Orchids are beautiful from up close and from far away in lovely show at the New York Botanical Garden (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
The New York Botanical Garden
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx
Tuesday – Sunday through April 19, $8-$10 children two to twelve, $20-$25 adults, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
718-817-8700
www.nybg.org
chandeliers slideshow
“They lean over the path / Adder-mouthed / Swaying close to the face / Coming out, soft and deceptive / Limp and damp, delicate as a young bird’s tongue / Their fluttery fledgling lips / Move slowly / Drawing in the warm air.” So begins Theodore Roethke’s 1946 poem “Orchids,” one of many poetic works that accompany the New York Botanical Garden’s thirteenth annual Orchid Show. This year’s edition is titled “Chandeliers,” as curator Francisca Coelho, who has been at the garden for three decades, has designed a gorgeous display with orchids everywhere — at floor level, on trees, in large pots, and especially hanging from the glass ceilings of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Thousands of orchids are on view, in mixes of white, purple, blue, yellow, red, and other colors and in varying shapes, as well as a few aromatic flowers. It’s an orchid heaven wherever you look, but the most glorious sections are at the beginning, with a series of orchids atop the conservatory’s reflecting pool, and near the middle, where a giant star-shaped chandelier of orchids hangs above a walkway so viewers can gather underneath and take in yet more beauty from an unexpected angle. There are even orchids more naturally posed, in the Tropical Rain Forest Galleries.
NYBG Orchid Show offers visitors a chance to reflect on the beauty of nature (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Occasional signage shares facts about the history and conservation of orchids, and phone numbers with codes to punch offer for more detailed information. The rooms can get crowded — especially in particularly resplendent areas that provide a profusion of Kodak moments — but everything is calm and lovely, the orchids’ charm spreading to all comers, even when that kid won’t get out of the way as you try to snap a photo. Numerous programs are being held in conjunction with the show, including free orchid care demonstrations on Sundays at 2:00 & 3:00, the ticketed class “Divide, Repot, Rejuvenate!” on April 18 at 10:00 ($59), and “Orchid Evenings” on April 17 & 18. In addition, a large selection of orchids are for sale in the shop; we make sure to bring a plant home every year.