It may be snowy and cold outside but ...

... for a few days in February at the flower shows - it's SPRING!

Tired of all the snow and cold weather?  Me, too!

I'm ready for spring - NOW!

Luckily, all over the country, spring comes in February in the form of colorful, fragrant, and wonderful flower and garden shows! These shows are a showcase of beauty and fragrance, but also provide practical ideas for your home gardens and landscape! They are a great place to get gardening tips and ideas ranging from landscape design and plant selection to advice on hardscaping projects.

In addition to gorgeous plant and floral design exhibits, you can sit in on all kinds of gardening seminars and demonstrations. Learn about the latest gardening trends and the hottest, new plants for the year from notable gardening experts.

Unless you have more will power than I do, you won't leave the flower show empty handed either! All of these flower and garden shows have what they call The Marketplace where a great diversity of vendors exhibit and sell all kinds of products from plants and fresh cut flowers to gardening tools and garden related products to garden ornaments and beautiful artwork of all kinds.

If you are ready to chase away the winter doldrums for a day, plan a trip to a flower and garden show near you and spend a pleasant "spring day" in the "garden"!

In Virginia, The Maymont Flower and Garden Show is held each year in mid February. Virginia's long-standing harbinger of spring offers the latest in horticulture, gardens, seminars and a marketplace filled with goodies that will have you dreaming of spring. What a fabulous show!

Another spectacular show that is well worth a trip is the New Jersey Flower & Garden Show at the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison, NJ. This year, the show begins February 16th and continues through February 19th. Stroll through display gardens filled with rivers of color and fragrance. Designed by some New Jersey's most talented designers and professionals, the gardens will be filled with a kaleidoscope of flora and fauna.

There are many others all over the country and February is the time to start looking for one in your area!