Philadelphia Flower Show

You can tell the year is shaping up to be a real downer on the global front when the Philadelphia Flower Show, conversely, picks the cheeriest theme imaginable for its annual display. Last week, a report funded by the Pentagon speculated that global warming would reach a crisis point in the next decade, unbalancing global climate and causing a reaction -- a sudden period of cooling that will leave much of Europe feeling more like Siberia. (The U.S. gets off almost as badly, with high winds and endless storms.) But for now, we can still fantasize about leafy tropical oases, thanks to the 2004 show theme, Destination Paradise: lush vines curling around archways and dragonflies fluttering around displays, which in turn contain lots of plants whose names you can't pronounce, such as cattleyas, dendrobiums and phalaenopses. Part of the show's expanse will include an 4,000-square-foot orchid display, which, with 100,000 specimens courtesy of Waldor Orchids of Linwood, N.J., claims to be the largest selection in North America. Some of the anticipated set pieces will include a Polynesian lagoon, replete with vibrant color and graceful dancers, and an underwater seascape conjuring images of corals, sea grasses and, above the audience's heads, a fishing boat trawling emerald waters.

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's annual bloom-out, which is always tinted with an ecological message, reminding us that plants and their environs truly can be bewilderingly beautiful. Seems like this might be a good time to take the message to heart -- 'cause Siberia isn't really known for its flora.

Philadelphia Flower Show, March 7-14, Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sat., 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun., 8 a.m.-6 p.m, $12-$26, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch sts., 215-988-8899, www.theflowershow.com.

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