Smithsonian Orchid Exhibit 2022

My First Orchid Exhibit in 3 Years

Hello again, orchid lovers! Last weekend, John and I made our way to the Kogod Courtyard at the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery for the 2022 Smithsonian Orchid Exhibit. The last time I saw an orchid exhibit was in this exact same place in 2019!

The 2022 exhibit theme is Orchids: Hidden Stories of Groundbreaking Women. I feel a little guilty because I didn’t really spend time reading about the featured women on any of the displays. Because the pandemic is still going on and the courtyard began to get busier, I didn’t want to spend a ton of time inside (even while masked…I’m still working on getting back to normal life). But there’s plenty of information about the women of honor on the exhibit’s website, including videos.

Smithsonian Orchid Exhibit 2022

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2014 Brooklyn Orchids Calendar Now Available!

IMG_4435Yes, it’s that time of year again…the time for shameless self-promotion. I’ve just added the 2014 Brooklyn Orchids calendar to my online store at Zazzle! The calendar includes 12 months of original orchid photos that I took at this year’s New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show, some of which you may recognize from my recap post.

The calendar costs $23.15—but Zazzle is having a sitewide sale through today where you can get 40% off 2014 calendar purchases (and other discounts for other items, too). Make sure you use the coupon code ITSWONDERFUL to get your discount on the calendar! If you aren’t able to order today, watch Zazzle for other holiday shopping coupon codes, because they do offer them quite a bit during gift shopping season. Happy shopping! 🙂

The Orchid Show 2013: My Visit to NYBG

Orchid Show Phal
Orchid Show 2013

Yesterday marked my fifth anniversary of falling in love with orchids, as I attended the New York Botanical Garden’s 11th annual Orchid Show! The first Orchid Show I went to was in 2009 and I was just awestruck, so I celebrate the beginning of my orchid obsession every year by attending a new show.

This year’s show doesn’t have a theme like past shows, but lack of a theme doesn’t mean a lack of beauty. Francisca P. Coelho, Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions at the Garden, designed the Orchid Show, incorporating many of the garden’s Hurricane Sandy-damaged trees.

A couple tips for those of you planning to visit the Orchid Show: 1) Look up as you browse! The garden has a wide variety of orchids in their regular collection, and you can find them attached way up high to tree branches throughout the conservatory. Many of them are in bloom right now, so you’ll be rewarded with little (in some cases, nearly microscopic) treasures by scanning the branches above you. 2) Sniff the flowers! This year’s show seems to have an especially large contingent of fragrant orchids, and there are some really amazing scents everywhere you turn.

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