People starved for signs of spring can get plenty of them — all in one place — when the annual Portland Flower Show opens this week.
The show, which runs Wednesday through March 11 at the historic Portland Company Complex off Fore Street, will feature some 13 gardens and more than 80 garden-related vendors.
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So whether you’re interested in rock walls, greenhouses, pest control or decorative garden accents, you’ll be able to find somebody to talk to. There will also be people versed on pottery, herbs, fences, paint and a myriad other home and garden specialties.
The Maine Landscape and Nursery Association will even have an “ask the expert” booth set up, so bring your questions.
“But really, people can ask any one of the exhibitors or vendors,” said Joanna Sprague, the show’s producer. “That’s one of the great things about the show.”
The Portland Flower Show has been held around Greater Portland by various groups for decades. But this is the 13th year that the Portland Company has acted as host and organizer, said Sprague, a co-owner of the company.
The Portland Company started as a locomotive manufacturer along Portland’s waterfront in the mid-1800s, and now is in the landlord businesses, leasing out its historic buildings to various businesses.
The exhibits at this year’s show will include a small fairy garden, as well as a garden with water features and a model railway running through it.
Vendors will range from Andy’s Agway of Biddeford, which will focus on raising chickens, to landscaping and lawn-care companies. There will be at least three companies exhibiting greenhouses, said Sprague.
The Portland Flower Show attracts exhibitors and vendors from all over the state. In the middle of the winter, landscaping and garden professionals are looking for a chance to use their skills and maybe gain a few customers.
Harvey Wilbur of Flagstones, a natural stone company based in Guilford near Moosehead Lake, said coming to the Portland Flower Show is a good way to market his niche business.
“We specialize in natural stone, no bricks or pavers, so we’ve got to go looking for clientele,” said Wilbur.
Wilbur’s exhibit will include slag from old slate quarries in his area, so people may be looking at some 100-year-old pieces of stone. He will also have some of his granite carvings on display, including some granite birds to be used as decoration in the garden.
“I’m basically a rock breaker, but we’ll have flowers in our exhibit too,” said Wilbur.
Besides having a chance to get people from all over southern Maine to see his work, Wilbur likes the fact that the show is early in the year, when he’s not so busy and customers are just starting to think about what they might improve about their yards come spring.
Jon Snell of Jaiden Landscaping in Durham likes the flower show because it gives him a chance to get out and “build something creative in the middle of winter.”
Snell’s exhibit will be built around the show’s theme of “Celebration,” in that it will be an outdoor living area with “tons” of colorful flowers, patios, walkways and a fire pit.
“It’s going to be about celebrating the outdoors in your backyard,” he said.
The show will begin Wednesday with a special gala event at 6 p.m., when awards will be presented to exhibits judged to be the best. Winners of a children’s essay contest will also be announced.
The gala is billed as an opportunity to preview the show in a less crowded environment. Tickets are $30 in advance and $45 day of the event, compared to $13 in advance ($12 for seniors) and $15 at the door for Thursday through Sunday.
There are also multi-day discounts, ranging from $25 to $50, for people who buy in advance.
The end of the Flower Show on Sunday will include the show’s annual auction to benefit the Cumberland County Master Gardener Program. Master Gardeners, certified by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, conduct volunteer work and teach community members.
At the auction, people can bid on donated stonework, flowers, shrubs and trees from the show’s displays. There will be a silent auction at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by a live auction at 5:30 p.m.
“It’s a great opportunity, but we need people to be ready to take the stuff with them,” said Sprague.
That’s because about 48 hours after the flower show closes, the same buildings will be made ready for the annual Maine Boatbuilders Show, running March 16-18, Sprague said.
Gardens and boats — two sure signs that summer will get here eventually.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
rrouthier@pressherald.com
Twitter: @RayRouthier
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