Macy's Flower Show now in bloom in Minneapolis

The real Taj Mahal in India is made of white marble, but its painted likeness on Macy's eighth floor is bathed in vibrant saffron, framed by not-so-shrinking violet.

Calling this year's Flower Show colorful is an understatement. The annual rite of spring is a riot of hues this year, in keeping with its theme, "The Painted Garden," which draws inspiration from India. "It gave us a tremendous palette of plants," said Dale Bachman, CEO of Bachman's, which engineered the transformation of the bare auditorium into a fragrant floral fantasy.

Set designer Jack Barkla developed a "color-blocking" scheme for this year's show, with painted architectural backdrops in colors that flow into the garden, according to Bachman. Four scenic artists spent six weeks on the painted surfaces; even living trees were painted with soy-based nontoxic paint.

Nancy Keyes, concierge at Campbell-Mithun Tower, who attended a preview of the show before it opened to the public, said she's never been to India "but it might be on my bucket list" after seeing this year's show. "It's so inviting to leave the outside world, come in and enjoy another world."