Art in Bloom: The Macy's Flower Show

What a fantastic display,Paul..it must have been such hard work arranging all that..not to mention the cost! I guess they make enough money to cover it though..I can just picture you selling Hoovers lol..the things we did for extra spending money,but it stood us in good stead ..I like the Ballerinas and I've never heard of Glinda..thanks for taking the time to take all the photo's.. :o)

I've never been either, so thank you for your blog! They did an incredible job. I especially like the displays above the makeup counters.

So funny - I went to grad school at Fordham for a year, for medieval studies! Then I realized I'd need to get a PhD in order to do anything at all with my degree and quit. This was back in the early 90s.

Thanks Sandra: I'm glad you enjoyed the blog. Those were fun times working at Macy's but we didn't know it then. Still they made great burgers at the Cellar Grill which is now gone. Glinda is the good witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz movie. If you go to YouTube and type it in, you'll see a few clips. She travelled via bubble.

Hi Laura, I thought the displays were magnificent. Did you ever ride the Ram Van? I could have been your driver! lol.

I live in a bubble sometimes Paul,and I live in the North....maybe I should change my name to Glinda? Lol Thanks for the Youtube link ..x

When you think about it Sandra, we all live on what must look like a big bubble...to the Martians. :)

Oh good gracious what a wonder it is......as I scrolled down more and more glorious blooms......oh wouldn't it be wonderful for our high streets if we had little of this.....

They are glorious and really chase away the winter blues. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank You!

Spectacular display. So much variety. Very cheerful.
Anything to get shoppers to the mall:-)?
Is it a yearly affair Bathgate? Thanks for the show of the event to all of us who will never see it in the real glory.

Thankyou so much Bathgate, you really put a lot into the blog and I like the magical story theme and the bubbles along the way, made me chuckle as I was reading it, lol.
Its also good as its a place I'll never see so really appreciate you sharing, pleased you enjoyed it....
Added to my faves...

Wonderful show - must have taken a very long time to set up. I don't know what Michaelangelo would have thought abut the decorations on his David though!

I'm dazzled by the bright beautiful colours ,what a glorious show ,Thanks for sharing with us Bg :o))

You are all welcome and I'm glad you all enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too and putting this blog together with some music playing as I work on it - very relaxing.

Klahanie - Yes this is an annual event. I never had time in the past or it was over before I knew about it.

Lincslass - Those bubbles were fun weren't they? I was so surprised to see so many gigantic bubbles flying down the street without knowing where they came from and wanted to work them in somehow. I'm glad you got a few laughs.

You are welcome Amy. Thank You! The show was spectacular.

I have just scrolled through your pictures - the colours are amazing I particularly like the orchids - and the wisteria - and are those orange canna lilies it must take ages to put all those displays together - Jane

Thanks Steragram. This was a fun project to work on. I really don't go to Macy's very often but it was rather surreal to revisit where I used to work though it's a different place now. Michaelangelo would roll in his grave, lol!

Hi Jane: Yes they are cannas. What a bright color! This show is a year of planning and orchestrating. They are already working on next year's show. Thanks!

I've been to two of them in SF. Once with a gf and years later the wife. Not much you can apply to the garden or house-lol. But,that's not the point i guess.
For some reason,I like the use of the small Kalanchoe blossfeldiana en masse . I have one the porch as a result years later. They are a bit frost tender so do well under a overhang.

no, I never rode the Ram Van! But I used to love shopping at Macy's in those days and at Christmas time even more.

I lived in manhatten, Murray hill section, for about twenty years and never knew that Macy's had an annual flower show. When I lived there, Gimbels department store was still open. Great photos.

My mom and dad always took me to Gimbels when I was a little tyke. It was a nice store.

Brings to mind that the time is coming soon in NYC where people will be wearing flower gardens on their heads, the Easter Parade.

Thank you so much for allowing me to accompany you Paul What a fabulous show! The Phalaenopsis are particularly beautiful. The colours are quite stunning. Thanks again. :)

I remember my parents taking me to Gimbels, also. Well, my mother, really. I'm sure my dad found a spot in a man chair & spent the afternoon parked there.

My pleasure to have you along Julia. The Phalaenopsis are my favorites too. :)

Loosestrife2 I've see the Easter Parade and some of the ladies proudly wearing entire gardens on their head.

Gimbels used to be iconic. It was very sad to see them close.

B'gate , I checked in to this lovely blog last night , and left a comment , but I must have omitted to submit it !
Anyway , my sister was in New York yesterday ( she is a BA stewardess , and had a two night stop-over). I tried to contact her to tell her to have a peep at that wonderful show , but couldn't . I texted her later , and she e-mailed me to say that as she arrived through Penn Station , and as Macys is next door she went in and saw it in all its glory , she said that it was just amazing ! She was so pleased that she went as she hadn't been there for years .
So coincidental to your blog .

Driad I'm so glad your sister got to see the show. It's only here for a brief couple weeks so her timing is perfect. That's a great coincident. Thanks so much for sharing it!

I have never seen Wisteria in bloom transported to a flower show. Very clever.

What a wonderful show, and it must have brought back a few memories for you :o)
A lot of effort must have gone into it.

What an amazing blog Paul! I can well understand that next year's show is in the planning stages already... The work that goes into an event of this kind is just unbelievable! Thanks for showing us all around I've so enjoyed it... In fact I'd like to say that you've illustrated the show so well, that I felt as if I was actually there without the jet lag! ;o)

Thanks Tracey. That was my goal for this blog, to make you feel you've actually been there without jet lag, fighting the mob - or spontaneous shopping spree, lol! Thanks You!

What a blast of rich colours and glamour!

Thanks for this treat, the whole event looks fabulous.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. You are quite welcome.