Taste of the Tropics

One sure sign of spring: the Macy’s Flower Show, gardened by Bachman’s. Many Minnesotans have come to regard it as a seasonal rite of passage, a tradition, as evidenced by my colleague Amanda Fretheim Gates’s post to Minnesota Journeys.

This is my favorite year ever. The theme this year is Brasil, and wow, it is an explosion of the tropics. I was treated to the sound of Sergio Mendes’ Mas Que Nada as I took in an almost overwhelming scent of lilies and hyacinth. Of course, I’m probably biased. My love of color is well documented, and I was married in Hawaii, clutching a bouquet of orchids and ranunculus—I think I’m meant to live in a tropical place, except for the fact that I burn before the sun’s rays hit my pale, pale skin.

In any case, even though we’ve had a brilliant winter and spring (so far, knock on wood), we could still all use a little break. Brasil is pure eye candy: begonia, ginger, birds of paradise, calla lilies, cyclamen. You won’t recognize the ol’ eighth-floor auditorium this year; it feels like a rainforest wonderland. You still have time to see the show tomorrow and Saturday (and take the kids to see the Easter bunny)!