How To Get Flower Power

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The power of many of the exhibits you see at the Flower Show comes from forcing plants to bloom all at the same time. Flower Show plants have been grown in greenhouses and timed, fertilized, babied, begged and forced in every conceivable way to burst into bloom just for Show week! Which is why, even if you have crocuses, witchazels, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, crabapples, cherry trees and roses planted in your yard, it's never going to look the same, because your plants will flower from February through June, not all in one week.

But to get more of that dramatic Flower Show impact at home, what you can do when you go shopping this spring is, in addition to choosing plants by color, size and light requirements, check the bloom time too. By matching up more plants that bloom together, you'll increase your garden's flower power throughout the growing season.