By Chuck Hagee

Tired of being snowed under -- literally? Feel like you've taken an unplanned trip to Antarctica? Passed any polar bears on your way to work?

You can change all that -- at least from a mental point-of-view -- beginning this Sunday, February 28. That's the day the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show opens at the Philadelphia Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets. It runs through Sunday, March 7.

This year's show, entitled "Passport to the World," marks the event's 181 anniversary and is a far cry from that first effort on June 6, 1829. In fact, the American Bus Association has designated it "one of the top 10 events in North America for 2010."

"The attractiveness of the Philadelphia International Flower Show as a don't miss entertainment value is only part of why its selection is such a distinction. The real news is that the Flower Show has been recognized as a potential magnet for tourism dollars at a time when reenergizing domestic tourism is so important to our spirit and economy," said Peter Pantuso, ABA president and CEO.

This year's floral spectacular was again designed by Sam Lemheney. He made his debut as the show's designed in 2005 after working closely with former show designer Ed Lindemann, who served as the show's designer from 1980 to 2004.

Lemheney's horticultural experience dates back to his father and grandfather who both owned and operated flower shops in the Philadelphia region. His career began at Walt Disney World in 1989 where he served as an intern at the Land Horticulture Science Program.

Attracting more than 250,000 visitors annually, the show will generate an estimated $30 million for the Philadelphia economy. However, all proceeds from the show itself, which is produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and presented by PNC Financial Services Group,Inc., go to support PHS's urban revitalization program known as "Philadelphia Green."

This year's event will take visitors on a journey to destinations around the world that include an Indian wedding, a blooming Dutch streetscape, the wonders of South Africa, the Amazon jungle, the botanical gardens of Singapore, and the rugged beauty of New Zealand. Each will offer attendees a glimpse of the world's horticultural wonders.

Upon entering the Convention Center, this year's visitors will be greeted by a 28-foot high hot-air balloon, covered with more than 79,000 flowers. It towers over the Explorer's Garden -- a special treat dedicated to the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-42.

"Our visitors will have a unique experience this year when they enter the exhibition hall. They'll be greeted by the Explorer's Garden that captures the spirit of adventure that led to the great scientific advancements at the turn of the last century. As guests wonder through the exhibit, they'll have the same thrilling feeling of discovery," said Lemheney.


That expedition, under the command of U.S.Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes, led a team that "traveled the world to collect 50,000 plants and bird specimens and more than 250 live plants" which became a major contribution to the growth of U.S.science. The New Zealand "vessel fern," one of four plants thought to have survived that expedition, became one of the core elements of the U.S.Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC.

"Having living plants from the Wilkes Expedition thriving in our collections gives us a great sense of the history of horticulture and botany in North America," said Holly H. Shimizu, executive director, U.S.Botanic Garden.

Other highlights on display in the Explorer's Garden include:
. Plant's introduced to visitor at the first Philadelphia Flower Show in 1829.
. Burke Brothers' Brazilian exhibit that includes an 18-foot canopy of Ficus trees, five types of tropical flowering vines, and a wide array of other tropical species.
. A vast array of orchids inspired by the National Orchid Garden in Singapore that includes a stunning orchid tree.
. Tulips from the Netherlands and tropical and temperate bonsai grown around the world.
Landscape designs throughout the show take visitors to gardens and plants from China, Japan, Thailand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, the Caribbean, and the polar region. "Passport to the World" is a celebration of the world's flowers and gardens as it debuts the show new name which now includes the word "International" for the first time.

"The Flower Show's new title raises it up on the world stage, and it is an invitation to gardeners everywhere to join us in Philadelphia for this fabulous show that does so much to highlight the best of horticulture and design," said Jane G.Pepper, PHS president.

And, it was she, serving as PHS's president since 1981, who took the lead in raising the show on the world stage while also "guiding the expansion of the Philadelphia Green program into a national model for urban revitalization". Pepper is retiring later this year from her role as PHS President.

