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Mar 01, 2025

Dozens of orchids — and their 'superhero powers' — delight New England Botanic Garden visitors | WBUR News

Advertisement While winter’s chill still has its grip on the Boston region, the New England Botanic Garden is offering visitors a vibrant escape at its annual orchid exhibit. The colorful display

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While winter’s chill still has its grip on the Boston region, the New England Botanic Garden is offering visitors a vibrant escape at its annual orchid exhibit.

The colorful display called "Pixels + Petals" in West Boylston took inspiration from classic video games of the 1980s and ’90s, highlighting what organizers call the "superhero powers" of orchids.

“We just tried to bring out the fun of orchids,” Marissa Gallant, the garden’s director of education, said during a recent visit.

The show features about 100 varieties of orchids selected from the more than 28,000 species that exist worldwide. Flowers fill two indoor conservatories, immersing visitors in color and fragrance.

Playing in the background, guests may be hit with nostalgia as they hear popular theme songs from video game franchises like “Super Mario” or “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

Beyond admiring the displays, many visitors take time to engage with the space in different ways. Danielle Barbosa, who paused to journal during her visit, said the experience was uplifting.

“The gentle hum of people who have this thing in common in a time like this is helpful,” she said. “The air just feels different here.”

The exhibit also draws groups like the UConn League Daytrippers, who used the outing to reconnect and learn more about the flowers.

“A lot of people don’t know anything about orchids,” said Ann Lojzim, a member of the group, who said she found the exhibit informative as she and the others walked around.

But beyond teaching people of all ages about the plants, Gallant, the education director says it's about lifting people's spirits by showcasing nature's beauty.

“I just always every year ask for a rainbow as bright and beautiful and colorful and showy as possible, because this show is designed to just wow,” she said, noting the plants are rush-delivered in two days to the garden from Hawaii.

“It’s also botanically interesting,” added Megan Varnes, a horticulturalist who helps care for the diverse collection of orchids at the garden, including zygopetalum, whose species grow in places like Brazil and Peru.

“But it’s really that brightness in the wintertime," she said. "… it’s like the preview for spring.”

The key to keeping orchids healthy, according to Varnes, is knowing when to cut off dead blossoms — and having the patience to wait for them to bloom again.

The exhibit runs through March 23. And starting on April 4, the garden will hold an orchid sale, giving patrons the chance to take a plant from the exhibit home.