New York Botanical Garden's orchid show brings 'Concrete Jungle' to life

Mr. Flower Fantastic is an artist — anonymous but of... — Mr. Flower Fantastic is an artist — anonymous but of some reknown — whose vision juxtaposes the city’s “concrete jungle” with the organic audacity of orchids. It runs through April 26. Credit: New York Botanical Garden

By Barbara SchulerSpecial to NewsdayApril 1, 2026 5:00 am

When’s the last time you saw a cascade of orchids peeking from under the lid of a garbage can or flowing from a fire hydrant?

You’ll find these floral interpretations and more at “Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle,” the theme of this year’s annual orchid show at The New York Botanical Garden, running through April 26.

“It’s really different for us,” said Patrick Nowak, manager of exhibition operations at the garden. Challenging an “urban jungle, cityscape feeling,” lots of what the show incorporates are “things we experience every day,” he noted.

Visitors to the show in the garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory will find orchids and other plants and flowers adorning the exterior of a pizza shop, a newsstand and a bus stop. A brilliant yellow taxi sticks out of a car wash. Mr. Flower Fantastic, a floral artist, brought a vision to highlight “the juxtaposition of the natural world,” said Nowak. “The plants we interact with every day and the things we walk past when we’re walking through the city.”

The artist himself is a man of mystery, as is his real name (he prefers to go by MFF). He grew up in Queens, where his mother’s garden inspired his love for flowers and is rarely photographed without the respirator mask he wears because he is allergic to pollen. While it might be natural to question his career choice, the artist has made a name for himself creating major floral displays for corporate clients like Nike and Louis Vuitton.

Along with being open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the gardens will also host orchid nights in April, turning the exhibition into a giant block party featuring a DJ, snacks and craft cocktails (tickets from $45 to $59).

Whenever you go, Nowak recommends spending twice as long to walk through the exhibition as you think you’ll need. “I fear people will breeze through and miss the small details,” he said. He suggests looking for wordplay and puns in graphics throughout, and watching for the little things that make it all seem real. “It’s not just orchids,” Nowak said. Along with other plants and grasses, he said, there are even weeds. “We grew dandelions in the greenhouse to make it feel authentic.”

The show is a reflection of “what we experience,” said Nowak. “We have given people a chance to feel their home in a way they never have before. It feels like a New York we wish we could walk through every day.”