Saturday, September 20 & Sunday, September 21, 2025
Preview Party on Friday, September 19
The Garden at Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA
Exhibitions, displays, vendors, and demonstrations will draw inspiration from global plants, styles, themes, and designs. We celebrate the importance of plants around the world and the impact that cultivating and exhibiting plants can have on wellbeing, health, and community.
The New England Flower Show has been part of MHS’s nearly 200-year-old history of practicing horticulture for the public good. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, MHS provides outstanding educational programs, exhibitions, and community outreach initiatives that bring joy to visitors from across the state and beyond. Massachusetts Horticultural Society promotes the importance of plants, gardens, and natural landscapes to improve lives and build communities of active growers.
The schedule is now live! Read the schedule to explore how you can exhibit at the 139th New England Fall Flower Show in September 2025!
Cover the New England Fall Flower Show and share this amazing event with your audience.
Join us behind the scenes to help make the event an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
Submit your volunteer application at any time here.
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Competitions are the categories that make up the show. The New England Fall Flower Show "World in Bloom" has 5 competitions that are open for entry:
Amateur Horticulture
Junior Horticulture [ages 18 and under]
Floral Design
Botanical Arts
Photography
Each of these competitions contain their own set of rules and requirements, in addition to the general New England Flower Show rules outlined at the beginning of this document. Please read both the general rules and the competition rules carefully when deciding to enter.
A class is a specific category within a competition that is defined by the type of specimen or design that is exhibited. Exhibits are then judged either against each other or against perfection, then assigned awards by Flower Show judges.
Exhibit refers to the plants, design, or photograph you are entering into the show. You are the exhibitor.
For Amateur and Junior Horticulture (except Class 55 Kokedama), entries are accepted during the week of the show (Thursday, September 18 from 4-7pm and Friday, September 19 from 6-9am), and pre-registration is not required. Please note, however, many classes have a length of ownership requirement, which requires you to have owned a plant before a certain date in order for it to be accepted. There is no limit to how many people can enter or how many specimens you can enter.
For Floral Design, Botanical Arts, and Class 55 Kokedama, pre-registration is required and class space is limited. To enter, please read the competition rules and guidelines, review the specifications of the class, and fill out the registration form for your chosen class. Reach out to the Class Consultant (listed in the class or competition) with any additional questions.
For Photography, pre-registration is required. The Photography competition is a juried show, which means that a selection of entries will be chosen to be reviewed by a panel or jurors who will then decide on a smaller selection of exhibits that will be displayed and judged at the 139th New England Fall Flower Show.
Links to register are located within a competition's section in the schedule. Please ensure you've read the rules and guidelines thoroughly before registering.
Please refer to the Class Consultant for the class you're interested in entering or learning more about. Contact information can be found within the class listing in the schedule.
The Competitions of the New England Fall Flower Show are open to all interested individuals and garden clubs. Any amateur gardener who does not grow or sell plants for the major part of his or her livelihood may exhibit.
Exhibitors are responsible for identifying every plant with the correct botanical and common names. Accepted references for nomenclature are: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and Royal Horticultural Society - Find a Plant.
Drop off times for the 139th New England Fall Flower Show are Thursday, September 18 from 4-7pm and Friday, September 19 from 6-9am. Drop off will be at the Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA.
