BOYLSTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Are you looking to escape winter? 7’s Amaka Ubaka takes us to Boylston where a flower show is generating Mass Appeal.
Spring is in full bloom at the New England Botanic Garden!
Two-thousand orchids are bursting with color in a new greenhouse exhibit. Gardeners say the flowers represent more than 100 different species.
“The whole space is transformed. It’s like this rejuvinating burst of color,” said Steve Conaway, Director of Horticulture at New England Botanic Garden.
Conaway curated the garden’s collection. He says orchids are the largest and most diverse family of flowering plants on earth.
“We have a lot of sort of cutting-edge varieties in the collection here, new and inventive hybrids and varieties that have been developed with splashy and really interesting color,” said Conaway. “Some have interesting fragrance, some of them are sort of other-worldly — they have these forms that look more complex and intricate than any flower you’ve ever seen.”
Not only are they sweet to look at, some are also sweet to eat.
“We have orchids that people are unfamiliar with, or surprised by, but that are pretty commonplace in their kitchen,” said Conaway. “Your vanilla bean is no bean botanically. It’s actually a seed pod from a climbing orchid.”
The orchids of the exhibition are complemented by aerial sculptures by Cambridge artist Cicely Carew.
“This is really me painting in three dimmensions. Being able to play with color and light and see how it changes under this big sky is really exciting- to see how it’s interacting with the orchids and their natural presence,” Carew said.
Visitors say the garden is a great way to escape the winter and soak up nature’s beauty.
“It just feels like a tropical paradise in here,” said Katie Schur, who was visiting the garden.
The orchid exhibit runs through March 22.
For more information about the garden, you can visit their website.
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