January 14, 2026
Provided Image/Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Philadelphia Flower Show announced its 2026 theme will be 'Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.' This will be the last part in the event's three-year series exploring the past, present and future of planting.
This year's Philadelphia Flower Show will lean into the historical vibes of 2026 with primitive-inspired sculptures, a showcase on the evolution of gardening and a display that explores plants' ability to conjure up memories.
The horticultural event, now in its 197th year, will bring thousands to the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Feb. 28 to March 8. This year's theme, "Rooted: Origins of American Gardening," was announced Wednesday. It is the conclusion of a three-year series exploring the past, present and future of planting.
"(In 2024,) 'United by Flowers' focused on connection and community very much in the present at that time, what we needed from gardens and gardening community in the world," said Seth Pearsoll, vice president and creative director for the Flower Show. "Last year, 2025, 'Gardens of Tomorrow' invited us to imagine what comes next, and what can we build together with this medium. So now, in 2026, we turn our attention to where it all began."
Guests will be welcomed by an entrance display, titled "The Forest Floor," that's inspired by Japan zen gardens and Scottish forests. Pearsoll said the structure features "timeless" materials such as moss, stone and wood to form a twisted sculpture resembling roots.
A rendering of the planned entrance exhibit titled 'The Forest Floor.'
Another installation, titled "The American Landscape Showcase," demonstrates how people garden today. The exhibit will be created by four different designers: California's Etta Studio, Baltimore's Unknown Studio, Rhode Island's Design Under Sky and Iowa's Kelly D. Norris.
The 'American Landscape Showcase' garden will feature four U.S. designers.
Another four florists will come together for the "First Bloom – Rooted in Memory" display, where they'll share how their passion for florals began. Gábor Nagy of Hungary, Alex Segura of Spain, Chantal Post of Spain and Conny van der Westerlaken of the Netherlands built their displays around their own journeys.
The 'First Bloom – Rooted in Memory' exhibit will bring international florists together to show how they first got into gardening.
Pearsoll said each exhibitor interpreted the theme differently, so while some take inspiration from childhood memories, others are exploring the history of plants. A few, he added, looked at the transportation routes that carried plants across the world.
"There's no single definition of what it means to be rooted, and I think that variety is what makes the experience so universal and so exciting," he said.
The Pennsylvania Convention Center will also be hosting a meeting for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology during the week of the Flower Show. The event will be restructured around the space. The Marketplace, which includes a maker's market, PHS Shop and DIY flower crown bar, will be moved to the street level below the main exhibit halls. PHS plans to add additional wayfinding signs and center the layout around five experiences: see, shop, make, learn and play, to help visitors get around.
