Category: Horticultural Wonders

Gardens By The Bay Orchid Extravaganza (Part 2). The Orchid Extravaganza display at the Flower Dome will remain until Sunday, 20 August, 2017. This year’s exhibits included the Aliceara Tropic Lily, a popular display choice. The white bloom with purple spots adds glitz and dazzle to a floral show. Another special

Gardens By The Bay Orchid Extravaganza (Part 1). Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, Singapore has gone through a dramatic metamorphosis to become the vibrant metropolis of today. This year, the “Orchid Extravaganza” floral display tells the story of Singapore through the motif of a butterfly’s life cycle. Stunning

Cattleya, The Queen Of Orchids. Cattleya, often called the Queen of Orchids, is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after horticulturalist William Cattley. Cattley obtained a specimen of then unnamed Cattleya labiata from William Swainson who had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in

Gardens By The Bay Blue Beauties. In the year that Gardens by the Bay celebrates its 5th anniversary, a special colour in the Plant Kingdom takes centrestage in Flower Dome. Blue may seem ubiquitous in everyday life, but true spectrum blue is one of the most uncommon colours in plants. In

Lily Of The Valley. Lily of the valley, scientific name Convallaria majalis, is a sweet scented, highly poisonous woodland flowering plant that is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe. In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the famil y Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoidaea (formerly the family Ruscaceae). Convallaria majalis is a herbaceous perennial

The 2017 Chelsea Flower Show. Since 1913, the Royal Hospital Chelsea has hosted the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show which continues to captivate audiences and is one of the most eagerly anticipated horticultural events on the gardening calendar. The relationship between the Chelsea Flower Show and the Royal Hospital has been

The Making Of Gardens By The Bay. Gardens by the Bay is an independent organisation responsible for developing and managing one of Asia’s foremost garden destinations. The Gardens is led by a multidisciplinary team of professionals who have been involved in the greening of Singapore and had worked alongside international

1,730 New Plants Discovered. For the temperate climate areas of the world, there have
 been multiple discoveries made in both China and Turkey. Those from China include species of Rosa (roses), Clematis, Aconitum, Impatiens (busy-lizzies), Primula, Rubus, Thalictrum, Ligularia, Delphinium, Epimedium, Senecio, Spiraea, Sorbus and Ulmus. From Turkey, new species

The Secret History Of The World’s Priciest Spice. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world­, going for up to $16 per gram—and with good reason. It comes from the dried bright orange-red stigmas of the flower Crocus sativus. But before you go digging up your spring crocus, know that

Hydrangea. Hydrangea is a genus of 70–75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea. Most are shrubs 1 to 3 meters tall, but some are small trees, and others lianas reaching up to 30 m (98 ft) by climbing

A First Look At 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Billed as the world’s most prestigious flower show, tickets for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show from Tuesday, 23 May to Saturday, 27 May 2017 on the grounds of the Royal Hospital, London, is now available to the public (see

Bacopa. Growing Bacopa is simple, in the sunny to part shade garden. This small plant reaches no more than 6-12 inches in maturity. The low-growing specimen spreads vigorously to cascade over a wall or quickly cover bare spots under taller plants, and is often covered with tiny flowers from June

Cherry Blossoms At Gardens By The Bay. March, the cherry blossom month, will be a month of excitement and anticipation, as the wait for blossoms to come into full bloom begins! These beautiful and transient flowers, known for their unpredictable blooming, are back in the Flower Dome with the “Blossom

The Scent That Is Pricier Than Gold. Most have never heard of agarwood, and would not recognise it, even when its priceless scent crosses their nostrils. Nevertheless, its resin costs about US$7,500 per kilogramme in 2014. Its extracted Oud oil costs even higher, at US$38,500 per kilogramme. Agarwood is an

Planning For The Japanese Cherry Blossom Season. It is not too late to plan for the Japanese Cherry Blossom season in late March to early May this year. This article gives us a few leads as tour agents assiduously promote this upcoming extravaganza in Japan. Cherry Blossom viewing (Hanami) season

Epidendrum. Epidendrum is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,500 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name refers to its epiphytic growth habit; that is, it grows harmlessly upon another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating

Protea. Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes. In local tradition, the flower represents change and hope. The Proteaceae family to which proteas belong is an ancient one among angiosperms. Evidence from pollen fossils suggest Proteaceae ancestors grew in Gondwana, in the Upper

Polyanthus. The bright colours make polyanthus popular. Over the past few years, however, colours have begun to change, with flowers in subtle gradations of colour towards the yellow centre are beginning to appear. Still others look like wild primroses or show ranges of pale shades: gradations of pink or blue, sophisticated misty

Gladiolus. Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family. It is sometimes called the ‘sword lily.’ The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa. The genus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa,

Cyclamen. Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to Iran, with one specie in Somalia. They grow from tubers and are valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. In most species, leaves come up in autumn, grow through the winter, and then die in spring, then the plant goes dormant through the dry Mediterranean summer. Petal colour may be

Christmas 2016 At Gardens By The Bay. The 24C temperature certainly gives the Flower Dome a wintery environment. Well-loved stalwarts of the season like poinsettias, amaryllis and Christmas roses grace charming yuletide scenes, while majestic conifer trees of different kinds fill the air with their woody, evergreen scent. Cocooned in

Bulbophyllum. The Bulbophyllum orchid genus is the largest in the orchid family, with over 1800 species, and it’s the third largest genus of plants of any kind. Species of this genus are distributed worldwide, with the greatest diversity in Papua New Guinea, where they are thought to have originated. These sympodial plants

Crocus. Crocus is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family comprising 90 species of perennials growing from bulbo-tubers. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub, and meadows from sea level to alpine tundra in central and southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, on the islands of the Aegean, and across Central Asia to Xinjiang Province in western China.

As Demand for Ginseng Soars, Poachers Threaten Its Survival. Ginseng is any one of the 11 species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae. It is found in North America and in eastern Asia (mostly northeast China, Korea, Bhutan, eastern Siberia), typically in cooler climates. Over centuries, ginseng has been

Gordonia. Gordonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, related to Franklinia, Camellia, and Stewartia. Of the roughly 40 species, all but two are native to southeast Asia, southern China, Taiwan and Indochina. The remaining species, G. lasianthus, is native to southeast North America, from Virginia south to Florida and west to Louisiana; G. fruticosa is native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America,

Monarda. Monarda is a genus of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus is native to North America. Common names include bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, and bergamot. The genus was named after the Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes, who wrote a book in 1574 describing plants of the New World. They grow erect to heights of 20–90 cm (8–35 in).

Tribal Tempo at Gardens By the Bay. Tribal Tempo marks the first large-scale South African floral display at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. A welcoming waterfall beckons in the centre of the floral display, where a burst of colour offers a glimpse of the wildflower fields that blossom in Namaqualand

Sequoias, the Ancient Giants. Sequoiadendron giganteum or the giant redwood is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae; the Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron of California and Oregon (United States) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (China). The redwood species contains the largest and tallest