In tribute to that fact, a group calling itself "Pepper's Lonely Heart Club" has been creating a tribute garden in her honor that will be on display throughout the show. Everyone involved with the show has contributed to the creation of this tribute, according to Midge Ingersoll, former chair of the Flower Show committee.

Pepper will also be honored by a PHS pledge to reach the goal of $12.1 million by spring 2010 for the Legacy Landscapes endowment fund she initiated in 2008. It's mission is to "ensure excellent horticultural maintenance of some of the city's most treasured neighborhood and civic landscapes."

Other highlights of the 2010 show include:
. A Marketplace featuring over 170 retailers from around the world offering various horticultural items, tools for outdoor living and gardening, home decor ideas and products, botanical art, and floral design jewelry.

. "The Shoppe" -- The official Flower Show store with commemorative 2010 Flower Show clothes and gifts, plus one- of-a-kind garden gadgets and specialty items.
. World Bazaar -- New this year, it is comprised of international shops offering a wide array of international keepsake items.
. Garden Tea -- A annual favorite of show visitors, this pleasant respite offers serene, elegant surroundings with music and flowers to complement a light menu of petit sandwiches, pastries, fruit and an assortment of fine teas.

It has limited availability and seating is preassigned. Reservations are required with tickets priced at $28 per person. Two seatings daily: 12:30-2 p.m. and 3:45-5:15 p.m.
. A wide assortment of wine and food offerings by various Philadelphia area culinarians.

Show hours are: Sundays, February 28 and March 7, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday through Friday, March 1 to 5, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 6, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Individual ticket prices are: Opening day, February 28, Adults $28; Students (17-24) $18; Children (2-16) $13. Monday-Friday, March 1-5, Adults $24; Students $18; Children $13; Saturday and Sunday, March 6 & 7, Adults $26; Students $18; Children $13.

In addition to the show box office, individual tickets are available online and retail outlets including PNC Bank branches, AAA Mid-Atlantic, ACME Markets, Giant Food stores, local garden centers, nurseries, and some florists. Group sales and packages are also available.

For additional information on the show, travel directions and suggestions, and accommodations visit www.theflowershow.com or call 215-988-8899.

By: Chuck Hagee

Attendees at this year's Capital Home & Garden Show, February 25-28 at the Dulles Expo Center, are in for a special treat. They will have a chance to not only hear one of the nation's leading architects and designers but also have the opportunity to engage in a one-on-one question and answer session with him.

John Gidding of HGTV's "Designed to Sell" and "Curb Appeal: The Block" will appear at the show on Saturday, February 27, and Sunday, February 28. On Saturday he will make presentations at Noon, 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. Sunday's sessions are scheduled for Noon and 3 p.m.

Gidding has worked on such visible projects as the Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City's Union Square, the campus plan for Carnegie Mellon University, and a pavilion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And, his talents have been utilized by some of the world's best known celebrities to customize their personal homes.

At the other end of the financial spectrum, Gidding uses his expertise to improve individual homes and overall cityscapes as demonstrated on his HGTV shows. During his appearance at the show he will share his incites as he discusses architecture,landscaping, urban design and, a subject of particular timeliness in the present real estate market, putting value into your home.

"The recession has impacted everyone. In today's economy many people are looking to upgrade what they've got rather than move. They don't need to sell -- just renovate their present home to make it more appealing and livable," Gidding said in a recent telephone interview.

During his shows, "Design to Sell" and "Curb Appeal:The Block," which appear on Saturday nights at 9 p.m., that philosophy is brought to reality. "During Curb Appeal we select one house on a given block that is really in bad shape. Then we give it a $20,000 make over," Gidding said.


"The whole neighborhood gets involved and we also focus on whatever the entire block needs to make it more desirable. That helps everyone and improves the overall environment," he said.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1977, the 36 year old Gidding attended schools in Turkey and Switzerland before moving to the United States to attend Yale University, where he got is undergraduate degree, followed by his Masters in Architecture in 2003 from Harvard's Graduate School of Design.

"I originally thought I would major in either art or English. Then I took an architectural course and that changed everything.

I fell in love with it," Gidding said.

