Garden Stars as Inspiration for Project Runway

Posted in Gardens and Collections, NYBG in the News on October 15 2008, by Plant Talk

Sarah Richardson is Special Events Coordinator at The New York Botanical Garden.
If, like me, you’re a Project Runway fan, then you saw the episode a couple of weeks ago that featured The New York Botanical Garden as the stunning location for one of the show’s fashion challenges—designing an outfit inspired by nature.

Finally, I’m able to tell the secret I held for over three months.

I knew this first-hand information since the end of June, when scouts for the immensely popular show contacted our Special Events office after viewing all the amazing images of the Garden on our Web site. They were looking for a place for a “Bravo reality competition show” (they hadn’t yet revealed to us which one) with colorful, abundant flowers and plantings, in combination with a landmark that epitomized New York. Of course, the Botanical Garden and our iconic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory fit the bill, and we were in business—show business, that is.

That’s also when they told us they’d be filming Project Runway, and I was sworn to keep things under wraps, so to speak.

Find out how the day unfolded after the jump.

My role was to help identify the sites in the Garden that would be in fantastic color on the day they were scheduled to come as well as to shuttle the contestants, cast, and crew to these selected sites. My excitement grew as production day approached.

The shoot took place from 5 to 10 a.m. on a perfect July morning. After much humidity during the previous week and the potential for rain, we lucked out with a comfortable, sunny morning. Some of the crew members mentioned how fast and easy their ride was from Grand Central Terminal— only 20 minutes; they didn’t know the Garden was so close to Manhattan.

The location scouts and managers were ecstatic to be in the Garden and couldn’t stop admiring the colors and the many beautiful flowers in bloom. Among the areas we chose for that time of the year was the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and the Perennial Garden.

I met the show’s star, designer Tim Gunn, in the Rose Garden, and he was genuine—the person I saw on the show was the same person I was meeting that moment. Tim was very grateful for the opportunity to film at the Garden, and he couldn’t believe how extensive the grounds were (250 acres). He mentioned that he wants to come back and visit. He loved it, and I came away with a sense of pride for how spectacular and amazing the Garden looked that day.

I also had several personal encounters with the show’s four remaining designer contestants while I transported them in a golf cart to various shoot locations. They were very professional, although quiet and focused on their challenge.

I was introduced to world-renowned makeup artist Collier Strong at the end of the shoot. He was just as real and just as gracious as Tim Gunn, marveling about how gorgeous and natural the setting was that day.

Even though production was over, I wasn’t allowed to tell friends about my extraordinary day until after the episode aired on October 1. I’m relieved to now share the story and will have lasting memories of the show’s fifth season, the finale of which airs tonight.