Macy's Flower Show Maintenance Requires Carpenters, 575-Foot Garden Hose

Nearly 5,000 toy airplanes, 192 kites, and a 16-foot tall birdcage play into a "Spring Is in the Air" theme at the Macy's Flower Show, which takes place at the State Street store through April 11.

While the downtown department store is famous for its elaborate holiday displays, "the Flower Show is the toughest project we do all year," said visual director Jon Jones. "It's even more difficult than installing Christmas, because once we finish installing Christmas it's basically set and we don't have to mess with it." But with more than 15,000 individual potted plants and hundreds of varieties of trees, shrubs, and plant foliage to keep fresh over a two-week period, "the Flower Show is something we have to maintain every night," Jones said. 

Before they began installation, staffers had to modify the store's temperature to make it as plant-friendly as possible. "Most big buildings haven't even started their air conditioning yet, but we've had to do that," Jones said. "It's a whole process in itself to keep the first floor at 65 degrees 24 hours a day."

Macy's visual team installed the plants and props during a three-day process that involved covering merchandise with protective plastic sheeting. A group of carpenters and laborers assisted with the installation, helping to suspend a hot air balloon into the first-floor atrium and set up giant archways made of kites. "Basically, they helped hang and secure everything that's heavy," Jones said. When the initial installation was complete, a housekeeping crew made its way through the store, cleaning up any incidental water spills or bits of mud.

Throughout the show's run, a four-person watering crew visits the store nightly, using a 575-foot commercial-grade garden hose to sprinkle the plants. Jones and his team also have an emergency call list in case of any unexpected problems that pop up. "There are things you wouldn't necessarily think about," Jones said. For example, "we could have an insect problem, and just in case of that we have an exterminator on call and a whole extermination plan."