TOWERING ORCHIDS

I hope you all had a fantastic long holiday weekend. The weather in New York was fabulous on Saturday, perfect for a field trip to the New York Botanical Garden and the annual Orchid Show.  Full disclosure, I do not have a green thumb when it comes to orchids, but I absolutely love their delicate beauty and can't resist keeping them around the house for as long as they will have me! This year's show was designed by the famous French botanist Patrick Blanc, who is known for his lush, gravity-defying vertical gardens which have appeared in major cities around the world. I saw one of his installations in Madrid last year, a stunning verdant tower,  and knew that he would not disappoint with exotic orchids. Blanc used thousands of orchids and companion planting as his palette to create a series of towering spectacles inside the Haupt Conservatory, the most impressive is a 26-foot tall "Green Wall" bursting with lush tropical life. The installation is breathtaking and a must see if you are in town. The show runs through April 22nd so hurry!

BROADWAY BLOOMS

Looking for a little spring inspiration, I headed off to the New York Botanical Garden yesterday to view the ninth annual Orchid Show.  This year the NYBG  turned to Broadway for inspiration, creating fanciful arrangements that show off more than 300 types of the flower.  Two theater insiders — Scott Pask, a Tony Award-winning set designer, and Drew Hodges, chief executive of the Broadway advertising agency SpotCo — collaborated on the design.

The show was filled with high-drama with the glamorous orchid cast as the diva starlet. Highlights included the proscenium arch, delicately draped with red garden hoses to represent a curtain and a giant chandelier hung with a multitude of moth and cane orchids. The show is definitely worth a visit; it runs until April 25th.