The NYBG Orchid Show: Orchidelirium is Almost Here!

The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show officially kicks off this Saturday, February 27th and I’m sad to say I won’t be able to go immediately because I’ll be on vacation (though…I’m really not sorry to be going on vacation).

Image Credit: NYBG.org
Image Credit: NYBG.org

When I last posted about the upcoming show, the theme hadn’t been announced yet. The garden has since announced that 2016’s theme is Orchidelirium, which I’m thrilled about! Orchidelirium is a term used to describe Victorian England’s mania surrounding the collection of orchids. These plants’ reputation for being a very upper crust hobby dates back to this period, when wealthy people threw tons of cash at explorers to travel to far-flung corners of the world in order to hunt down and bring back exotic orchids for their own collections. The era also saw a boom in the construction of large, elaborate glasshouses as well as the development of Wardian cases (which I am absolutely in love with) for transportation and growing. The image above is an NYBG rendering of a glasshouse display for this year’s orchid show.

I’m very excited about this year’s theme because the 2009 NYBG Orchid Show is where I was first struck with my very own case of orchidelirium. I’m not entirely sure yet when I’ll be able to attend the show, but you better believe I’m not gonna miss it! I also want to try to make it to one of the Orchid Evenings for the first time. The NYBG opens up the exhibit on certain Saturdays from 6:30 to 9:30pm and allows you to walk around the show while enjoying a signature cocktail. Sounds right up my alley!

Check out a preview video of this year’s Orchid Show. And don’t forget to read my planning tips for attending the Orchid Show! See you there, orchid nerds! 🙂

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