by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel
Have the freezing below zero temperatures this winter got you down and content to stay indoors and be bored of winter? Here is one way to temporarily perk up and forget about the weather. Visit the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) 23rd edition of The Orchid Show! It’s collaboration with visionary designer and native New Yorker Mr. Flower Fantastic. You will enjoy nature’s beauty and at the same time be surrounded by warmer temperatures. The Orchid Show, Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle, is a breathtaking display of orchids and a love letter to New York. It opened February 7 and runs through April 26, 2026. This year’s exhibition is a dazzling floral dreamscape tribute to New York City! Visitors will step into a dazzling floral dreamscape, where street scenes become floral dreams as visionary designer and native New Yorker Mr. Flower Fantastic transforms NYBG’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a breathtaking orchid tribute to the spirit, style, and streetscape of the beloved metropolis, NYC.
You will see orchids of amazing colors, artistically merged with the cityscape from a neighborhood pizza shop to stoop and from subway to a bouquet, creating a mesmerizing tribute to the resilience, energy, and creativity of NYC. It is all created around Mr. Flower Fantastic’s signature aesthetic that combines flowers, sculpture, and pop culture and this year’s Orchid Show presents a striking reinterpretation of botanical design. Known for blending floristry with popular art and street culture, as evidenced by collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton, Adidas, and Netflix, the multidisciplinary artist’s installation at NYBG will be as monumental and awe-inspiring as the Big Apple itself. When you are finished on the main level admiring the fantastic beauty of this orchid show, remember to go up to the second level of the Conservatory to visit the amazing world of desert plants. This is one of our favorite exhibits as we see cactus plants that are more than the typical ones we see in films in Midwest locales. Many of these sprawling cactus plants actually look like sci-fi creatures with their giant needles and bizarre formations! On select evenings starting March 21, Orchid Nights, botanical block parties in blooming color offer picture-perfect outings for adults 21 and over, featuring music and dancing, cash bars, and food for purchase among the energetic color and style of the exhibition.
The Orchid Show is a must-see for seasoned orchid enthusiasts and for NYBG newcomers alike. While immersed in thousands of flowers, visitors learn about orchids in the wild and NYBG’s ongoing worldwide orchid research and conservation. Orchids aren’t just found in exotic locations such as the tropics; they’re everywhere, including right here in New York State, and NYBG scientists are still discovering new species. On select weekend dates throughout the exhibition, visitors may learn about orchids and their care from NYBG’s horticulture staff.
The NYBG has been a connective hub among people, plants, and the shared planet since 1891. For more than 130 years, NYBG has been rooted in the cultural fabric of New York City, in the heart of the Bronx, its greenest borough. NYBG has invited millions of visitors to make the Garden a part of their lives, exploring the joy, beauty, and respite of nature. NYBG’s 250 acres are home to renowned exhibitions, immersive botanical experiences, art and music, and events with some of the most influential figures in plant and fungal science, horticulture, and the humanities. NYBG is also a steward of globally significant research collections, from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library collection to the plant and fungal specimens in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium. The New York Botanical Garden is located at 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458. For more infor information about The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle and Orchid Nights go to www.nybg.org/