Apr 5, 2007

FAUNA OVER THE FLORA AT SPRING'S FLOWER PAGEANTS

Macy's group vice president Robin Hall says the Herald Square store display includes flowers from six continents - not that you could add any flora from Anarctica. Below, fans check out the Botanical Garden show.

STOP and smell the roses - and all the other flowers transforming our concrete jungle into a Garden of Eden this month. The sheer variety of blooms will have urbanites running to Home Depot in search of that perfect windowsill pot. Here are three flower shows not to be missed.

MACY'S FLOWER SHOW

Macy's "Flora Exotica," the department store's 33rd annual flower show, has all the makings of a Broadway extravaganza: a big cast, bold backdrops and grand entrances.

The show, which opens tomorrow and runs through April 15, features lavishly decorated windows meant to entice passers-by: Mannequins dressed in dramatic silk-flower gowns are surrounded by daffodils, lilies and other bright buds.

Inside Macy's, two towering topiary giraffes lead the way to more than a million blossoms from around the world, including Mexico, Holland, South Africa and even local community gardens.

The international petal party occupies 100,000 square feet of the main floor. More than 100 landscape designers have been working around the clock for the past two weeks installing the overhead displays.

"We use every inch of space that isn't covered in merchandise or customers," says Robin Hall, the event's executive producer.

The result is "the gardens of your dreams," he says, beaming like a proud father. "Most people would love to see them in their homes."

Instead, they can admire them from below.

The glossy leaves of the bird of paradise flowers in the "Rainforest Garden" shade the Chanel and Dior counters. The shrubs of the black pussy willows guard the accessories area. And the feathery proteas in the "African Garden" sit above the Coach and Ralph Lauren handbags.

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