6 Gardening Trends That Dominated the Largest Flower Show in the US

From nostalgia-inspired landscapes to bold floral structures to the resurgence of dried flowers, this year's Philadelphia Flower Show, sponsored by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), showcased the top gardening trends that will be shaping the future of floral, landscape, and event design.

With the theme "Gardens of Tomorrow," the 2025 exhibition focused on creating calm spaces emphasizing sustainability, structure, and serenity. Here are the top trends from the show to incorporate into your garden.

Nostalgic Landscapes and Florals

At the show, designers combined natural features such as meadow-like fields with modern elements to create tech-free retreats that evoked childhood memories. The PHS also forecasts that whimsical, nostalgic blooms like sweet peas, delphiniums, daisies, and floral staples such as marigolds, mums, and carnations will make a comeback, with key floral arrangement trendsetters using the flowers in their displays.

Color palettes with soft, desaturated tones like butter yellows and muted pastels that harken back to the past were also a theme. These soothing color schemes add warmth to floral designs, evoking a sense of calm. 

Natural Wood Elements

Expect raw, unrefined wood elements, including roots, trunks, and branches, to be the star of landscape design in 2025. These elements are being used to create bold, sculptural forms that celebrate the natural world and push sustainable design forward. Moss is also stepping up as a focal point, with designers embracing a variety of moss species to create lush, meditative spaces.

Structural Floral Designs

When it comes to floral event design, the PHS is seeing a shift towards bold, modern displays that intertwine floral elements with architectural structures like tree crowns and branch work.

Serene Gathering Spaces

The PHS predicts that gardens will continue to serve as sanctuaries—areas to unplug, reflect, and reconnect with nature and each other. Part of that design strategy includes installing water features such as serene pools and fog machines. Rather than being viewed as simply decorative, these elements are now positioned as calming structures in garden designs.

Dried Flowers

No longer a niche trend, dried flowers are predicted to become a core design element. High-quality preserved florals offer texture, permanence, and modernity to floral arrangements. These timeless blooms are being reimagined in new ways, adding character and sophistication to contemporary designs.

Vibrant Blooms

Designers are blending different plant types—perennials, tropicals, and annuals—to craft gardens that are both visually striking and seasonally resilient. Specifically, ranunculus (particularly the unique butterfly variety), anemones, snapdragons, and cosmos are gaining popularity for their distinctive color variations and seasonality.