Step into a New York City streetscape where sidewalks, subway tunnels, and fire escapes bloom with thousands of orchids.
That’s the vision of Mr. Flower Fantastic, who has transformed the New York Botanical Garden for its 23rd annual orchid exhibition, “Concrete Jungle,” on view through April 26.
Mr. Flower Fantastic — known as MFF — did not let his severe flower allergies deter him from designing the show. The New York City-based floral artist incorporated more than 10,000 orchids into a playful reimagining of urban life. Visitors encounter familiar city scenes — a laundromat, pizza parlor, car wash, and fire escapes — with familiar objects like trash piles, bus stops, and fire hydrants humorously transformed with flowers. The installations invite viewers to see the city through a whimsical, flower-filled lens.
Because of his allergies and to keep the focus on the work, MFF remains anonymous and often appears in public wearing a respirator.
“This show shines a light on spaces and places that might get overlooked,” MFF said in a statement issued by the Botanical Gardens. “There’s a beautiful chaos in the concrete jungle, and life in bloom. This show is my offering to you — a seed to plant in people’s hearts and minds.”
“This year, in partnership with Mr. Flower Fantastic, we have written a love letter to New York City — its energy, beauty, and reinvention,” said Jennifer Bernstein, CEO of the garden. “MFF creates conversations with flowers, inspiring us to find beauty in the brush of the everyday. He invites us to imagine a New York where flowers are woven into the living fabric of the city.”
Orchids Take Center Stage
The flower taking center stage is the Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid. Among the most widely cultivated orchids today, moth orchids appear everywhere, from grocery stores to high-end florists. In the wild, they produce colorful, often striped or mottled blooms to attract pollinators. In “Concrete Jungle,” they greet visitors everywhere with a quiet, floral smile.
“They’re the perfect house flower,” said Zachary Leibovitch, manager of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. “Their blooms last about three months, and because they thrive in low light and tolerate low humidity, we can mount them almost anywhere to create these elaborate, fantastical installations.”
Given their durability and long-lasting flowers, which rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s, these flowers form the backbone of the exhibition.
Orchids offer great diversity for design. While roughly 30,000 species exist in nature, growers have created more than 150,000 hybrids, bringing the total to nearly 200,000 varieties.
“We showcase many orchids in this show, but we come nowhere near capturing the full diversity of orchids worldwide,” he said.
Orchids inhabit nearly every environment on Earth, from rainforests to deserts, and every continent except Antarctica. New York state is home to hundreds of native species — more than Hawaii. While many orchids are tropical, others thrive in surprisingly harsh environments. “Concrete Jungle” even features an Extreme Orchids display, where visitors might wonder if cacti and orchids are cousins.
A Walk Through a Floral City
The creamy whites, blush pinks, rich purples, sunny yellows, and intricately patterned hybrids greet guests on their self-guided stroll through installations like Orchid Avenue Station and a subway tunnel. The experience feels less like a conservatory visit and more like wandering through a dreamlike New York in miraculous bloom.
Educational signage throughout the exhibition details orchid cultivation and history. Cattleya orchids, for example, were once synonymous with high society.
“For decades, orchids were symbols of luxury,” Leibovitch said. “If you were going to a gala or a fancy event, you wore a Cattleya orchid as a corsage. They’re these gorgeous, ruffled blooms — and if you lean in close, they smell like buttercream frosting.”
Even orchid names tell fascinating stories.
The slipper orchid, or Phragmipedium, features a pouch-shaped bloom resembling a tiny shoe. Insects briefly become trapped inside, aiding pollination as they escape.
Brian Sullivan, NYBG’s vice president for glasshouses and landscape, explained that hybrids are named by their creators, from hobbyists to large companies, but must first be proven stable over time. Other varieties on display include Cymbidium (boat orchids), Dendrobium (cane orchids), Oncidium (dancing lady orchids), and Vanda (rainbow orchids), to name just a few.
Beyond the Beauty
The exhibition offers practical takeaways, with tips on orchid care, watering, and humidity for home growers. On select evenings, Orchid Nights transforms the conservatory into a botanical block party, complete with music, cocktails, and dancing among the blooms. Other programs include sessions with orchidologists and hands-on orchid classes covering everything from care to artmaking.
Visit NYBG.org for more information and tickets.
