Driving through the wet snow and slush to the Smith College Lyman Plant House was no fun, but the trip is always worth it, even when the Bulb Shows and Chrysanthemum Shows are a happy memory.Before I even got to the famous bulb display I passed orchids in bloom like this moth orchid, Phaleanopsis. There were big orchids like this Cattylea. Tiny orchids. Cascading orchids. Birds of Paradise were in bloom in a Tropical Room with a doorway…

This is how things looked on the hill on Tuesday. We still had three feet of snow and everything was covered in ice. But I left and slid down the hill to Northampton. This is what I saw at the annual Smith College Spring Bulb Show. The sun shone through the glass house. The air was cool, but damp and fragrant. It might as well have been spring.After spending delicious time in the two bulb show room, I…