The Garden Tourist’s Philadelphia Flower Show & Brandywine Valley
Saturday, June 11–Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Itinerary
DAY 1: On the way to Philadelphia, we stop for a tour and lunch at GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE in Hamilton, New Jersey, where art and nature meet. More than 270 sculptures by renowned and emerging artists are thoughtfully displayed in a beautifully landscaped parkland. It’s a feast for the senses! Arriving in Philadelphia, we will enjoy a WELCOME DINNER at one of Philadelphia’s great restaurants. We will spend two nights at the Marriott Downtown, located in the heart of Philadelphia, just steps from Reading Market!
DAY 2: Our morning begins at the 193rd annual PHS PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW. The region’s most beloved gardening attraction remains outdoors this year, making this a memorable experience in the lush landscape of FDR Park. As the nation’s longest-running horticultural event, the Flower Show is a stunning and educational look at the world of floral design and gardening. The 2022 theme “In Full Bloom” explores the restorative and healing power of nature and plants, and the positive impact that gardening has on our lives. In addition to acres of garden displays that showcase new plant varieties, sustainable gardening practices and fresh design concepts, the Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations, demonstrations, and special events. Don’t forget to check out the marketplace for some great shopping!
After the Flower Show we will visit PHILADELPHIA’S MAGIC GARDENS — an immersive mixed media art environment created with mosaics. Artist Isaiah Zagar uses handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror, and international folk art to chronicle his life and influences. The space is made up of two indoor galleries and a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden.
In the evening we embark on a fabulous DINNER CRUISE aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia. Enjoy dinner and entertainment while cruising past the unparalleled views of the Philadelphia skyline.
DAY 3: We’re off to the fabled LONGWOOD GARDENS in Kennett Square. Explore one of the world’s greatest gardens featuring a 4-acre conservatory, 20 outdoor gardens and amazing dancing fountains. After our guided tour of these spectacular gardens, enjoy free time on your own for lunch and more exploration.
Kennett Square is the Mushroom Capital of the World, and Phillips Mushroom Farm is the region’s largest grower. We will visit their retail store, THE WOODLANDS, located in an 1828 farmhouse. The Woodlands offers fresh mushrooms and mushroom-themed gifts, and includes a small mushroom growing exhibit and museum. We continue to the Mendenhall Inn, our home for the next two nights, for a WELCOME WINE & CHEESE and DINNER.
DAY 4: We begin the day at BRANDYWINE COTTAGE, David Culp’s beloved 2-acre garden where he mastered the design technique of layering—interplanting many different species in the same area so that as one plant passes its peak, another takes over. The result is a nonstop parade of color that begins with a tapestry of heirloom daffodils and hellebores in spring and ends with a jewel-like blend of Asian wildflowers in autumn. David is a plant hybridizer and author of A Year at Brandywine Cottage: Six Seasons of Beauty, Bounty, and Blooms and The Layered Garden. He will guide us through his amazing walled garden, shrubbery, perennial border, woodland and kitchen garden.
After lunch at Iron Hill Brewery, we visit TALLEY CREST, the private garden of Marilyn Romanesco. This is a small collector’s garden with more than 300 varieties of hosta, 55 varieties of conifers, 20 varieties of Japanese Maples and more!
The final destination is NEMOURS MANSION & GARDENS, Alfred du Pont’s spectacular 18th-century French style estate featuring the largest formal French garden in North America. The garden is patterned on Versailles with fountains, pools, a carillon tower, Temple of Love, statuary, and a pavilion surrounded by naturalized woodlands. Our tour will be followed by dinner at a local favorite!
DAY 5: After checking out, we enjoy a guided tour of CHANTICLEER GARDEN, the 48-acre “pleasure garden” that illustrates the beauty and art of horticulture. Located on Philadelphia’s historic Main Line, Chanticleer is many things simultaneously: a lush display of verdant intensity and variety, an irreverent and informal setting for inventive plant combinations, an homage to the native trees and flowers of the mid-Atlantic, a testament to one man’s devotion to his family’s estate and legacy, and a great spot for a stroll and picnic amid the blooms. We will enjoy a guided tour and picnic lunch while here.
On the way home we will visit PAXSON HILL FARM in New Hope, a large nursery known for its unusual plant offerings and beautiful display gardens. After a guided tour, there will be time for some last minute shopping before heading home with happy memories of this great garden tour!
Cost: $1,389 pp double, $1,729 pp single
Includes: Deluxe motorcoach, 4 nights hotel, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners, sightseeing & admissions, Friendship Tours Escort
Departure Location: Framingham, MA
Depart: 7:00 AM on June 11, Return: 9:30 PM on June 15
Jana Milbocker is a garden designer, speaker, and author of the Garden Tourist travel guides. She combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners.
Friendship Tours has been operating group tours for more than 40 years, including custom trips for the Connecticut Horticultural Society, Federated Garden Clubs of Conn., and Tower Hill Botanic Garden. FriendshipTours.net
Photos from the trip
