Mr. Flower Show

The horticultural world—past and present– is full of big personalities, including a colorful cast of plant fanatics, design divas and fastidious flower arrangers.  Each adds a bright strand to the tapestry of horticultural history.  My recent trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show inspired thoughts of one such big personality, J. Liddon Pennock, Jr.—1913-2003— a longtime fixture on the Philadelphia plant scene and patron saint of the annual Flower Show.  Admirers sometimes referred to him as “Mr. Flower Show” or even “Mr. Horticulture.”

Pennock’s father was a successful retail florist in Philadelphia, operating a family-owned shop.  Like most businesses, it suffered during the 1930’s and in 1933 Liddon interrupted his studies at Cornell University to come home and help salvage the business.  While undertaking that daunting task, he wooed and won wealthy Alice Herkness, whose parents presented the couple with a handsome wedding gift–the 150-acre Meadowbrook Farm in Abington Township, just north of Philadelphia.  Long afterwards, Pennock said, “I made the best catch in Philadelphia; she was beautiful and wealthy.” –

He had a talent for designing with flowers and connecting with people, especially Philadelphia’s most prominent families. The shop prospered and Pennock was hired to furnish arrangements and floral décor for debutante parties, society balls and weddings.  His floral artistry adorned the wedding of Grace Kelly’s sister and the florist maintained that he would have been hired to do the same job for the actress-turned-princess had she not been wed in Monaco.  His fame spread and eventually he was called on to supervise the floral arrangements for the wedding of President Richard Nixon’s daughter, Tricia, in 1971, supervising a crew of 85 florists from all over the country. The Nixons liked his work and asked him to supervise holiday decorating at the White House from 1971-1973.

While building his business and becoming a fixture on the Philadelphia-area social scene, Pennock developed Meadowbrook Farm into a horticultural showplace. Classical in style, the garden featured 15 separate “rooms,” each aligned with a room in the Cotswolds-style house.  Clipped hedges, topiary and statuary defined and accented the various spaces, which were filled with an assortment of ornamental plants, shrubs and trees.  A conservatory was added in the 1960’s.

After years as a retail florist, Pennock sold his shop in 1970 and focused his attention on Meadowbrook.  His “retirement” was actually a relocation and he proceeded to build a retail nursery and garden shop at Meadowbrook.  Though he engaged in professional activities that involved substantial amounts of dirt, H. Liddon Pennock was always a snappy dresser.  A photo taken at the 1977 Philadelphia Flower Show shows him clad in the natty sweater vest and bow tie that he habitually wore while doing horticultural work.  He tied his shoes with yellow laces, which he reportedly washed and ironed himself.  His 2003 obituary noted that he and his wife were regulars on “best dressed” lists.

Pennock loved the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, especially its signature event, the Philadelphia Flower Show.  According to the PHS, he spent more than 50 years working on various aspects of the show, serving as Chairman during the 1980’s and advisor later on.  In recognition of his work, support and spirit, the 1991 show was dedicated to him.  Its theme, “Endless Spring,” was a neat encapsulation of his life in horticulture and his dedication to the endless possibilities inherent in growing things.

Pennock said of himself, “In a way, I’m a fake. People think I know a great deal more about plants than I do. My main forte is knowing how to use plants better than anybody else.” Evidently many others agreed.

The long-ago White House arrangements are gone, as is much of Pennock’s ephemeral artistry, but his legacy lives on in Pennsylvania.  In 2004, the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, another of Pennock’s favorite horticultural endeavors, opened the J.L. Pennock Garden, designed to replicate the colorful exuberance of the gardens at Meadowbrook Farm.  Meadowbrook’s carefully planned landscape is in the capable hands of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, to whom Pennock willed the property at his death in 2003.  Though the original estate is much smaller now, the intact gardens still draw visitors during the growing season with vibrant plantings and programs aimed at continuing what Pennock did best—bringing horticulture to an ever-widening audience.

And, of course, his beloved Philadelphia Flower Show flourishes.  I think he would have approved of this year’s effort, with its emphasis on a big, bold theme and an abundance of flowers.  Liddon Pennock, with his yellow shoelaces and endless enthusiasm, is long gone, but I think his spirit hovers over the Flower Show every year.