AN EXPLOSION OF COLOR

A Visit to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden

Last Saturday, we took advantage of the great Spring weather to attend the next to last day of the spectacular Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG).

That there are more than 30,000 varieties of orchids is mind-boggling. The NYBG had thousands on display. Individual blooms range in size from smaller than a dime to larger than your fist.  Among the first orchids we saw were these spidery orchids with fine long petals.

This pair of matte white with pale green features the distinctive 3-D slipper shape and looks quite different from flatter one-dimensional sisters.

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This red and yellow variety is a colorful example of a slipper orchid.

Two flat, matte pastel varieties look even more gorgeous side-by-side.

Five rounded bicolor fuchsia and white petals surround the ball-shaped center of this species.

The variegations of pink and fuchsia on the five large petals on this flower are distinctive.

A tongue-like stamen protrudes from the center of these narrow-petaled blooms.

Doesn't this big bad boy remind you of a roaring lion?

The shiny deep oxblood-colored slipper orchid looks like it is made of patent leather.

Scalloped edges and white lace-like designs on these 6 pink oblong petals are particularly striking.

Schiaparelli pink striations on these cymbidium orchids highlight their wide, creamy white petals.

Shaped like no other orchids we saw that day, these deep red and bright yellow oblong flowers lack the big, wide rounded petals of many of their compadres but are showstoppers nonetheless.

Tiny bleeding heart orchids.

Saturated yellow orchids with splashes of deep orange.

The orchids were dazzling, but we were also captivated by the sheer variety of plant life at the Garden.  Here are just a few of the other wonders we saw.

Wonderful waxy blossoms (flowers?  fruit?) that hung over our heads.  (Yes, we know - we should have looked for the labels.)

A tender little curled up shoot.

One of a large variety of pitcher plants.

And this Dayglo colored spiky flower.  We swear we're not making these colors up.

The Garden and its spectacularly landscaped grounds, conservatory, restaurants and gift shop are all just a short ride on Metro North's Harlem line. The train station is located a half-block from the garden's front gate. Couldn't be more convenient.

We became members of the NY Botanical Garden that afternoon (it's a great deal - visiting twice as a non-member costs the same as a full year's membership), so who knows?  Maybe we'll have more stories in the future on plant and flower-centric events.  And maybe we'll see you there.