Business Finance Media Technology Policy Wealth Insights Interviews

Art Art Fairs Art Market Art Reviews Auctions Galleries Museums Interviews

Lifestyle Nightlife & Dining Style Travel Interviews

Power Index Nightlife & Dining Art A.I. PR

About About Observer Advertise With Us Reprints

Petals and Patrons at the Plaza: Inside the New York Botanical Garden’s 2026 Orchid Dinner

Inspired by Mr. Flower Fantastic’s “Concrete Jungle,” the elegant evening fused high floristry with the energy and iconography of New York City.

On Thursday evening, the New York Botanical Garden took over the Plaza Hotel for its much-beloved Orchid Dinner, transforming the gilded Midtown landmark and its historic ballroom into an immersive world of florals celebrating New York City. The affair, as always, honored the year’s annual exhibition of orchids in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory—in 2026, Mr. Flower Fantastic’s “Concrete Jungle.” The anonymous artist behind the Orchid Show fuses high floristry with pop art and street culture iconography. Mr. Flower Fantastic often wears a mask to conceal his identity, telling The New York Times that anonymity is “honestly the most authentic way to share my work.”

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

The atmosphere was unmistakably New York, with subway signage and sly city references woven into the tablescapes, each arrangement spilling over and piled high like a skyscraper. Guests arrived in flower-patterned gowns and suits, a nod to the night’s botanical decadence, with some going so far as to sport voluminous leafy halos and intricate flower crowns. The real stars of the evening were, however, the rows of rare orchids up for auction, selected, as is customary, by the New York Botanical Garden’s curators and beautifully spotlit in delicate brown pots. Grand dame of entertaining Martha Stewart was rumored to have purchased one for $300, though some fetched as much as $550, with proceeds supporting the NYBG’s research, education and outreach missions.

After the cocktail hour, Observer spotted philanthropist Sharon Jacob, cultural patrons Steven R. Swartz and Tina Swartz, director Kevin Cornish, supermodel Anne V, actor and singer Alex Newell, jeweler Emily P. Wheeler and artist Sara Arno among the flower-loving revelers. The evening was chaired by philanthropists Maureen K. Chilton and Richard L. Chilton, Susan Matelich and George Matelich, Allison Carmichael and Trent Carmichael. Christopher Griffin, a.k.a. Plant Kween, looked particularly resplendent in head-to-toe jewel-toned florals that competed for attention with the towering floral arrangements that paid tribute to New York City iconography.

A delightful dinner leaned into the floristry theme: napkins cinched with green and yellow vines and a three-course menu—salad, light cod and a chocolate dessert—constructed to resemble delicate flowers. At around 9 p.m., as DJ Runna started his set, guests began drifting from their tables toward the dance floor. “They’re moving the party really fast, it’s good,” publisher Joan Jedell remarked. Within minutes, most revelers had vanished behind the floral skyscrapers, leaving an empty, magical garden in their wake.

Christopher Griffin a.k.a. Plant Kween

Joseph Augello and Tiffany Skilling

George Matelich, Susan Matelich and Raymond Vargas

Kevin Cornish and Sara Arno

Amy Goldman Fowler and Cary Fowler

Steven R. Swartz and Tina Swartz

Elizabeth Mirante and Arthur Mirante

Molly Ford and Romane Recalde

SEE ALSO: The New Luxury: Why Story, Experience and Authenticity Matter More Than Exclusivity

We noticed you're using an ad blocker.

We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience. But advertising revenue helps support our journalism. To read our full stories, please turn off your ad blocker.We'd really appreciate it.

How Do I Whitelist Observer?

Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser:

Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain.

For Adblock Plus on Google Chrome:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site.

For Adblock Plus on Firefox:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com.

© Observer