SPRINGFIELD — When Barbara-Ann Mineo saw "Merry Go Round," by Reginald Marsh she knew it was the piece she would interpret for the 2015 Festival of Flowers.

"I saw this beautiful woman in the style of the 1930s and I thought I could make something interesting with that," Mineo said. She plans on using everything from roses and wax flower to ranunculus in her display.

The third annual festival will be held at the Springfield Museums from April 9-12 and will feature about 30 local florists interpreting paintings and sculptures throughout all of the museums.

Mineo, a florist at Floral Concepts by Tom, has participated in the show for three years. This year's flyer for the festival features her piece from last year.

Tom Fredette, owner of the shop based in Agawam, will also be contributing a piece for the festival based on the painting "Young Man in Uniform" by Francesco Guardi.

"What drew me to the painting were the colors," Fredette said.

The duo have been working together for more than 25 years and both are thrilled to create art with flowers.

"Once you go the museum and see the painting that's when you start thinking about the design. It can be anything from the brushstrokes to the colors that inspire you," Mineo said.

Fredette said his shop specializes in taking an ordinary flower arrangement and elevating it into something great.

"We try to take things to the next level," he said.

The festival kicks off on April 9th with the "Culture & Cocktails," event where models will display wearable pieces made of flowers.

"We have 30 local florists this year and about 30 models who will be showing off a variety of pieces created just for the show, from hats to purses and jewelry," said Bob Whitney, of Springfield Florists Supply Inc. Whitney organizes the event every year.

"Last year was a huge success and we are hoping for an even larger crowd this year," he said.

He said there are a few unique pieces made especially for the evening.

"I think people will be pleasantly surprised by the creativity of our designers," he said.

Larissa Murray, Director of Museum Education, said it is the local florists and garden club members who make the festival a success.

"We're thrilled to present Festival of Flowers for the third time; the excitement has really been building, especially for the Culture & Cocktails event and the floral fashion show," said

Tickets to Culture & Cocktails, which will be held April 9 from 5-8 p.m., are $20 for non-members and $5 for museum members and may be purchased online in advance or at the door that evening. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended.

Although many people know Sixteen Acres Garden Center in Springfield as the place to get supplies for lawn and garden needs, they are unaware that there is also a flower and gift shop at the center.

The family owned garden center has been around since 1962 when John Bordenuk founded the business, with the help of his wife Joan. The business is now run by their children Steve Bordenuk, the General Manager, Debra Bordenuk-Trimboli, the Floral and Gift Shop Manager, and Judy Bordenuk, the Human Resource and Financial Manager.

Trimboli will be participating in the festival this year as well as several employees including Nalini Benoit who will present a miniature garden and Andy Grondalski who does landscaping decorations near the Dr. Seuss Memorial outside the museums.

Trimboli said she is excited to create a sculpture interpreting a piece called "Allegory of Painting," by Francesco Trevisani. She will also be making a hat and purse.

"This is just a way to show some of what we have to offer here at the floral shop and also to support cultural events in downtown Springfield," she said. She will be using everything from blue delphinium to tulips, orchids and roses in her piece.

Benoit will be making a miniature garden interpretation of the piece "View Near Naples," by the artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. She said miniature gardens have become very popular the last few years.

"You can spend as much or as little time on them as you want and I find a lot of people like to do it as a hobby," she said.

The floral shop sells all sorts of miniature garden decorations from park benches to gnomes, fences, picnic tables and more.

The festival will also include a design competition held on Saturday April 11 at 1 p.m. Local gardeners will construct pieces in front of a live audience.

"We're looking forward to expanded docent tours in each museum as well as showcasing the talents of area garden club members during the Design Challenge," Murray said."They have been incredibly generous with their time and talent."

For a full listing of festival events visit www.springfieldmuseums.org