Orchid Show Returns to NYBG in the Bold and Colorful Vision of Famed Floral Designer Jeff Leatham

                                           

You can’t help but feel it. Spring is pulsing. Broadway is back. And in the world of gardens ~ the slowest of the performing arts ~ there is a return engagement as well.  

I received word the other day from The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) that its popular orchid exhibition returns with “The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope, from February 26 through May 1. 

Clearly, the orchids are the heartstopping stars of this show. And yet it cannot be denied that the irrepressible lifestyle icon and floral designer to the stars, Jeff Leatham, shares marquee status. This is a man who so loves orchids that he literally wears that love, well, not on his sleeve, but his leg! The Vanda, his favorite orchid, is tattooed there. Jeff is reprising his role because the 2020 Orchid Show he designed was cut short due to the COVID pandemic. I was fortunate to review the original Kaleidoscope so you’re in for a treat preview here. 

According to NYBG, Jeff has reinvented his dazzling creations, transforming each gallery of the exhibition in NYBG’s historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a different color experience, like the turn of a kaleidoscope. 

Orchid towers of orange, yellow, and green, undulating fields of white, and overhead plumes of purple, together with artistic embellishments and a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights, will captivate and enthrall visitors. 

     

At the original show’s press preview, Jeff told me that in addition to flowers and plants, he most often works with lighting, noting that it’s a valuable investment to spend on special lighting and/or candles because it creates an unforgettable ambiance - especially at night.  So here too, please make a point to visit this special Kaleidoscope Orchid Show during the day - and at a twinkling, magical twilight. 

Leatham worked with horticulturists from NYBG, including Senior Curator of Orchids Marc Hachadourian, to assemble orchids from its collections as well as from some of the finest growers in the world. 

Orchids of seemingly every conceivable shape and provenance, including rare and iconic specimens, are on display in breathtaking configurations.

Marc too, is also a rare jewel - his knowledge of orchids is incomparable.  You must get his latest book if you don’t already have it in your home library.

 Orchid Modern, is not a book that will sit on your bookshelf; rather you will be referring to it frequently for design and care tips.  

Leatham said, “I am thrilled to bring Kaleidoscope back to The New York Botanical Garden in 2022—much like when you look into a kaleidoscope, the view is never the same.” He added, “My reinvention of Kaleidoscope will be different installations than two years ago. Every turn will display a new vision, while maintaining the thematic element of every gallery focusing on a different color experience. With this design, visitors will appreciate the beauty of orchids and see NYBG’s Conservatory in exciting new ways.”

Jeff Leatham is the (adorable and sweet) award-winning artistic director of the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, with studios also at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center and the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. He has been creating a sensation with his floral installations since he began his career in 1994. 

I spoke to his botanist father who was at the Garden to support his accomplished son, so clearly Jeff has a plant pedigree that informs his floral designs.  

Jeff's work is a combination of his love for flowers and passion for design. Using shape, color, and simplicity, his creations are dramatic, bold, unforgettable statements that are always an integral part of the setting. 

Leatham has produced spectacular displays in Paris for two decades, and in 2014, he was knighted with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres—the highest honor for artists and others who have made significant contributions to French culture. His clients include Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Cher, Oprah Winfrey, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and many others. 

His publications—Flowers by Jeff Leatham, Flowers by Design, and Jeff Leatham: Visionary Floral Art and Design—remain

best-selling design books worldwide.

And here’s that sexy Vanda Orchid tattoo! 

Paying homage to his favorite orchid: 

You can see why Jeff fell hard for this beauty. And in 2020, NYBG named a Vanda orchid in Jeff’s honor…

Visitors to The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope were greeted by a most dramatic display: purple Vandas suspended above a 10-foot-tall mirrored orchid sculpture with a fountain of water streaming into a black pool. 

How to Experience the Orchid Show

On select Fridays and Saturdays in March and April, adults 21 and over can experience the exhibition at night with music, cash bars, and food available for purchase. 

Orchid Evenings will take place on March 26, April 2, 9, 16, 22, and 23, 2022; 7–10 p.m.

For more information about The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope, please visit

www.nybg.org/event/the-orchid-show/

   

  me with Jeff xoxo