This Week's Podcast: Orchids Defy Gravity At The New York Botanical Garden
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The nation's largest exhibition of orchids offers insight into the mystery of these spectacular flowers. The New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show takes displays of plants to new heights with vertical gardens (left) designed by French artist and botanical scientist Patrick Blanc. Our guest this week is Marc Hachadourian, Manager of The New York Botanical Garden’s Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections.
Marc seems to have the greatest kinship for the family Orchidaceae. Most people do not realize how large that family is – one out of every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. 
Orchids are found all over the world where they have adapted to survive in a variety of climates, locations, and growing conditions with a wide diversity of other plant life. Many of these plants have taken to growing on vertical surfaces. These epiphytes are perfectly at home creeping along the branches of trees in the rainforest, or cliff-faces. And so, they are perfectly adapted to Monsieur Blanc’s creations.
Marc reminded us of the other remarkable sights to see when visiting NYBG – outdoors as well as under glass, and he reminded me of one plant that caught my eye — the incredible jade vine Strongylodon macrobotrys (above, right), in bloom when I visited with its ’57 Ford Fairlane colors.
The Orchid Show – running through April 22, 2012 –is the current smash hit in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the garden.
Click for a video interview with Patrick Blanc.
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