The smell of spring, the inspiration of beautiful landscaping, the lure of finding just the plant you are looking for in your own project; all these combine t
o make CNY Blooms a nearly irresistable stop for me in March. I am an amateur flower gardener from way back. I inherited it from my maternal grandmother who grew so many flowers, that her displays sometimes stopped traffic.
Anyway, just when we all need a reminder that spring is coming, the landscapers and nurserymen pull out all the stops, forcing plants into peak bloom that you find hard to persuade to bloom at all in your garden. The old brush-painted smoking flower-power VW bus was parked in the biggest bed of multi-hued flowers. I especially admired the weeping cherry in full bloom, the copper-cup rain cascade, and the well-integrated mixing of vegetable raised beds and flower beds in one professional garden. Of course, I found a few plants to buy too; an African violet for my collection, two ivies for my indoor gardening and a promising heuchera (Coral Bells) from my friends, Chuck and Cindy Centner. It’s one of my favorite ways to move the season ahead for a few very pleasant hours.