Flower towers were mostly complete,
but the surrounding border plantings
were still underway Thursday morning.
Just in time to revive our winter-weary spirits: Macy’s spring flower show. I got a sneak peek Thursday morning in the 8th floor auditorium of the downtown store. Even though the installation of colorful blossoms and lush greenery was still underway, it was a perfect respite from frozen slush and the January-like wind blowing me across Nicollet Mall. This year’s show, Towers of Flowers, designed by Jack Barkla and brought to glorious life by Bachman’s, might be the best one yet. Or maybe it just feels that way because my own crop of daffodils, tulips, azaleas, magnolias, rhododendron, and roses seems such a long way off.
Tropicals rub shoulders with
Macy’s Pride Roses, tulips,
and cyclamen.
Bachman’s floral displays do indeed tower, climbing 10 stylized interpretations of world-famous landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice, and other fanciful creations that include a mosaic tower brimming with bright bougainvillea, and a castle turret (complete with parapet) sprouting bright red anthurium. In all, 75 plant and flower varieties are represented, with more than half Zone-4 hardy for Twin Citians who want to grow their own. The lavish displays in the auditorium and the planted Woolly Pockets (available at the Lyndale Bachman’s this season) on the walls in the entry hallway illustrate vertical gardening—this year’s hottest gardening trend, according to Dale Bachman, the company’s CEO.
During the show Macy’s will also display a Bouquet of the Day, created by one of Bachman’s master floral designers, on the first floor of the downtown store. A full complement of special events, including cooking demonstrations on the lower level and an artists’ marketplace on the second floor will give customers more reasons to visit. The flower show opens Sunday, March 27th, and runs through Sunday, April 10. We can only hope we’ll be seeing green on the ground before the end of the show. But not to worry: Flowers are continually refreshed through the two-week run. Free to the public and open during regular store hours. See macys.com/flowershow
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| Rather than Repunzel’s hair, red anthurium tumbles from the castle turret. | Shades of Mexico abound in the bougainvillea-covered mosaic tower | And then there are the gorgeous containers… |
