Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower at New York Botanical Garden

[WARNING: Photo-heavy post ahead!]

Two weeks after the Orchid Show opened at the New York Botanical Garden, I made my way up to the Bronx to visit with my boyfriend and friend in tow. The weather was truly hideous; we happened to go on a day that had 60 mph winds and about a metric ton of rain. But once we set foot inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory it was like tropical heaven with a beautiful display of orchids around the reflecting pool:

NYBG 2010 Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower

As with last year’s Orchid Show, I was completely overwhelmed. So much pretty! Last year I knew absolutely nothing about orchids; now I’m able to identify many of them by sight, but there are still so many that are completely foreign to me. The breadth of orchid varieties never ceases to amaze me. I tried to take photos of the i.d. signs as much as possible this year, but there were a ton of orchids whose names I didn’t get.

This was one of my favorites – such a beautiful pale purple color. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an orchid like this before:

How gorgeous is the color on this orchid?? It’s clearly some sort of Cattleya, but I’m not sure if it’s pure Cattleya or some kind of hybrid like Laeliocattleya.

Psychopsis orchids are always fun to photograph:

I thought this Coryanthes macrantha looked like an aborted fetus, but my boyfriend thought it looked like testicles, and my friend thought it looked like rotten meat:

A beautiful xBelleara Tahoma Glacier caught my eye:

xBelleara Tahoma Glacier

LOVE LOVE LOVE this xBelleara Smile ‘Eri’:

xBelleara Smile 'Eri'

How pretty is this Miltoniopsis Maui Sunset ‘409?? It looks like a watercolor painting…and I love the bright red detail in the center.

Miltoniopsis Maui Sunset '409'

Check out this bold xOdontocidium Tiburon ‘Pacific Dragon’:

xOdontocidium Tiburon 'Pacific Dragon'

The ‘grand finale’ room…there are fantastic orchids literally everywhere you turn!

Hi from the Orchid Show!

An adorable little Epidendrum for sale in the gift shop…these always remind me of Beaker from the muppets:

You can see my entire photoset from the Orchid Show on Flickr by clicking here.

In addition to wandering the exhibit, we attended part of a free class about growing orchids in the home. The instructor was super knowledgeable and had a bunch of orchids plants for a visual demonstration of healthy, unhealthy, rotten, sunburnt, dehydrated, etc.  We didn’t stay the whole time but it was definitely a very informative class for those interested in growing orchids at home.

One thing to note before you go: it’s not really necessary to buy tickets online in advance. You can buy tickets at face value ($20) at the box office when you arrive. If you buy online you have to spend either an extra $3 (for a printable PDF ticket) or $6 (for will call).

I definitely want to go back again during the week and spend a little more time photographing the orchids (and making note of their names). The show got pretty crowded by the time we were finished so it would be nice to go back when it’s a bit more empty…I can’t wait!!

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