Macy's The Secret Garden Flower Show

Macy's annual flower show opens opens Sunday, March 23 and runs through Sunday, April 6 2014. This year's theme is "The Secret Garden" and something you don't want to miss. Here are some photographs of the garden vignettes and plants at the Macy's State Street store in Chicago taken during the media preview while the exhibits were still being planted.

I won't show you all of the gardens so as not to spoil "The Secret Garden" displays but the entrance to the flower show is pretty spectacular. It features a tall mannequin in a living dress composed of hundreds of leafs and some plants. When completed it will look like she's picking up a garden while dragging her dress through the garden. Oh, and there's lots of topiary for those of us who love the art of topiary.

A charming antique bicycle planted with Gerbera daisies is part of Salvador Dali inspired garden that is really surreal.

A blue mannequin planted in the surreal garden makes an impact. It looks like Doctor Manhattan had an accident while working in the garden.

Another antique element in the surreal garden. This piano is planted with various colorful bromeliads.

A Japanese maple planted upside down. I don't think this photo does justice to just how striking this feature of the surreal garden is.

One of my favorite garden exhibits is the urban garden that showcases some interesting small-space garden ideas. Here's a seating area with a vertical garden planted with succulents.

The same urban garden with colorful tire planters populated with succulents among some colorful garden bed ideas. On the right is a metal tub acting as a raised bed.

The garden also features a living roof planted with various succulents like echeverias, crassulas, gasterias and some stapelias. Make sure to get a good look at the stapelia blooms if you visit the flower show.

There's a really neat Mediterranean-inspired garden with some charming potted topiaries from common herbs. Don't have room for a traditional herb garden? I bet you have room for some potted herbs like this.

A peek at the Asian influenced Zen garden.

I forgot to make note of the style of garden this was, but the garden art makes me thing it is some kind of seaside garden. There is so much color in this garden that it took my breath away. After a miserable winter in Chicago I could imagine myself standing in this garden on a warm summer day watching the ships cruise by in the distance.

Faux topiary chess pieces in an English cottage themed garden.

And here's our friend Salvador Dali in flower form in the surreal garden.

A closer look at the girl in the flower dress that dominates the entrance to the flower show. And what the flower girl statue looked like after it was completed for the flower show.

There's a matching figure in the Walnut Room but her style is more French and the dress is a lot more flamboyant.

Walnut Room at Macy's on State Street has a flower girl. #macyssecretgarden pic.twitter.com/prr7Aaau5e
— mrbrownthumb (@MrBrownThumb) March 21, 2014

Here's a photo of the statue in the Walnut Room that I posted on Twitter to give you an idea. When you attend "The Secret Garden" make sure to check out the girl in the dress there while sampling the themed cocktails and food created for the show.

During the show there will be various demos, talks and workshops featuring everything from gardening to floral arranging and cooking.

I'll be hosting a hands-on workshop on making seed bombs on April 1st and 12pm at the Macy's State Street store in Chicago. If you're in the Chicago area consider this your personal invitation to attend and get your hands dirty with me. Visit Macys.com/Flowershow for details of "The Secret Garden" exhibit in your area. I'm told while all of the participating stores follow the same theme, some of the garden details will be unique to the various stores hosting the flower show.

I'm so ready for spring to finally arrive. Do you visit flower shows to get inspiration for your own garden?