Heading up to the Philadelphia International Flower Show? You should. (After all, it’s listed in Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.”) This year’s theme is “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha,” and in addition to hundreds of vendors showcasing floral and garden displays, there also will be towering palms, a 25-foot-high waterfall and a plant canopy that promises to “immerse visitors in the Hawaiian rainforest.” (Also promised is the world’s largest wall of lettuce!) March 4-11, http://www.theflowershow.com
For those of you who can’t get enough of the botanical thing, here are some other ideas to complete the theme:
Eat: Two of Philly’s heavy-hitter restaurateurs, Aimee Olexy and Stephen Starr, teamed up last spring to open Talula’s Garden, just off Washington Square. While it might be too chilly to eat on the flower-box filled patio, you can still tuck into some delish farm-to-table cuisine— lobster “pie” with parsnips, fingerling potatoes, cabbage and Brussels sprouts— in the plant-filled indoors. http://www.talulasgarden.com
Stay: The Four Seasons Hotel has been a beautiful place to stay since it opened on Benjamin Franklin Parkway years ago, but in 2009, the hotel opened its own rooftop garden— 315 feet of beds where chefs at the hotel’s Fountain restaurant grow herbs and vegetables. Even greener: Compost for the garden is made from food waste produced at the hotel. http://www.fourseasons.com
Play: There’s usually at least something in bloom year-round at Philly’s myriad public gardens and arboreta. Check http://www.greaterphiladelphiagardens.org, which lists 30 members, including beautiful Morris Arboretum.
