Wow! Did we go to the same show?

Carol

Thanks, Susan. The years I am not able to go, it is always lovely to see photos that someone else has taken.

I think the thing people have to remember is that the show is different from how it was at Bayside Expo center. It is smaller, the make up of the gardens/display/exhibits are different. There is less of the standard flower show things - Amateur Horticulture and the judged portion of show are much smaller. Also the economy has certainly affected who can exhibit (garden vendors/designers) and how large their displays are etc. So if you go thinking it will be like the previous years you may be disappointed.

I am glad to support the show because I want to have a flower show in Boston and hope when the economy gets better more and larger gardens can be displayed. I also think one thing that has improved is the talks and demos are much better than other years. Also I had a fun day out with a friend and got to talk gardening.

I checked it out for the first time, this year. Since my primary interests are vegetable gardening, antique gardens, and nature, I just assumed that the flower show would be too artificial and contemporary for me.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the garden exhibits were responsive to our New England environment, if not exactly natural, and how much fun it was to get my design ideas fluffed up. My absolute faves were some of the amateur compositions - a select few got a much more naturalistic effect than the bonsais - and seeing cool plants that I've never met before. Flower arranging is totally not my bag but it was fun to compare what I liked to what the judges liked. Often winners were very, very clean designs (where I'd prefer a looser one... and why could NO ONE do a period correct Art Nouveau arrangement? Is the judge the only living authority on this??)

I agree that Robin Templar Williams was great - his design talk was informative for people at a variety of levels. Logee's edible tropicals was also very cool. I learned about a few species that would fit into my incredibly picky constraints, as well as getting to know who/what stands behind the Logee's name.

I didn't really look at the vendors - would prefer them to be focussed more on actual gardening.

I agree with Sedum 37. I go to support the idea of a flower show in Boston. I went after work, and had time to see everything that I wanted to see, but was tired. For the bigger show at Bayside, I used to get up early on opening day and go in for the early members hours. I, of course, had more energy and would not have felt that I would have had enough time to see the larger show after work. So it is a trade off.

On my bucket list I am now putting both going to the Philly Flower Show, but also the Chelsea Flower Show in England.

Great photos - thank you for taking the time to share them.
I particularly liked the stone arch and teardrop stone arrangement in additional to all the wonderful garden photos.
Susan

Dear Sedum37,
I thoroughly enjoyed your pictorial stroll of the Boston Flower Show this March. Your pictures captured the true essence of the flower show, which is a lively love of plants and design in gardens. Thank you so much for posting. I feel I was able to attend the show through your photos. I have been to many past Flower Shows and infact looked forward to it as the first harbinger of spring. Just to breathe in the wonderful fragrances of growing things when it is freezing outside, is a way to transport your spirit and uplift your soul. The blooms and the aromas are icing on the cake. I was very disgusted with the Mass Hort Soc. being robbed of its money by its ex-president -- not the fault of Mass Hort, by any means, but it disgusts me non the less. Why wasn't someone of quality and high morality in that position? I can't bear to see what's since happened to Mass Hort because of that robbery. The same goes for the flower show itself. I couldn't make it this year, but I didn't even really try to! I find myself very disallusioned around this whole issue, but your photos remind me that in the years to come we must all try to rebuild the Mass Hort and the flower show to its former glory.