The New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show

Published

The 11th Annual Orchid Show kicked off at the New York Botanical Garden last month. This is the nation’s largest orchid show, featuring 3,075 types of orchids in all colors and forms. Over 7,000 orchids originating from Australia, Africa, South America, and Madagascar, among other countries, are displayed at the show. The show was designed by Francisca Coelho, Vivian and Edward Merrin, Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions, who has worked with the Garden for 30 years.

Apart from being visually stunning, orchids are extremely varietal and have a wide ecological distribution. There are over 22,000 known species, which were even found in the Arctic Circle, according the the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Columbia University botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, established the New York Botanical Garden after visiting the Kew Gardens in England. With the support of the Torrey Botanical Club, the Brittons led a fundraising campaign for the creation of the Garden. In 1891, the New York State Legislature acquired the land, located in northern Bronx, from tobacco merchant Pierre Lorillard and designated it for the creation of “a public botanic garden of the highest class.” Businessmen Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. Pierpont Morgan funded the Garden and collaborated with the city government to maintain the park.

[soundslides width=”620″ height =”533″ id=”4019″]

5 comments

  1. Appreciating the commitment you put into your site and in depth information you provide.

    It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.

    Great read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google
    account.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *