BOSTON – A spray of icy snow heralded my arrival at the New England Spring Flower Show, but it felt like May inside the Bayside Exposition Center and the fragrance of mulch and hyacinths soothed my winter-weary senses.

In its 131st year, the flower show features more than 40 exhibitors who have brought the 51/2-acre space into full bloom with the theme “Shades of Spring.” The event, sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, runs through Sunday. The bonus is, the later you go, the higher your chances are of getting freebies from plant vendors and gardeners who want to unload their inventory.

Freebies aside, this year’s spring flower show is well worth the trip, even for the occasional gardener. One of the highlights was a giant basket display by Gardens for Charlestown, a land trust in the Boston neighborhood. The exhibit was packed full of miniature gardens in baskets, which were beautiful, portable and affordable. Some had four or five different herbs – perfect for the kitchen. Others combined an ivy and an oxalis, or primula, coleus and narcissus. All could work equally well indoors or out.

To make your own, Gardens for Charlestown gave instructions: find a wicker basket, line it with plastic and cut drain holes in the bottom, add soil or soilless mix and plant whatever strikes your fancy. You can cover up the bare spots with Spanish moss or mulch and you may occasionally have to change baskets, as moisture can rot the wood over time.

In keeping with the “Shades of Spring” theme, many of the exhibitors chose monochromatic themes. Among these, the students at Minuteman Regional High School presented a wonderful combination of pinks in their garden. The 6-by-6-foot gardens assembled by area clubs showed that you don’t have to have a huge yard to make a big impact with flowers. The Beacon Hill Garden Club managed to fit a birdbath, a rhododendron, some lantern roses, jack-in-the-pulpits, and a mossy path in a 5-by-5-foot space. The Weymouth Garden Club presented a miniature formal English Garden, complete with boxwood hedges and myrtle topiary, in its 6-by-6 space.

Many exhibitors focused on water gardens, which have gained popularity over the last couple of years. The sound of falling water was relaxing, the fat koi swimming around were entertaining, and the floating water lilies and irises added a “shade of spring” to these relaxing gardens.

Even if you don’t have the time or the space for a pond and waterfall, the show was full of innovative ideas for all gardeners. There were landscapes accented with moveable container gardens. Formal garden paths had moss growing up through the bricks, adding character and saving the gardener time and hassle. Other exhibitors turned wooded areas into natural-looking landscapes by adding a few flowering plants.

There was plenty of inspiration even for people who don’t have a yard. Members of the Bay State African Violet Society were on hand to show novices how to raise and germinate the plants. The Bonsai Study Group and Northeast Bonsai Association had an azalea growing in a teacup-size container and a 100-year-old tree on a slab of wood that would fit on a coffee table.

While exhibitors from Maine were visibly absent this year (Carter Design Group of Gorham usually has a stunning landscape), the Falmouth-based magazine People Places and Plants supplied the programs. Despite the lack of Maine representation, the show was as impressive as ever – and even more impressive than last year’s.

The New England Spring Flower Show runs through March 24 at the Bayside Exposition Center in Boston. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $16 on weekdays, $18 on weekends and are available at the door or online at www.masshort.org. On-site parking is available for $12. For information, call (617) 933-4980 or visit www.masshort.org.