NEW YORK—The spirit of spring was definitely in the air at Macy’s Herald Square store on Sunday. The entire main floor was transformed into an idyllic floral paradise at the 37th annual Macy’s Flower Show.
The annual show started simultaneously in six different cities all over the United States. It will continue for two weeks, until April 10. The Herald Square store boasts the biggest display, occupying about 100,000 square feet of planted area on the main floor.
The central theme for this year’s show is “Tower of Flowers.” Visitors entering the store from Broadway and 35th Street are immediately greeted by an impressive foliage and floral display.
“It is really just a fantasy theme. We wanted to develop height for the show. We wanted to take it up in the air this year. This is the tallest tower of the show,” said Robin Hall, senior vice-president and creative director of the Macy’s Flower Show.
Visitors and shoppers are enticed to stroll up the main aisle, graced with an amazing array of blooms and cherry blossom trees.
“These beautiful cherry trees are going to be in full, full bloom probably two days from now. We have these on every aisle to serve as the signature of the show. It is a fantastic experience,” said Hall, smiling.
Pointing to the different plants, he said, “I have a coffee tree—growing coffee beans—and a cocoa plant in the tropical area. There is a lot of really exotic stuff here.”
The annual show started simultaneously in six different cities all over the United States. It will continue for two weeks, until April 10. The Herald Square store boasts the biggest display, occupying about 100,000 square feet of planted area on the main floor.
The central theme for this year’s show is “Tower of Flowers.” Visitors entering the store from Broadway and 35th Street are immediately greeted by an impressive foliage and floral display.
“It is really just a fantasy theme. We wanted to develop height for the show. We wanted to take it up in the air this year. This is the tallest tower of the show,” said Robin Hall, senior vice-president and creative director of the Macy’s Flower Show.
Visitors and shoppers are enticed to stroll up the main aisle, graced with an amazing array of blooms and cherry blossom trees.
“These beautiful cherry trees are going to be in full, full bloom probably two days from now. We have these on every aisle to serve as the signature of the show. It is a fantastic experience,” said Hall, smiling.
Pointing to the different plants, he said, “I have a coffee tree—growing coffee beans—and a cocoa plant in the tropical area. There is a lot of really exotic stuff here.”
The show is free to the public. There are 20-minute guided tours every half hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day; they start from the 35th Street entrance.
Hall laughed about many sleepless nights he had to endure while putting the display together. He and his staff had to wait until the store closed to work on the exhibit, he explained. “Generally speaking, we had a lot of fun with it,” he concluded.
Designed by six floral and event designers, the show displays 11 different gardens—each complete with its own unique theme, including the Tropical Garden, the Hydrangea Garden, the Cactus and Succulent Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Rooftop Garden, the English Cottage Garden, and the Orchid Garden.
“There is no other department [store chain] in New York City or the rest of the country that creates an indoor flower garden display inside their stores,” said Elina Kazan, vice president of media relations for Macy’s.
The springtime event is an annual favorite for many visitors. Some made a special trip to the store to see the display, hoping to be inspired to create their own home garden.
“The displays are so beautiful. We come every year to see the show. It is just the sweetness of it and perfect timing when we get so hungry for spring. It’s a great temptation to get into the yard,” said Margaret Inglese, trustee of the New Jersey Edison Memorial Tower Corporation.
Two friends from a yoga workshop said they gave up their lunch break to see the display. “Instead of eating, we are smelling the flowers and breathing in the floral scents,” said Barbara Blum, a clinical psychologist in the city.
Toni Grenz, vice president of a New Jersey manufacturing company, was struck by the “intensive labor” and the “massive varieties of the flowers on display.”
About 30,000 different types of flowering plants and trees were used to create the display. The live plants receive a nightly watering.
Hall anticipates that the flower show will attract 400,000 people per week for the run of the exhibit.
Radiologist and photographer Steven Lev, 47, from Long Island, said he had come to the show last year and also recently visited the orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden. The orchid show, which was set in a tropical greenhouse, “felt more authentic, like in the jungle,” he noted.
“This, it doesn’t matter how many flowers you put here, you still know you’re in Macy’s! You are not in a jungle. So, it is a different experience,” said Lev, adding that he wished Macy’s would put flowers in the store throughout the year.
“If you come a day after the flowers are taken out, the store is a very different place. [The flowers] bring a kind of warmth and transformative aspect to the store,” said Hall.
Augmenting the flower show on Sunday was Macy’s 14th annual “Petacular Fair,” which enabled the flower show to extend outside to Herald Square. The event is a pet fashion show, in which dog owners dress up their pets in their springtime floral best.
“It is one of our favorite events. People themselves are the event, with their pets. It’s fun to see their creativity, how they dress up their animals in a way that welcomes spring to New York City,” said Bill Schermerhorn, creative director for Macy’s Parade and Entertainment.
Hall laughed about many sleepless nights he had to endure while putting the display together. He and his staff had to wait until the store closed to work on the exhibit, he explained. “Generally speaking, we had a lot of fun with it,” he concluded.
Designed by six floral and event designers, the show displays 11 different gardens—each complete with its own unique theme, including the Tropical Garden, the Hydrangea Garden, the Cactus and Succulent Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Rooftop Garden, the English Cottage Garden, and the Orchid Garden.
“There is no other department [store chain] in New York City or the rest of the country that creates an indoor flower garden display inside their stores,” said Elina Kazan, vice president of media relations for Macy’s.
The springtime event is an annual favorite for many visitors. Some made a special trip to the store to see the display, hoping to be inspired to create their own home garden.
“The displays are so beautiful. We come every year to see the show. It is just the sweetness of it and perfect timing when we get so hungry for spring. It’s a great temptation to get into the yard,” said Margaret Inglese, trustee of the New Jersey Edison Memorial Tower Corporation.
Two friends from a yoga workshop said they gave up their lunch break to see the display. “Instead of eating, we are smelling the flowers and breathing in the floral scents,” said Barbara Blum, a clinical psychologist in the city.
Toni Grenz, vice president of a New Jersey manufacturing company, was struck by the “intensive labor” and the “massive varieties of the flowers on display.”
About 30,000 different types of flowering plants and trees were used to create the display. The live plants receive a nightly watering.
Hall anticipates that the flower show will attract 400,000 people per week for the run of the exhibit.
Radiologist and photographer Steven Lev, 47, from Long Island, said he had come to the show last year and also recently visited the orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden. The orchid show, which was set in a tropical greenhouse, “felt more authentic, like in the jungle,” he noted.
“This, it doesn’t matter how many flowers you put here, you still know you’re in Macy’s! You are not in a jungle. So, it is a different experience,” said Lev, adding that he wished Macy’s would put flowers in the store throughout the year.
“If you come a day after the flowers are taken out, the store is a very different place. [The flowers] bring a kind of warmth and transformative aspect to the store,” said Hall.
Augmenting the flower show on Sunday was Macy’s 14th annual “Petacular Fair,” which enabled the flower show to extend outside to Herald Square. The event is a pet fashion show, in which dog owners dress up their pets in their springtime floral best.
“It is one of our favorite events. People themselves are the event, with their pets. It’s fun to see their creativity, how they dress up their animals in a way that welcomes spring to New York City,” said Bill Schermerhorn, creative director for Macy’s Parade and Entertainment.
