This year marked the 16th Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Gardens. The exhibit started on Saturday, March 3, 2018, and ends on Sunday, April 22, 2018. While tours and demonstrations are offered throughout the day, we decided to visit during their special “Orchid Evening” hours.
During Orchid Evenings, you stroll around the conservatory admiring the spectacular orchids, all while enjoying music and sipping cocktails and beverages that are available for purchase. At the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory [a stunning Victorian-style glasshouse] is an ornate fire pit. Once inside, you are greeted by live “orchid dancers” on stilts. Each room of the conservatory showcases the orchids much like an art installation at a museum. This year’s exhibit was crafted by the Belgium florist Daniël Ost. There is even an 18-foot tall sculpture that reaches the ceiling!
Orchids are some of the most diverse and well-adapted plants on earth, coming in any size, color, and shape imaginable. They are able to grow in almost any environment from lush rain forests to arid deserts and there are an estimated 30,000 naturally occurring species and tens of thousands of artificially created hybrids! Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants in the world.
I have purchased orchids before from my local grocery store and, while the blooms lasted for a while, I was never able to get it to re-bloom. Now that I experienced this exhibit, I would like to learn more about these amazing plants. I encourage anyone visiting New York or living in the tri-state area to take a trip. You will not be disappointed!
If you are interested in more flower and garden events, check out this post about a Tulip Festival in NJ.
Orchid Evenings Event Information
Orchid Evenings will be held on select nights from March 17 through April 21 from 6:30pm to 9:30 pm with entry times at 6:30, 7:00, & 7:30 p.m. For more information about The Orchid Show, please visit https://www.nybg.org/
