The Connecticut Flower Show is worth attending just for the smell of plants, mulch and soil. As luck would have it, one of warmest days we have had in months – it broke all of 50 degrees – was the day I was scheduled to be at the show (inside). For the past few years I have helped out at the CIPWG (CT Invasive Plant Working Group) booth helping educate – and commiserate with – folks trying to deal with invasive species. The solutions are rarely easy: chop and pull – and don’t give up first – and as a last resort, the use of herbicides. This is the one case in which the risks might be worth it for long term benefits.
On a more upbeat note – the landscape displays and flowers are the anodyne for a snowy, bitter winter. This whimsical sylvan living room was just charming. It is hard to resist the urge to step right in and sit down.
Here is one I 
want to add to my gardens – Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’ . This native deciduous shrub is a cross between F. gardenii and F. major. At 4′- 5’, it is taller than the former but shorter than the latter. This picture shows the spring (April – May) flower spike which is fragrant – and good for the pollinators. It also has handsome dark green foliage and excellent fall color. What’s not to like? Yep, maybe this year.