Incredible Orchid Design Ideas

Each year, orchids in a kaleidoscope of colors and forms welcome visitors to the Conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden. The Orchid Show: Chandeliers, is housed in the Garden's Victorian-style glasshouse. It is the largest curated orchid show in the U.S.

The plants on display at The New York Botanical Garden represent just a fraction of all the world's orchids. Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants, with over 30,000 naturally occuring species from around the world. The Garden offers tours and care demonstrations to help visitors learn more about these highly evolved plants.

Phalenopsis take center stage in this basket-style chandelier. Like most orchids, they are epiphytes with roots that reach out into the air until they find an anchor. Then they grow harmlessly on trees or other plants. Terrestrial orchids, such as cymbidiums, grow in soil.

Thanks to their ability to adapt to different growing conditions and environments, orchids can be shaped into many configurations. At The New York Botanical Garden's 13th annual show, they're displayed as living chandeliers and in columns and cones.