Springmill was lined with an assortment of flowering trees as the shuttle bus wound its way to Orchard in Bloom. The sunshine welcomed us as my husband and I hopped off at the entrance. The Going Green! theme was certainly evident as we strolled through the Garden Pavilion tents. As we admired the stone walkways, the outdoor kitchens and the plants, we were inspired to add something to our backyard retreat.

The main path through the show was loaded with areas to explore. We found pumpkin pie orange coral bells for our very hosta covered shade garden. There were vibrant cherry red peonies and lemon yellow daisies. A wrought iron tree of life stood out among the more standard yard art offerings. There were activities for all ages and interests as well. Arts and crafts, toys and performances by magician, The Amazing William fascinated little ones. Fresh asparagus gave us a preview of the summer Farmers' Markets. Featured plein air artist, Forrest Formsma was painting at his easel. Italian lentil soup and yogurt parfaits tempted the hungry. Last by not least, nationally known Joe Lamp'l aka joe gardner explained that rain barrels are a must have for the environmental conscious. Joe discussed that all mulch is not the same and may even have ground up play sets which contain arsenic. After speaking, he answered questions and autographed his latest book for the audience.

Orchard in Bloom is an annual event and a very relaxing escape on a spring afternoon. As we climbed on shuttle to return to our car, we vowed to not miss it next year.