Cricket and I decided to check out the orchid show on its last weekend at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx last weekend, and it was the bomb diggety. I was expecting a smattering of orchids here and there but they had actual walls full of orchids growing. I looked up the definition of orchid but I got a long convoluted description that talked about types of pods and seeds and had many science-y terms, so I will give you my definition. It’s a tropical plant that doesn’t grow in soil, has leathery leaves and flowers that either resemble dragon faces or ladies’ genitals. There ya go.
First, here’s a picture of the Botanical Gardens:
It was built in the late 1800s and both the building and the surrounding grounds are beautifully organized and maintained. The orchid show was predominantly in two major halls, but there were touches of orchid-ness throughout the whole building. When you first came in, there was a giant orchid wall. Remember, orchids don’t grow in the dirt, they use little “fingers” to attach to the bark of trees, so they can be vertical with no problem.
Near the end there was an gorgeous orchid corridor that you could walk down. I was blown away.
And then there were orchids all over the place hiding in pre-existing floral situations. I said hello to all of them.
There was a case of teeny-tiny orchids being all wee and precious.
And there was an orchid tower.
It was amazing. I’m going to go again next year. And I got to walk through all these non-orchid exhibition halls that had great plants in them as well. My favorite, as always, was the cactii room.
One of the coolest plants we saw was the wax rose. It was a large, exceptionally spiky plant with things that looked like triangular pieces of cheddar cheese on top. I was very intrigued.
There were also carnivorous plants, which I find charming for some reason. It’s a plant! That eats meat! Wacky! What will they think of next?
The water pond section was stunning, with the overhanging arches of some kind of creeper.
And there were various other awesome plants doing their plant thing.
After we had done a full circuit of the inside of the buildings, we went outside and saw the outdoor exhibits. The azalea and rhododendron field was just starting to bloom…
… and the crabapple trees was in the middle of its blooming season and were fluffy and fairy-like.
There were different varieties of pansies in pots scattered around, which delighted me because I love pansies.
It was a lovely experience, very scenic and zen. I’m already looking forward to next year.
[…] an orchid show at the Botanical Gardens here in NYC and it is mind-blowing. Here’s my post on it from about a year ago. And in Costa Rica they just grow wild! No cultivation required! So […]