Going Green

Fashion muse turned landscape designer Lily Kwong finds art in the plants that surround us while making history along the way

- ADRIENNE GAFFNEY

When Lily Kwong was chosen to design the New York Botanical Garden’s prestigious annual orchid show for 2023, it was a full-circle moment. Six years earlier, she began her career as a student in the garden’s Certificate Program. As both the first woman and the first person of color to earn the role in the show’s 20-year history, Kwong kept it personal. “Once I realized it was this groundbreaking moment, I wanted to focus on my roots and showcase all the beautiful practices in Chinese landscape garden design,” she says.