Officially spring has arrived in New England. We have put our clocks forward. The days are longer and we are ready to just pack away our winter coats while we watch for the first crocus of the season peek out. Alas! Yesterday’s snow, albeit very little, and today’s cold wind howling outside the window has put a lid on such anticipation. This seems to have been an unusually long winter and seems to not just linger but very determined to overstay its welcome!!!

Being of hardy spirit and good cheer, New Englanders however, usher in spring every March by hosting the New England Flower Show in Boston. What better way than having a garden and flower show to herald the season that is to come? The show lasts for almost half a week and takes over a picturesque corner of the city, the Seaport. Florists, landscape artists, garden clubs, horticultural societies, and individual garden enthusiasts, and artists come together to give the city a dramatic splash of vibrant color and form. 

Gardenscapes took us from the most natural free form flowing backyards to small cozy patios, to romantic hideouts, to eastern splendor.  It showed possibilities, beyond the realm of flowers and foliage, conjuring up images of what can happen when nature is the backdrop for one’s creativity.    The garden in the hands of the creative is transformed into an extension of the house, one with a canopy of leaves and flowers and spring air.

As we moved further indoors, an exhibition of floral photographs and pictures greeted us. Taken by numerous amateur photographers of many ages, the exhibit showed us an aspect of nature, candid and detailed as can only be seen from behind the photographer’s lens.   The feeling is at once ethereal and dramatic.

Framing the art exhibits on one side were the floral arrangements. To call it just that is doing it injustice.  Floral art would be more befitting the creative expression of art. This year’s them was wedding and honeymoon. The garden clubs designed exquisite centerpieces for the occasion. Individual artistes used a myriad of artifacts to dramatize the ordinary. From copper wire, to driftwood, hanging spheres, to eggshells, there was no stone or rather container in this case, left unturned to hold flowers and foliage in composition.

All three Ikebana schools sent their best. I spoke with some of the entrants.  It was an art form.  It was also a way of living in harmony with nature using just what was enough. Like many things Japanese, the arrangements used a few elements to create light and elegant sculptural pieces. Many of the artists were local but had journeyed to Japan to understand and learn the art.

The indoor plant section always comes as a surprise. This year was no different. How do such luscious plants thrive in the sun deprived homes during the New England winter? What do these enthusiasts feed their flowers? The robustness is mind-boggling, the variety astounding. From the spider plant to blossoming begonias , to orchids and flowering onions, to cacti and ferns, the vibrancy was infectious.

Next year, I have to enter one of my own in the show.  For now, I need to provide some much needed TLC to my hibernating potted friends. The winter has been cold and dry. Shaking off the old leaves and finding new container homes, it is time to make plans for the garden.  I need to get ready for the big arrival cleaning the garden supplies and preparing the seeds, for spring will arrive sometime and most certainly without notice.

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