Today we all went to the Spring Flower Show down in Boston. Weather outside here in Salem, MA was 19 F. when I got up at 8:00am, but we didn't spend much time outside, just long enough to get into the car, and then once at the convention center a brief walk across the street from the (enclosed) parking facility to the convention hall. Now at 4:00pm it's warmed up to 39 F. With a stiff breeze, still too cold to do more than take a very quick tour around the back yard when I got home, but the plants seem to think that spring is on it's way.
I liked this booth. They were handing out little peat starter plugs with a seed in each one. You have to go online to find out what kind of plant you got. I just looked mine up; I got Sunrich Orange Sunflower. Now if I can just keep the critters from munching it, we'll have some sunflowers this summer! The website for this gardening campaign is PlantSomethingMA.org, looks like a fun program.
Inside the Flower Show, it was all warmth and color and greenery. Even though I know how it's done, it's still impressive to see gardens with full-size trees & shrubs and all the other stuff set up inside the convention hall.
Here's another one I liked, with a split waterfall coming down off the roof.
Some displays included live animals: there were a couple of herons, and two parrots (sun conures, I really love their coloring), and two different exhibits that included chickens. My favorite was the hobbit house chicken coop (didn't get a picture of that).
This is not the hobbit house chicken coop, this is one of the miniature gardens. Wonderful detail! And tiny plants. Note Bilbo on the bench, smoking his pipe, and Gandalf at the far right. I was disappointed that there seemed to only be 2 entries in the "miniature garden" category (1"=1'). Maybe I should enter one next year.
After viewing the "set pieces" - the big displays - then there was the obligatory walk through the vendor aisles. Not everything was garden-related (think earrings, scarves, pottery, photography, etc). There was one nattily attired fellow selling waterproof boots by standing in a tub of water. But the plant vendors were there too.
I came away with three 2" herb plants (lavender 'Godwin Creek', a creeping thyme, rosemary 'Salem'). Also a "starter" myrtle, from a place that was selling little myrtle topiaries. The one I got isn't "sculpted" yet into a bonsai or little topiary tree. I may just let it grow au natural. Myrtle grows outside in Southern California, but here in New England it'll have to be a house plant. I also got a nice fat 'Stargazer' lily bulb, another white agapanthus, and 5 paperwhite narcissus. Say, did you know you could use alcoholic beverages (diluted with water) to retard the growth of paperwhites when you force them, so they don't get so leggy? I picked up a flyer explaining that, will have to give it a try.
Of course, when we got home I had to go out and take a walk around the back yard, even if it was cold outside. I noted that my fern Dryopteris 'Brilliant' still has some green in it, even at the end of winter.
My cat George was thrilled that I came out to do a "patrol" of the yard; here he is wriggling with happiness as he rolls in the dust.
And I saved the best for last… it may not look impressive, but here is the FIRST CROCUS about to open in our yard! The variety is 'Blue Pearl'.
Now off to figure out where to plant the goodies I got at the show.