The Boston Flower & Garden Show Is the Ultimate Escape from This Cruddy Weather

There are trees, shrubs, leaves, and petals as far as the eye can see inside the Seaport World Trade Center this week.


“Backyard Family Retreat” display by Samantha’s Gardens / Photos by Madeline Bilis

Roasting marshmallows around a campfire may be the last thing on your mind this week, but at the Boston Flower & Garden Show, sunnier skies don’t seem so far off.

A display called “Backyard Family Retreat,” created by Andover-based Samantha’s Gardens, transports visitors to better days thanks to its faux fire pit, teepee, and surrounding trees, shrubs, and flowers. You’d never guess Samantha Mannarino, owner of her eponymous firm, installed the display’s daffodils, azaleas, and mosses as a nor’easter raged outside on Tuesday.

We wanted to make it feel very woodsy,” says Mannarino, who drove into Boston during the storm to put the finishing touches on her make-believe backyard. The display, along with the dozens of other gardens in the show, is an indoor oasis in the middle of a blustery, snow-covered South Boston.

“Backyard Family Retreat” display by Samantha’s Gardens

Gardeners and horticulturalists from across New England worked to transform the Seaport World Trade Center into a beacon of springtime this week, working from the theme “Savor Spring.” The result is a dazzling (and sweet-smelling) maze of plants, pathways, and fountains, with petals as far as the eye can see.

During the four-day-long flower extravaganza, visitors can meander through the displays, attend workshops, and shop the garden marketplace. This year, there’s a focus on edible gardens, with lectures and demonstrations covering homesteading hobbies, organic gardening, and more.

Check out more displays from the show below, and see them for yourself March 14 through 18.

“Backyard Family Retreat” display by Samantha’s Gardens

Display by Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School

Display by Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School

An arrangement by Village Arts and Flowers

Display by Heimlich Nurseries

Display by Joseph Gray Stonework & Sculpture and Pleasant View Gardens

An ode to the newly opened Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield

Display by Miskovsky Landscaping and Haskell Nursery

Display by Miskovsky Landscaping and Haskell Nursery

A succulent display by Berry’s Greenhouses Inc.

Admission is $20, March 14-18, Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd., Boston, for schedules and more information visit bostonflowershow.com.