As I sipped an Italian cappuccino and strolled through the exhibits at the Philadelphia Flower Show, with its Bella Italia theme, I was struck by all the interpretations of flowers.
   I expected to see the displays of mini-gardens featuring fences, vine-covered arbors and courtyard tables. I went to the show to get ideas on how to convert my backyard into a little city oasis, complete with edible flowers and vegetables and maybe a setup for dining al fresco. This was going to be the event that defined my garden projects for the year.
   I didn’t see anything I could actually apply in my South Philly backyard. Each display was too extravagant, spacious or unpractical for my row house.
   Instead, I saw many applications that were inspired by flowers, which surprised me.
   The artists whose work is displayed at the flower show use flowers as a launching pad, as though the beauty of a summer garden is a metaphor, not a literal place.
   It reminded me that perhaps enjoying pleasant landscapes isn’t about running home and planting an identical yard, it’s about stirring up creativity.
   Who knew people could take a garden scene and turn it into a painting made with real pressed flowers rather than paint? Or the miniature gardens that created life-like scenes in a small space complete with scale models of tree houses and resin babbling brooks?
   I appreciated the tablescapes created with both a region and a dinner in mind. The description cards named the chair, table and lighting fixtures with romantic names and called to mind a couple reveling in a Tuscan sunset over wine or a family enjoying an afternoon picnic. The table settings, each one more unique than the other, used grape vines as a base for a table or for a chandelier and logs for benches.
   All this was just from the concept of a flower.
   The most impressive, though, is the fashion inspired by flowers. Fashion designers created dressed and shoes, purses and accessories all with flowers in mind, yet none of them stooped to sewing petals together, constructing a fairy costume.
   The flashy gold dress and the billowing white gown were made not to mimic the arrangements, but as a nod to them.
   The festive green boots and demure earth tone mules with acorns atop are not a carbon copy of floral designs, but inspired by them.
   This year, as you stroll through the exhibits, barter for ridiculously rare and inexpensive plants and listen to a sampling of traditional Italian music, think not of your garden, but of your spirit that needs replanting for spring.
   Go with expectations of being amazed with the color, texture and scents of flowers and think of how you can apply them in even the simplest tasks of your life, from creating a new recipe for family dinner to piecing together a new outfit. Pull the colors and shapes into a room design or hairdo.
   Think beyond your own backyard and be carried away to beautiful Italy, and a more beautiful self.