The Orchid Show Celebrates 10 Years This Weekend!
Posted in Around the Garden, Exhibitions, The Orchid Show on March 2 2012, by Matt Newman
Even as big weekends go, this is a big weekend. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory has gone through a complete metamorphosis over the past several weeks, with a dedicated team of horticulturists primping and preening a luxurious display thousands of orchids strong. As of tomorrow, Patrick Blanc’s careful designs will finally come to light for our guests to enjoy.
Beginning tomorrow, March 3, the doors of the tenth annual Orchid Show (yes, an entire decade) swing open to reveal the French master’s creations to the world. Everyone in New York should see this! Visit the Garden to find yourself surrounded by the artful flowers of the tropics, a virtual architecture of exotic leaves, petals, and vines swirling in and amongst each other. The diversity of orchids that now floods the space in sprays of color is impressive on its own, but the arrangement is simply breathtaking.
Along with the opening of the show, this weekend will also kickstart two months of lectures, workshops, and celebrations! You can join us for the History and Mystery of Orchids, a lecture series featuring seasoned orchid experts on the arrangement, cultivation, and background of the many species, as well as a talk held by Dr. Patrick Blanc himself.
In any case, there’s too much to do this weekend for me to cram it all into a few paragraphs. Here’s a handy schedule for those of you looking to welcome the incoming spring with us:
Saturday, March 3
Bird Walk — 11 a.m.
Meets at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Search for the many songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and other avian creatures that call the NYBG home. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with our seasoned bird expert, Debbie Becker, looking for the species that live here year-round as well as those migrating through. With the owls out and about for diurnal hunting, and a growing family of Red-Tailed Hawks patrolling the trees, you’re sure to see something on the wing.
Orchid Q&A
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory — 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Shop in the Garden — 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Ask away! Roaming Garden docents and orchid experts are available to answer all of your orchid questions and to help you choose the right plant for your home. Peruse our large collection of exotic orchids in the Shop in the Garden–you might just end up catching the obsession yourself.
History and Mystery of Orchids — 1 & 3 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
With more than 25,000 species growing on six continents, orchids fascinate and touch the lives of people in every country and culture. This series of presentations and demonstrations takes you on a journey around the world of orchids and shows you how to grow and care for them at home. Visit the jungles of Costa Rica, the vanilla farms of Mexico, and other exotic locales–all without the need for a passport.
The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City with Designer Patrick Blanc — 1 p.m.
French botanist and guest designer of this year’s Orchid Show, Patrick Blanc talks about his travels and projects around the world while discussing the inspirations for his signature “green walls.” His characteristic color-rich, textural, living tapestries have been commissioned for cityscapes, interiors, museum exhibitions, and fashion shows worldwide. He will also be signing copies of his newly revised book, The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City, as well as Gardening Vertically: 24 Ideas for Creating Your Own Green Walls.
Orchid Care Demonstration: Know and Grow Orchids — 3 p.m.
Celebrate the opening of the Orchid Show by joining Sonia Uyterhoeven, Gardener for Public Education, to learn the basics of orchid care and how to choose and successfully grow these exotic plants. With a little know-how, keeping a collection of the most beautiful tropical blossoms becomes simple.
Sunday, March 4
Orchid Q&A
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory — 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Shop in the Garden — 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Ask away! Roaming Garden docents and orchid experts are available to answer all of your orchid questions and to help you choose the right plant for your home. Peruse our large collection of exotic orchids in the Shop in the Garden–you might just end up catching the obsession yourself.
History and Mystery of Orchids — 1 & 3 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
With more than 25,000 species growing on six continents, orchids fascinate and touch the lives of people in every country and culture. This series of presentations and demonstrations takes you on a journey around the world of orchids and shows you how to grow and care for them at home. Visit the jungles of Costa Rica, the vanilla farms of Mexico, and other exotic locales–all without the need of a passport.
Why Native Orchids Grow Where They Do: The Secret is Under Our Feet — 1 p.m.
The vast majority of plants require an association with mycorrhizal fungi to obtain nutrients and grow in natural environments. Orchids are no exception. However, while most mycorrhizal associations are beneficial to both partners, orchids generally parasitize their mycorrhizal fungi, actually digesting them to obtain nutrients. Learn how Melissa McCormick, researcher at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland, has used DNA analysis to find where host fungi grow in the soil to support orchid growth, and how environmental disruptions may affect this important, life-sustaining relationship.
Orchid Care Demonstration: Know and Grow Orchids — 3 p.m.
Celebrate the opening of the Orchid Show by joining Sonia Uyterhoeven, Gardener for Public Education, to learn the basics of orchid care and how to choose and successfully grow these exotic plants. With a little know-how, keeping a collection of the most beautiful tropical blossoms becomes simple.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Outdoor Nature Explorations: Little Landscapes
Weekdays 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Growing tiny worlds in a jar is the latest craze in the gardening world, though terrariums have been around for ages. Look closely at a wide array of artistic and scientific terrariums, and create your own rocky, mossy, or floral world in a jar to take home. Use a microscope to take a closer look at some of the featured terrarium specimens such as moss, lichens, and rocks.
