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2006 Flower Show Enchants
By Hilda M. Morrill
 During setup and prior to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Flower Show Preview Party, Executive Director Thomas Herrera-Mishler points out one of the beautiful “Julia Child” rose bushes that encircled the cooking demonstration area of this year’s show. (Photo © Hilda M. Morrill)
The Flower Show Preview Party at the Bayside Expo Center was spectacular! Even Julia Child was there! (We refer, of course, to the beautiful new rose named in memory of the famous French Chef. Personally chosen by the award-winning culinary icon, the rose’s “butter-gold” color and “licorice-candy” fragrance are hard to resist.)
Among the hundreds of guests enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres we spotted the MFA’s Betty Brown; interior designer Suzanne Logan; Geri Denterlein, president of Denterlein Worldwide Public Affairs; Antonia “Tony” Pollack of the Boston Parks & Recreation Department; Lucia Droby, director of COG, the Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design; Larry Meehan of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau; and perennial partygoers, Natalie Gardiner and John Hambright, just to name a very few.
Also on hand was the dynamic Kathryn Hayes of Tourism Ireland, one of the sponsors of the show. Katie Hoffmann and Paul Tukey were celebrating the third anniversary, to the day, of their meeting at the 2003 preview party. Now engaged, the happy couple will be married next week in Florida. Katie is a former MassHort staff member and Paul is publisher of “People, Places & Plants” magazine and a co-host of the PPP television show.
Becky Heath, co-owner of the famous Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, was seen with her son Jay and his wife Denise by their unique “Virtual Catalog” display. Visitors to the show are able to order bulbs of the plants that are featured in their display; and, by ordering during the show, they receive a special 20% discount.
The party raised $83,000 to benefit the educational efforts of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Congratulations to all!
The New England Spring Flower Show continues at The Bayside Expo through this coming Sunday, March 19. For more information, please visit www.masshort.org.
Some Fun Facts:
- More than 2 million blossoms are found in the Flower Show’s 38 exhibits.
- Enough bark mulch is used in the 5+ acres of exhibits to cover 15 football fields.
- More than 1,000 theatrical fixtures are used to light the floral extravaganza.
- More than 1,200 workers and volunteers run the show.
- 15,000 varieties of plants, trees and shrubs are represented.
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