Thousands attend day one of the Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Flower show opened to the public Saturday, attracting thousands of gardening enthusiasts to the eight-day event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

That includes Nicole Gangino, her mom, and her daughter.

"I've been a huge plant lady. I have my own garden, flowers, dahlias. I plant all season everything and this is our first time coming," she said.

It's also the first time since 2020 the show has been inside.

"We can control the elements here. There's no rain, the days are not too hot in the convention center. It's nice to have a controlled environment and we can also do more with the big, fresh, floral arrangements," said Seth Pearsoll, the creative director for the show.

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The show was held outside in 2021 and 2022 because of the pandemic.

Organizers say an inside show offers more possibilities, especially for a theme like The Garden Electric.

"It is absolutely mindblowing. It's really cool to see all the smiles as everybody walks through from every demographic and different generations," said Franco Urban, one of the display curators and owner of Illexotics.

His display won best in show.

Another popular display was Butterfly Live! which featured over 50 different species and 1,000 butterflies flying.

Thousands of people packed the convention center for day one.

"It's nice but it's a bit overwhelming because there are a lot of people out here," said Erin Schuler from Northeast Philadelphia.

Organizers hope these crowds continue and the nation's biggest and longest-running flower show continues to grow.