Boston Flower Show 2018 posts:

• Introduction: Details about the show this year
• Edible Gardening: Display elements that feature food crops and seeds
• The Main Displays: Highlights of 13 major garden exhibits
• Floral Displays and Selected Vendors

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[For introductory information on the 2018 Boston Flower Show, please check out the Intro post!]

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On to the 2018 Boston Flower Show displays themselves:

The New England Hosta Society display — “We’re Not Your Grandparents’ Hostas” — was of particular interest to me; there are 3,000-4,000 host varieties registered in the U.S. and the sometimes subtle differences in them fascinate me. The Society’s statement in the show’s booklet states, in part: “[Hostas] transform into an eye-feast of leaf color, variegation, size and form. Savor the colors: green, blue, gold, white. Relish the sizes: from minis to giants. Partake of patterns: variegations, streaks, wavy margins.”

I am a big shade garden fan; in my ideal garden, about half the land would be flat and in full sun for edibles, the other half with a more varied terrain in part-shade or even deep shade for shade plants, of which hostas, Rodgersia, carex and hakone grasses, bottle gentians, and woodland plants — gingers, ferns, columbines, bloodroot, et al.) — would constitute the lion’s share.

The hosta society offered a very useful handout, A Guide to Hosta; here’s one page from it:

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The Heimlich’s Nurseries (Woburn, MA) display, inspired by a poem written by their grandfather, featured a waterwheel in a pond, lots of trees (as usual for them), some forced shrubs and weeping trees, azaleas/rhodos, heathers, bulbs, and perennials.

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Besides the nasturtium water feature mentioned above —

— the Minuteman Regional High School (Horticulture & Plant Science Dept.; Lexington, MA) display — “An Edible Oasis” — also included deutzias (a plant I had in the Maryland garden but that’s not quite hardy enough for NH except in a reliable microclimate), a witch hazel, and some lovely watercolour-hued hyacinths.

Deutzia x Yuki ‘Cherry Blossom’ – Minuteman Regional HS display

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Miskovsky Landscaping (Falmouth, MA) & Haskell Nursery (Fairhaven, MA) teamed up for this display, which includes a garden shed with window boxes and a living roof, an outdoor living space with high privacy fencing (a trellis arbor) augmented by bamboo plants, and a combination of interesting tree, shrub (a few topiaries), perennial, bulb, and container plantings.

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The Joseph Gray Stonework (Stratham, NH) & Pleasant View Gardens (Loudon, NH) display — “Zen Garden” — showcased Gray’s sculpture and stonework and included a sandy zen garden and some pretty “Proven Winner” annuals. Their statement on the Zen garden, in part: “This is a Zen garden discovered in the mountains of Eastern Asia.  It is designed to bring peace and harmony while living in an unsettled world. … The garden allows you to be still with the world, escaping the everyday stress of work, life, and the overload of news from our social media existence.”

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The gardenUP (Boston) display — “A Taste of Spring in Form, Function, and Beauty” —  offered four designs: a border garden, privacy planting, foundation planting, and island garden. I didn’t realise that as I was looking and photographing.

gardenUP seems to specialise in developing computerised, detailed garden plans like this one:

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Artistic Landscapes‘ display — “Designed with Nature and Function in Mind” — is meant to emphasize “the importance of local harvesting, repurposing and upcycling while creating a gathering space that complements our interests, hobbies and lifestyles.” It includes an edible garden near the serving/prep area (see previous photo of a vertical herb garden); a pergola made from Alaskan yellow cedar from decommissioned high-tension electrical poles; and “zoned, dimmable, color-changing lights that can be controlled from your smartphone.”

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Samantha’s Gardens (Andover, MA), already mentioned a few times in the edible gardening section, titled their display “Backyard Family Retreat”: “Our idea for this garden was derived from a yearning for a new outdoor experience and living area.” They made the most of the display area with a large tipi (teepee), fire pit with s’mores, bee box, and an array of trees, shrubs, and perennials.

I like their Carex comens ‘Amazon Mist’ grasses:

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Oakwood Landscape & Construction (Millis, MA) built a patio from some kind of pavers, an imposing stone chimney, patio edging, and a pretty little shed — an outdoor spot that the whole family can enjoy.

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The New England Carnivorous Plant Society (Dracut, MA), a non-profit group, gave showgoers the opportunity to watch insect-eating plants at work, including pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, sundews — and neon-hued butterworts, as seen below:

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Berry’s Greenhouses (Natick, MA) brought lots of succulents to the party. I enjoyed them.

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Not a garden at all, the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA, was nonetheless part of the garden exhibit area, giving out free or discounted tickets to people with children (not us). The booth was decorated with floral displays from the Mass. Florists’ Coalition.

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Finally, not in the official guide but certainly a garden exhibit on the floor was Currier Landscaping (Medfield, MA). I was taken by their hellebores.

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The only photo I took from the Urban Homesteading Pavilion this time was of the goats who weren’t there on Wednesday:

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All in all, a lovely way to spend a few hours on a cold, snowy winter day.

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Featured image at top of page: Signage at the Mass Hort Society booth. They sponsor the show and manage some of the competitions (floral design, photography, ikebana, amateur horticultural).