Hugging the entrance of the Cloud Forest is a tapestry of assorted plants made up of ferns, orchids, flowering and foliage plants. And it is always a pleasure to see the flowering Neomarica gracilis (common name: Apostle's Iris; Family: Iridaceae), which like the N. longifolia is a walking Iris.
Inside the Cloud Forest are planted with a range of unusual, uncommon or rare plants to create a man-made tropical montane forest. The beautiful Tree Ferns, Magnolia and Slipper Orchid varieties all add to the allure of this picturesque landscape. Small polygonal windows at the Secret Garden frame unique views from which one can see a miniature slice of the landscape beyond the walls, thus creating an element of mystery and secrecy.
With the recent opening of the Gardens by the Bay's Bay South gardens to the public on 29 Jun 12, the secret is finally out.
This is one of my few visits to the Cloud Forest conservatory and I am sure there are lots of photos of the conservatory on the internet. I will let my photos speak for itself. Greeting visitors at the entrance is the highest man-made waterfall in Singapore. Some of these plants are truly amazing and I love the beads of water droplets collecting on the leaves of the conifers right after the misting. The Rhododendrons are also spectacular and look almost like fake plants.
The giant snail sculpture and totem pole add a mysterious allure to the tropical montane forest look.
