Farewell, flowers! Macy's Flower Show is no more

Bad news for flower fans. The Macy's Flower Show, an annual rite of spring for more than 50 years, has died on the vine, a victim of the sale of the downtown Minneapolis store to a developer, with plans to close the store in March.

The free show is typically held for two weeks in late March into early April.

With no venue, it's not exactly a surprise that the show won't go on. But Bachman's, the family-owned garden business that has helped produce the local show since its beginnings, confirmed the news Friday afternoon in a brief statement: "In light of Macy's recent announcement, we will not be moving forward with the annual spring Flower Show."

Bachman's CEO Dale Bachman, who has served as "head gardener" for the show for decades, and even got married at the 1973 show, declined to comment, but issued the statement, adding, "We have enjoyed working on the Flower Show for more than a half century with the team at Macy's. We will remember our Flower Show experiences fondly." In previous years, Bachman's representatives had described starting preparations for the annual show months in advance, including acquiring and growing the thousands of plants required to carry out each year's theme.

The downtown Minneapolis flower show tradition began in 1960 when the building was owned and operated by Dayton's Department Store. It was continued under Marshall Field's ownership and later Macy's. About 65,000 visitors attend each year's show.

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784