USA, USAToday.com--February 11, 2005. Need a crocus or 2,000 to get you through the rest of winter? Like the first welcome flowers of spring, garden shows are popping up around the country. "I absolutely love these events," says outdoor living designer and TV garden host P. Allen Smith, author of Container Gardens: 60 Container Recipes to Accent Your Garden (Clarkson Potter, $29.95), which arrives next month. "These shows are instructive as well as inspirational." Smith shares with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell inspiring harbingers of spring.

Cincinnati: The show boasts "world-class status" and is endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain.

Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville
Nashville
"A unique mix of exceptional antiques and garden plants" blend exceptionally well at the Nashville Convention Center through Sunday. "Enjoy many innovative ideas for displaying antique garden ornaments." 800-891-8075; antiquesandgardenshow.com

Palm Beach Tropical Flower & Garden Show
West Palm Beach, Fla.
This tropical show downtown along the Intracoastal Waterway Feb. 24-27 "is a paradise brimming with colorful displays and floral arrangements. Visit a special garden featuring native Mexican plants, then catch expert tips on bonsai, crotons, succulents, and roses." 561-655-5522; palmbeachflowershow.org

Southeastern Flower Show
Atlanta
"A truly Southern show, abundant in creative talent. This year's theme, 'English Gardens for Southern Lifestyles,' features several lectures by legendary English garden historian Penelope Hobhouse. Visit the Georgia World Congress Center March 2-6 to find the display gardens full of flair but anchored in reality with ideas to apply at home." 404-351-1074; flowershow.org

Philadelphia Flower Show
Philadelphia
"The largest annual indoor flower show in the world as well as the oldest in the country (since 1829) celebrates 'America the Beautiful' March 6-13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. You'll find everything from enormous horticultural displays to individual plant specimens." 215-988-8899; theflowershow.com

San Francisco: The 2004 show featured this "Wabi-Sabi" display.
San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
San Francisco
"Where Gardens Meet Art' merges Bay Area art and horticulture in a most stylish and progressive show. With more than 20 full-sized landscapes, 35 seminars, 40 educational booths and 360 exhibitors, this year's extravaganza, March 16-20 at the Historic Cow Palace, is a can't-miss." 800-569-2832;gardenshow.com/sf

New England Spring Flower Show
Boston
"This is a real 'roll up your sleeves and get your hands in the garden' type show. The focus of this year's event, March 12-20 at the Bayside Expo Center, is 'A Fresh Perspective,' featuring new plant introductions, cutting-edge products and fresh local talent." 617-933-4983; www.masshort.org

Chicago Flower & Garden Show
Chicago
"Drawing from a talented pool of Midwestern designers and horticulturalists, 'Gardening in the City' debuts March 12-20 on the lakefront at Navy Pier. Creative displays abound, from garden gourmet demonstrations to tablescape designs." 312-222-5086; chicagoflower.com

Cincinnati Flower Show
Cincinnati
"Cincinnati's claim to fame is that it has the only show endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. The organizers maintain that world-class status, infusing the event with the same high standards as those found at the renowned Chelsea Flower Garden Show in England." Cincy's event, April 20-24, is "along the banks of Lake Como at Coney Island." 513-872-5194; cincyflowershow.com

Greater Kansas City Home Show and Flower, Lawn & Garden Show
Kansas City, Mo.
"Known as the 'Big Show,' this March 17-20 event at downtown's Bartle Hall unites home, lawn and garden experts" whose success is based on "blurring the line between indoor and outdoor living." 816-942-8800; kchba.org/shows/HomeShow/HomeShow.shtml

The Dallas Flower & Outdoor Living Show
Dallas
"Gardening in Dallas is like Texas itself — big. This show, at the Dallas Convention Center March 18-20, is the region's largest with 32,000 square feet of beautifully landscaped gardens." 214-977-4028; www.beloexpo.com/betterliving

top