Garden Katha – Spring is Here

It is Spring!  It could still be freezing outside – as it is this week. Or it could be sunny and warm like the week before. Yes, the weather has been crazy going from one season to the other--sometimes within a span of a few hours! But it’s still spring. The calendar says so.  But more telling is the fact that the crocuses have been blooming, daffodils and tulips are out.  Last week’s 80-degree days brought forth an early profusion of cherry blossoms – a bit early but oh! so welcome after the dreary dry winter! My magnolia bloomed. The vibrant pink flowers with their defined petals against the contrasting brown branches definitely announced spring.  Last week I walked from Watertown to Cambridge just to enjoy the city gardens. Scyllas and snowdrops vied with the cheerful forsythias.  Even though it has been a winter without much precipitation, which has its own benefits, it has still been long. There was none of that traditional snow capping tree branches and the barren land that lends some color, and texture to an otherwise stark landscape. And have we longed for spring with its sounds, smell and splashes of color!

Spring in New England is much awaited. And nothing says it better here in Massachusetts, than the Boston Flower and Garden Show (BFGS).  It is more than a sneak preview of what is to come soon – spring once again with all its floral bounty. This year’s show was held at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. For five days in March, (14^th to the 18^th) the BGFS was a spectacular riot of colors and design. A visual and sensory experience equal to none.

This year’s theme was “First Impressions.” Landscape designers, artists, photographers, horticulturists, florists, and plant lovers young and mature, from all over the country and a few from even across the borders, milled around the exhibits. Professionals in the landscaping and floral industries showcased their talents by setting up gardens and store -front displays. The Massachusetts Horticultural Association (MHA) showcased its young enthusiasts’ potted plants in a separate enclave. The exhibits were as varied as they were unique.  I had never seen so many types of begonia under one roof before. Nor had I ever seen such an incredibly large hoya! Grouped and displayed according to different categories, from orchids, to cactus, with plants native to New England, and not such native ones, these home grown beauties presented creatively, nevertheless made their presence known.

The biggest draw was of course, the individual flower arrangement exhibit. Design school students, members of floral and horticulture organizations, and garden club enthusiasts created the most exquisite and creative arrangements every day. Viewers went back many times, some even all five days just to see these showstoppers. The chilly air of a drawn out winter and the rain were not going to stop them.

Yes, it did rain at times. While the visitor in me did not enjoy the wet cold, the gardener in me welcomed it. For even the winter garden needs H2O, the spring garden even more so.  This past winter has been incredibly dry. The plants have starved for moisture.  So have we.  When the snow melts into the ground on the warmer winter days it provides water to many of the dormant plants that cannot be watered conventionally, especially, when temperatures are below freezing.  It also feeds the roots of the big trees and keeps it alive for the next growing season.   So while I bid a reluctant goodbye to the flower show until next year, I caught the drizzle in my face and thought of the flowers that would soon burst forth in all their vibrancy and riot of color. Spring is certainly here.

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