GARDENS BY THE BAY & WORLD ORCHID CONFERENCE

Today's weather - sunny

I have been so lazy lately and should have posted this earlier.


On the way to the World Orchid Conference at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), one has to pass by the theme gardens at Gardens by the Bay. These are some beautiful plants at the Chinese Garden of the Heritage Gardens e.g. Radermachera ignea  and Pitcairnia flammea.  


The view of the gardens from the MBS bridge is so amazingly spectacular as one can take in the scenic view of the conservatories, SuperTrees and pond that give character to the magnificent gardens. Visitors were seen snapping aerial photos of the area.


I crossed the skybridge, which I think is at the 4th level, before reaching the MBS Convention Centre itself. By then, the sky was turning dark and was going to rain.


The WOC appeared to be of a smaller scale than the Singapore Garden Festivals (SGF) held previously at Suntec City Convention Centre. At the retail area, I saw this beautiful Stag's Horn Fern (Platycerium) on sale but didn't buy it because I am not really a foliage plant person. Various winning orchids were displayed in glass cases and I am positive that some orchids e.g. Slipper Orchid, can be grown in terrariums with conducive conditions for its growth. I said this because I managed to keep some of these orchids in containers for months although they didn't flower for me. Finally, I took a photo of this superbly beautiful Coelogyne orchid from one of the retail booths. The owner wanted to sell it to me but I decided against buying it because this is a cool growing orchid and I am unable to replicate such conditions at home.

SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS - PART 3

I am sorry. I do not know the identity of this Bauhinia at the Botany Centre and the panicle of small white flowers contrast well against the brownish leaves.

At the ground floor, there are some slight changes to the landscape and what stands out most is the bromeliad Pitcairnia sanguinea with drooping elliptical leaves with a green upper surface and red under surface.

PITCAIRNIA FLAMMEA

These are 2 photos of the inflorescence of the bromeliad Pitcairnia flammea. The difference is one was bathed in intense sunlight and the other was when the cloud cover dimmed the sunlight a little. Otherwise, it was the same inflorescence from the same plant.

WATER FEATURE

I am amazed at how fast this landscape at the Singapore Botanic Gardens established itself. They look stunningly beautiful to me and I always love to walk pass this area, especially when it is not blazing hot.

The Amherstia nobilis (common name: Pride of Burma) from the Fabaceae Family in the top photo looked so pretty and I cannot wait for it to flower.

In the 2nd photo, the prickly brown leaved aroid Cyrtosperma johnstonii from the Araceae Family was the highlight. There are also some in HortPark.

The flowering Pitcairnia flammea from the Bromeliaceae Family in the 3rd photo is right in the middle of it all.

A link on the Amherstia is shown below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_Burma

UNVEILED

This water feature right smacked in front of the roundabout between SBG's HQ and RB was finally completed and unveiled to the world. Ok, I mean visitors.

I love water features, so you know how I feel about this. Wow, the plants are lush and beautiful, the rockscape is nice and the fauna is interesting.

Just look at the water and you would find it teeming with life. And dragonflies are aplenty!

By the way, the plant with the red flower is actually a bromeliad Pitcairnia flammea.