Southeastern Flower Show adds some tunes to its flora

Strike up the band…at a flower show?

Thanks to a partnership with Atlanta Opera and the incorporation of a musical theme, “In Tune with Blooms,” the 24th annual Southeastern Flower Show at Cobb Galleria Centre this weekend will have guests humming as they peruse the flora – and, in the children’s area featuring goats and chickens, some fauna as well.

Atlanta Opera plans to sprinkle Thursday night’s opening party with strolling virtuosi; and throughout the weekend event music from pianists, a barbershop quartet, the Northside Choral Jazz Ensemble and the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus will filter through the center.

Mary Norwood, who is chairing the show along with her husband, Felton, said the addition of a pianist at last year’s event received much positive feedback, inspiring this year’s theme.

“The ambiance was something people really liked,” Mary Norwood said. “We decided it would be a lovely thing to focus on music to complement the ‘wow’ factor of the flowers.”

The musical inclusion is one of several new supplements to this year’s show, which draws exhibitors and guests from Tennessee, the Carolinas and Alabama as well as Georgia and is the largest fundraiser for the Southeastern Horticultural Society.

In keeping with the show’s purpose of promoting conservation and awareness of nature through horticultural excellence and artistic expression, the expected 20,000-plus visitors this weekend can also experience:

• A display of bonsai mounted by expert Kenji Miyata. The bonsai will be placed in tokonomas (alcoves) created by Miyata's Atlanta students and apprentices.

• Nine well-known Southeastern event designers, including Barbara Roos and John Grady Burns, will showcase vignettes on 10×10 spaces interspersed throughout the floor. These exhibits are expected to be of interest to those planning weddings or other major celebrations.

• Speakers and celebrity chefs – 29 during the three-day event -- include popular TV garden show hosts P. Allen Smith and Erica Glasener; radio personality Walter Reeves; and horticulture professor/author Dr. Allan Armitage.

• Fans of honorary chair coach Vince Dooley, known for his legacy at the University of Georgia, will sign photos and copies of his book, "Vince Dooley's Garden: A Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach," from 1-3 p.m. Friday and 2-4 p.m. Sunday.

• A children's area will feature speakers educating about gardening and nature with hands-on demonstrations with vegetables, bees, worms, goats and chickens.