Every winter, the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens is transformed into a lush oasis of thousands of orchids. We had a chance to experience their Orchid Extravaganza last year, and returned again on opening day to escape the snow and be transported into a tropical oasis.
This year Longwood Gardens showcases a beautiful representation of the new and exciting Phalaenopsis “big lip” breeding lines. According to their website:
“Nestled into containers in our Silver Garden, Phalaenopsis Yu Pin Easter Island, of a new Phalaenopsis “big lip” breeding line, will be on display throughout the entire Orchid Extravaganza season. While most Phalaenopsis breeding is focused on improving the size, number, color, and pattern of the flowers, it’s rarely focused on trying to change the shape of the flower’s parts. In contrast, this new big lip breeding is in fact focused on changing the shape of the flower’s parts in accordance with the concept of reverse peloricism, in which the orchid lip tries to become a petal.”
The Orchid Extravaganza runs through March 22, 2020.
Have you seen this year’s display? What did you think?