The New York Botanical Garden Reveals 2023's Orchid Show by Lily Kwong
Every year, the New York Botanical Garden's annual orchid show celebrates the sheer beauty and diversity of orchids by hosting thematic garden exhibitions. Sometimes, the NYBG will invite a guest landscape artist to reimagine their expansive Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the Bronx, New York. These artists, which have included Jeff Leatham, Daniel Ost, and Patrick Blanc, are tasked with creating an inventive space that transports visitors into an otherworldly experience. For this year's 20th annual show titled The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage, Lily Kwong does so by paying homage to her heritage, transforming the space into what feels like a 13th-century Chinese landscape painting.
"This idea for the show started with heirloom family scrolls that were in my living room for my entire childhood," Kwong tells Town & Country. "These scrolls were the first time I got to use my imagination and really get lost in the fantasy of the pieces. They were then given to me by my parents as a wedding gift and have always lived in my consciousness."
Kwong's early fascination with the ethereal settings of traditional Chinese paintings now manifests into the structures, walkways, and chosen orchid species featured in the show, and was constructed in partnership with the New York Botanical Garden's world-class team of horticulturists and French luxury beauty brand Guerlain (which is dedicated to orchid preservation and is sponsoring the show for the second year).
Upon entering the conservatory where the show takes place, a rock island coated in moss sits at the center and is adorned with blush lilac and pink orchids with ferns are woven throughout the display. Take a left and a journey through an enchanting (and very humid) forest filled with exotic orchids from a range of countries throughout Asia begins, with artificial waterfalls and a suspended walkway in a tree structure along the way. There is even a room dedicated to specific orchids that have been used in ancient Chinese medical practices which Kwong found important to incorporate because her great-grandfather was a medicinal merchant.
The final set evokes a harmonious state of mind: the trickling of water heard from elongated fountains; stone pathways; and another set of mossy and orchard-filled rock "mountains" complete Kwong's story.
"It was interesting to learn about the mythology and mysticism that surrounds orchids–they are fascinating. One of the most interesting things I've learned is that orchids have co-evolved with their pollinators and imitate the morphology of the animals they are trying to seduce," Kwong says. "The incredible array of diversity, color, shape, and texture is a result of a direct conversation with birds, insects, and other animals. That interplay resonated with me and opened me to the magic of orchids."
The magic of orchids has also historically caught the eye of New York's upper crust. According to Marc Hachadourian, NYBG’s director of glasshouse horticulture and senior curator of orchids, orchids were gifted to socialites and movie stars of the 1920s by horticulturists to increase their popularity. These folks would wear orchids as accessories, usually as brooches, and increased not only the visibility of the flower, but also its desirability.
While the orchid show has been dubbed the "most instagrammable event," Natural Heritage is more than surface-level fascination. Instead, Kwong asks visitors to take a quiet moment and reflect on their relationship with their very own ancestry.
The Orchid Show: Heritage is open to the public from February 18 to April 23, 2023, at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, New York. For tickets, please visit nybg.org.
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