According to Seth Pearsoll, Vice President and Creative Director of the Flower Show, the winning designs not only reflect today's trends, but also offer a vision for a more sustainable and biodiverse future.
Best in Show – Floral: Jennifer Designs with Welcoming Wildlife Home. This creative floral arrangement showcases animals and insects made from plant materials, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity and ecological balance.
Best in Show – Landscape: Mark Cook Landscaping & Contracting with the design Signature of Time. This design symbolizes the journey of life with a combination of architecture, color, texture and plants from various climate zones.
The Philadelphia Trophy: Irwin Landscaping for the best use of color in a landscape design.
The Mayor’s Trophy: American Institute of Floral Designers for the most innovative floral arrangement.
A striking entry at the trade fair was Future Flowers, an international collaboration in which four designers presented their vision of the future of flowers. Among them were the Dutch floral designers Mike Boerma IMF and Lily Beelen, along with Ahti Lyra from Estonia and Berit Skjøttgaard Laursen from Denmark.
Lily Beelen reflected on her participation and the innovative techniques she used: “I was able to discuss the various possibilities with many people, such as sustainability. For example, my root cloth contains an addition of wool, so that it is not flammable – a requirement for the exhibition. In total, 30 meters of cloth was used, prepared at home by sewing veins with iron wire, a process that took many hours.”
Personal and artisanal details also made the design unique: “The sparkling bracelets on the petals come from Oman, where I worked for Christmas. There are 100 on the design, with 20 per petal. I also had crocheted violets made – 100 pieces, good for 80 hours of work. This not only offered a nice collaboration but also employment. Together with a friend, I made 200 glossy wool curls on aluminum wire.”
The technical realization was partly achieved through collaboration with Mark Cook, who manufactured the base. "Ben welded a prototype at my place, which I filmed and sent to Mark. The end result was fantastic," says Beelen. With a total height of 3.60 meters, Future Flowers was one of the striking creations at the fair.
In addition to the main prizes, several other awards were presented, including:
Ishihara Kazuyuki Design Lab x TREELiNE DESiGNZ: winner of multiple awards, including the PHS Silver Trophy and the Royal Horticultural Society Choice Award.
Laurel-Brook Gardens: awarded the Anne Vallery Award and the PHS Council Trophy.
Temple University: winner of the Alfred M. Campbell Memorial Trophy for the best educational exhibition.
University of Delaware: awarded the Chicago Horticultural Society Flower Show Medal.
The Philadelphia Flower Show is the largest and oldest horticultural exhibition in the United States. Since 1829, the event has attracted visitors from around the world and provides a platform for innovative garden and flower designs. In addition to the impressive exhibitions, there are also competitions, workshops and presentations.
The next edition of the Philadelphia Flower Show will take place from February 28 to March 8, 2026. More information and tickets can be found at PHSonline.org/the-flower-show.
