March 13, 2023 by Olivia Tuck (‘24)
When was the last time you saw a flower? Or even a touch of Spring Green? If you can’t remember, you’re not alone. Winter is dreary, gray toned, and the lack of colorful flora is just another off-putting feature about this season. But there’s a beautiful way to combat this seasonal sadness: a trip to the New York Botanical Gardens.
On February 18th, my Mom and I had the privilege of taking a trip down to the gardens for the opening of their newest exhibit, The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage. This meticulously designed experience, featured in the Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, is an experience I would give anything to go through again. This beautiful sight, designed by Lily Kwong, features a variety of Orchid species and an array of colors that fill your then-gray skies with a rainbow everywhere you look. Plus, the conservatory sits at a nice 75 degrees for a free (on Wednesdays) tropical vacation only right down state.
This stunning educational nature reserve, located in the Bronx about 3 hours away from Saratoga, is home to hundreds of plant types and genera. They tend to have several unique events depending on the season, and as of right now, Natural Heritage is open until April 23rd of this year. So, make sure to find time, perhaps Spring Break, to enjoy and revel in this masterpiece of floral curation.
Personally, my favorite exotic bloom was the Moth Orchid. Although quite common, we saw many different variations and color grades that filled the nature-shaped hole in my heart. Did you know that the rarest color of Orchid is Jade Green? Because I certainly didn’t before this trip. Which made it infinitely more worthwhile in my books. Hopefully, this (very) positive review and glimpses of Lily Kwong’s latest masterpiece inspires you to take a day trip and find the color lacking in your winter.
