Curiocity: Macy's Flower Show -- Fun Facts, By The Numbers

On Wednesday, we celebrated the first official day of spring ... with single-digit temperatures and a near-historic bitter cold forecast.

Thankfully, an annual tradition will open Sunday, sure to yank us out of our winter fatigue and give us hope that spring -- indeed -- is here.

For nearly 50 years, Macy's eighth floor has been transformed into a giant, gorgeous blossoming garden for the annual flower show. This year, with the help of Bachman's, the theme "A Painted Garden" comes to life through the majestic colors and inspirations of Asia.

The Flower Show opens Sunday, March 24 and runs through Sunday, April 7 at the downtown Minneapolis Macy's eighth floor auditorium.

To help guide you through this year's display, here's a few fun facts about "The Painted Garden:"

-- The show is made up of 10 gardens, reflecting the culture and beauty of Asia.

-- The signature centerpiece is a 10-foot elephant, which is covered with a floral blanket made of strawflowers, buttonflowers, yarrow, lavender and more. The flowers were hand-glued to create multi-colored patterns and detailing.

-- Macy's artists painted four Hawthorn shrubs that were then grown in Bachman's greenhouses. The paint is made of an organic soy protein base, specially selected for this show.

-- Approximately 24 truckloads of plants, flowers and soil make up this year's flower show. In total, there are roughly 120 varieties of flowers and plants.

-- Construction began in January and required 3,000 hours of labor to complete, including local electricians, florists, landscapers, artists, carpenters and visual specialists.

-- It takes a full -- full -- nine days to plant the Flower Show display.

-- It takes four days to uninstall it.

-- Some flowers, including amaryllis, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips need to be replaced half way through the show to keep them looking fresh.

-- Several of the plants, trees and shrubs do not naturally bloom at this time of year. They are grown specially in Bachman's growing range where they can take up to seven weeks to bloom.

-- More than 65,000 people come to the Flower Show during its two-week run.

-- The soundtrack for the Flower Show is custom-made locally in the Twin Cities and used in all five flower shows across the United States.

Gallery: Macy's Flower Show

The Macy's Flower Show is free to the public and open during regular store hours. For more information about the show, click here.