He is the only one in his family that followed that route. His father is a wine broker in Switzerland dealing primarily with French wines and his mother is a Turkish journalist living in Istanbul.

As with many young students, the expenses of higher education often calls for an entrepreneurial spirit. That was certainly the case with Gidding. While in school, to help pay for those expenses, he did modeling both here in the U.S. and abroad -- gracing the runway for designers such as Armani and Gucci.

"I posed for all sorts of items between 2001 and 2006. It was fun and the pay certainly helped with my educational expenses," he said. His photo appeared on magazine covers, in television, and even on a billboard in New York City's Time Square.

His first job after graduate school was on a television show designing rooms for teenagers. "I was approached by a casting agent who asked if I was interested. While most of my architect classmates were going with various firms I decided to enter the world of television," Gidding explained.

"The show called for updating and designing rooms for teenagers, many of whom hadn't had their rooms changed since they were small children. We'd put the parents in a hotel for the weekend and then work with the teenagers to upgrade their rooms," he said.

That was his introduction to television. He was cast as one of the host/designers on ABC's "Family's Knock First."

That's also when Gidding took up residence in The Big Apple and subsequently started his own design firm, John Gidding Design,Inc. -- JGDI. In 2007 he opened an office in Atlanta, GA, and also joined the "Designed to Sell" show on HGTV.

His firm, which consists of three people, also maintains its New York City office. "Although, since we are a small firm, it is pretty much wherever I am," he said.

For Gidding one of the most exciting changes in architecture is "the new software now being used" in the design/build process. "You can now build the actual construction of a building into the software which has the effect of pre-building the structure by computer," Gidding explained.

"This enables architects to create structures that they couldn't do before. This capability is also now being brought into the design and build of residential creations," he said.

As an example of this he cited a resent job JGDI completed in an Atlanta residential tower. "Elton John owns the top two floors of this building. We recently did some extensive renovations there," he said.

"Through the use of this computer software we were able to transform the whole side of an inside wall to a very utilitarian use -- the enclosure of Murphy beds. As you look at it it appears as just a beautiful wooden wall," Gidding said.

During his presentations at the Capital Home & Garden Show he plans to focus on three basic themes: "Various tricks I have learned on my show and over the years of architectural practice -- both for high-end design and not so high-end; Things I've learned about curb appeal -- particularly as it relates to the present real estate market; and, finally, my own practice," he stated.

"It is designed to be a very open presentation. I encourage people to ask questions and hope they will. That's what makes it interesting," Gidding said.

Another, personality highlight of next week's show at the Dulles Expo Center will be nationally syndicated gardening expert Mike McGrath who hosts the Public Radio show "You Bet Your Garden." He is also the Garden Editor for local WTOP News Radio.

As Contributing Editor and columnist for Greenprints magazine and author of various gardening books, McGrath makes his appearance on Sunday, February 28, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. He will share his best tips for keeping a successful, organic garden; maintaining a beautiful lawn on a modest budget; how to get your lawn off drugs; and how to grow your best tomato.

Other show highlights include:

"Ideal Gardens" enables patrons to stroll through various garden layouts while collecting gardening ideas, techniques, and design concepts from the region's top landscaping companies.

"DiVine," a performing artist who artistically transforms from a "vine" into as living "vine woman" will be among the gardens, providing attendees a chance to connect with nature in a unique way. She will roam the floor all day both Saturday and Sunday.

"Tomboy Tools" will feature do-it-yourself home improvement projects for women each day of the show.

Overall more than 300 local businesses will showcase a wide array of products and services for both inside and outside the home. Attendees will also be able to register for several sweepstake prizes designed to make remodeling, gardening and home decorating a reality.

Show times for this Home & Garden extravaganza at Dulles Expo Center, 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, VA, are: Thursday, February 25, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, February 26, and Saturday, February 27, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, February 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.CapitalHomeShow.com. Entrance fees are: $9 for tickets purchased online and $12 at the door. Children ages 6-12 are $3. Children 5 and under are free. Additional information is also available by visiting the website.