When I found out that not only would this year’s Horticultural Society of New York’s dinner dance would not only be featuring floral presentations and tablescapes from an array of well-known New York designers, but also honoring my cousin Frances Tenenbaum, an author and legendary former garden editor, in addition to architect and interior designer David Easton, Martha Stewart Living gardening Editorial Director Stephen Orr, and Alex Timbers, artistic director of Les Freres Corbusier, I decided that I would attend.
However, the $650 starting cost of a ticket was (just slightly!) out of my price range. Luckily, prior to the dance on Tuesday evening, the Horticultural Society held an afternoon preview of the event, which allowed me to catch a glimpse of the stunning, and occasionally over-the-top, floral arrangements and table designs. The theme for 2011, “fire and ice,” invited a wide variety of configurations, some simple, some flashy, some downright ostentatious as the designers riffed on the concept, playing with the use of chile peppers, jewels dangling from stems, and lots and lots of candles. Here are a few of my favorites.
