Flower Show

For many years we attended the New England Flower Show. It used to be something we did as part of Chuck’s birthday celebration. It was also a way of cheating during those final snowy/muddy/rainy/raw days of waning winter with a deep breath of (indoor) spring. But the last few years we went, the show was a little thin, a little tired. Last year, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society canceled the show entirely and we thought that would be that. But the other day Chuck spotted an ad in the newspaper for the “Boston Flower and Garden Show”. Some on-line sleuthing showed that Mass Horticultural was still involved, but a different organizer was hosting it - and for a shorter period of time than the old New England shows had run.

This afternoon Chuck suggested we give the new show a whirl. We drove in on the Mass Pike and it was very easy to get to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. The Seaport area has been transformed in recent years and it was initially difficult to get our bearings, but it was very easy to navigate. There was plenty of fee parking available. The area was busy but not overly congested. The Seaport World Trade Center is located between the Fish Pier and the Anthony’s Pier 4 - the same pier where the Institute of Contemporary Art is located. The Seaport location is a vast improvement over the old Bayside Expo Center.

This year’s incarnation of the Boston Flower and Garden Show was nice, but not spectacular. The exhibition area was significantly smaller than the New England Shows, therefore with far fewer exhibitors. While all the plantings looked fresh and cheerful, no one display really stopped us in our tracks or made us want to take notes and linger. The commercial area where businesses small and large can sell their wares abutted the exhibition area, which was a new arrangement. And it was mercifully smaller than the New England shows used to be. Nothing jumped out at us and demanded to be bought, but lots of folks had armloads of flowers and full shopping bags.

I’m very happy we went. It was absolutely a breath of spring. But my socks are still on. Will we go back next year? If it is held in the same location, it’s likely we would. If it has been a particularly cold, long, snowy winter - yes!

Here are a few photos: