Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

A sea of flowers isn't what one might expect to see after a flash of wintry weather, but the flora at the Dallas Arboretum survived the attack.

This 66-acre floral garden opened its gates Saturday for the 24th annual spring exposé Dallas Blooms.

The festival features hundreds of thousands of flowers, including daffodils, tulips, daisies, azaleas and petunias, all of which spokesperson Alexandra Wall-Gilmore said were strong enough to endure the cold weather last week.

"Tulips, petunias and pansies have to have a very low temperature grade to faze them," she said. "The tulip could freeze with ice, but when they thaw, they're fine."

Even though these flowers are strong in nature, Jimmy Turner, director of horticulture research, said some precautions had to be taken since the snow and ice fell so close to opening day.

"Friday night we were a little crazy, and Thursday night we covered some things with blankets and put some away in a greenhouse," Turner said. "We had to hold off a little bit on some of the fresh stuff."

Nevertheless, "The Star of Texas" themed floral exposition will be on display from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through April 13.

The Texas theme is exemplified by several large topiaries, including life-sized horses and longhorn cattle, a 15-by-15-foot petunia-covered star and a 10-foot-high petunia-covered chuck wagon.

Wall-Gilmore said even though the tulips weren't planted until last week, such a large event requires months of planning.

"We started preparing the ground for the tulips to be planted back in November and we started the topiaries in January," she said. "It takes anywhere between three and four months for that to kind of go ahead, and then the tulips start to bloom in March."

The timing of the festival is no accident.

Wall-Gilmore said that Dallas Blooms opened this weekend to correlate with when tulips are in bloom, from the middle of March to the beginning of April.

"We have an amazing variety of color out this time of the year," she said.

In addition to the colorful flowers, other Texas-themed activities include hoedowns, music, horse-drawn carriage rides and a root beer saloon, all of which are offered daily.

Cleburne residents Jim Bailey and his 9-year-old son, Grant, were returning Dallas Blooms visitors Saturday and said their favorite parts were the flowers, the teepee and the playhouses that children can play in.

"It's nice," Bailey said. "Not as many flowers as I would have thought because of the cold snap, but it's okay. The kids like it."

The show will feature different activities each weekend including Texas hero look-alikes, performances from country music groups, St. Patrick's Day Irish dancers and trick roping.

Farmers Branch residents Pam Waites and Tom Sewack visited the Dallas Arboretum Saturday to scope out a spot for their upcoming wedding and reception.

According to a Dallas Blooms press release, 350 weddings were held there last year.

"We just like everything," Waites said. "It's a very peaceful place."

The Dallas Arboretum is on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake in Dallas at 8525 Garland Road. Admission to Dallas Blooms is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for members and children 2 and under. On-site parking is $5.

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