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March 26, 2010
Spring is blooming in Boston
After a long, cold New England winter, I really look forward to spring—and not just for the warm sunshine and balmy breezes. Like any other gardening enthusiast, I yearn to see life restored to the landscape, to find my yard filled with leafy green trees and my flower garden rife with bold, colorful blooms.
So it was with great anticipation that I ventured forth—accompanied by my dear friend, Nadine; my daughter, Charlotte; and Charlotte’s friend, Kate—to the annual Boston Flower & Garden Show. I love seeing the creative floral displays and innovative landscape designs at this annual event, and all four of us agree that this year’s exhibition more than lived up to its theme: “A Feast for the Senses.”
As we wandered among the various booths—which included gorgeous displays of succulent plants (my favorite!); a demonstration of ikebana, the celebrated Japanese art of flower arrangement; a fascinating “Garden of Cakes,” where flowers decorated the elaborate confections; and a quirky, oversized red garden chair—I was reminded of the many beautiful landscapes I’ve seen during my travels …
In Kyoto, I visited the meticulously designed Ryoanji Garden, a masterpiece of Zen minimalism that prizes pebbles over petals and encourages meditation. In Costa Rica I trekked through lush rain forests bursting with tropical blooms, from pinecone-shaped spiral gingers to flame-colored birds of paradise. And I’ll always remember the towering piles of rainbow-hued orchids I discovered in a Bangkok flower market, so beautiful and delicate—and unbelievably inexpensive!—that I dreamt of filling entire suitcases with them to bring back home.
The floral and landscape designs I saw at the Boston Flower & Garden Show were no less impressive—and undeniably enhanced by the fact that I was able to share the experience with Nadine, Charlotte, and Kate. You can see pictures from our garden-themed “girls’ night out” in News & Views; perhaps, like me, they’ll leave you with visions of spring dancing in your head …
Harriet Lewis