The Orchid Show: Echoing Nature

Posted in The Orchid Show on January 31 2013, by Matt Newman

Sorbet purples flush the vandas, cymbidiums pop with lime-green bursts; nearby, a moth orchid flaunts its wedding whites. On the whole, orchids are a lot like Carnaval, vibrant and loud and rambunctiously elegant. But as one of the largest flowering plant families on Earth, how do you go about honoring the essence of that variety? It’s simple, really: just look to nature!

Now in its second decade, the NYBG has captured New York City’s imagination with its annual Orchid Show, celebrating what can arguably be called the world’s most beloved flower. This year, we keep the tradition steaming ahead with a new exhibition highlighting the sheer spectrum of orchids found the world over, diving–genus by genus–into every color of this iconic beauty.

In the hands of our Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions, Francisca Coelho, the heights of the Orchidaceae family inspire the city’s most magnificent collection of blossoms under one glass roof, each display an homage to nature’s wild palette.

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But that’s not to suggest we’re stopping at the eye candy! As the flowers bloom in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, we’ll be punctuating our two-month exhibition with a slew of exciting and enlightening content, from tropical music and expert tours to hands-on orchid workshops. In our Shop in the Garden, experts with years of experience will hold Q&A sessions for aspiring green thumbs, while the Ross Hall is set to house a must-see lecture on native orchids, courtesy of David Taft and the Torrey Botanical Society. Each weekend is a new opportunity to prove that keeping orchids isn’t the Sisyphean effort the rumors suggest.

For those geared more toward the pleasures of the senses, we’re once again opening the Conservatory doors for our fan favorite Orchid Evenings, after-dark opportunities to soak in our softly-lit orchid arrangements with a cocktail in hand. Just think of it as well-deserved indulgence. But if you’re planning on joining us, be sure to register as soon as tickets are made available–spots tend to disappear almost as quickly as we can announce them!

The Orchid Show opens on March 2, running all the way through April 22; this gives you a huge window of opportunity to visit us here at the NYBG. However, if you’re hoping to take part in a certain event or activity, you’ll want to have a look at our schedule of events and plan accordingly; tickets are scheduled to go on sale in early February, something you can be ready for if you sign up for our ticket alerts. This is the only way to ring in spring in New York, so don’t miss out!