Flower Show draws another record crowd

The 2016 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is coming up roses.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's annual - and largest - fund-raiser drew its largest crowd in years, officials said Monday.

Featuring an "Explore America" theme, a nod to the National Park Service's 100th anniversary, the show attracted an estimated 255,000 visitors.

Officials said the attendance figure represents a 2 percent increase from last year's Disney-themed event, which drew an estimated 250,000.

Marion McParland, PHS spokeswoman, said the Park Service offerings were critical in attracting visitors from within and beyond the city's borders.

"And the weather certainly was cooperative," McParland said.

Officials blamed stunted ticket sales in 2013 and 2014 on snowy conditions.

The most recent record-setting event was held in 2012, when the "Islands of Aloha"-themed show attracted 270,000.

The Flower Show, which dates to 1829 and has been held in March since the 1920s, concluded Sunday. - Tommy Rowan