I always learn something when I visit with Marc Hachadourian, the director of glasshouse horticulture and senior curator of orchids at the famed New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and author of Orchid Modern (Timber Press, 2019). After attending the spectacular Orchid Show this year, I was eager to find out a little more about the orchids at the garden. Orchidaceae is one of the largest plant families on earth, with approximately 30,000 naturally occurring species in the wild, and more than 100,000 horticultural varieties due to extensive plant breeding and naming. “I have a job where I work at the intersection of science, education, and horticulture,” he says. “And at times, it’s nothing short of magical.” Here, Marc talks about what makes the NYBG’s collection so important and offers some basic orchid advice.
Photography courtesy of New York Botanical Garden.
What’s the glasshouse collection?
“We have essentially a living history of the institution in our glasshouse and orchid collection that we need to preserve for the future. This history may represent rare and unusual species and historic and venerable specimens. We work to conserve these rare plants, natural occurring species, and even rare hybrids that are not really found in cultivation anymore. It’s not just trees that are long lived, you know—there are many plants that can live decades, if not hundreds of years. So, a lot of what we do is stewardship, which is something that I always feel is important because I’m connecting to the past. I’m working with plants that were brought here by the founder of the New York Botanical Garden 120 or so years ago. I love that. And hopefully many of these plants will be here long after I’m gone.”
