent gardens in the containers and plan out their landscape gardens. Junior Alex Holgren, a veteran Sprouts member, notes, “The most hectic week is the week right before the show when we make sure that everything is perfect for every plant that we enter.” 

Students in the club attend the show on different days, when they have time to enter their arrangements into the competition and tour the large exhibits set up throughout the building. Alex shares, “The entire show is such a great experience, and Shipley did really well in the categories that we entered. The day I went, there was a World Cup of competitors from all over the word competing with their flowers. It was amazing to see people coming from everywhere to a show that’s so close to us.” When asked what her favorite part of the show itself is, Alex responds, “I love walking around the big displays that people put together. They are always based on the theme and it’s incredible to see how creative people can be.”

Shipley enters in multiple categories, ranging from individual potted flowers to extensive boxed gardens containing figures and other non-flower objects. Alex mentions, “​I love the landscape gardens the most. There is more room to be creative. The only rules are in the size of the container, but everything else is up to you. From choosing the plants, to playing with the theme, and even to adding props, I love being able to work on the whole process.”

This year, Sprouts had a fantastic success at the show, winning numerous ribbons, including multiple blue. Students can view some of their exhibits, which are currently on display in the LARC.