Singaporean Saunters

[Frank Fremerey]

you manage to create colorful graphical genious strikes from simple scenes like the following. You see the light and add geometry by experience and intuition!

just wow!

[Fons Baerken]

All excellent images processed skillfully . Thank you for showing.

[Anthony]

Excellent photos, unfortunately I can currently only view them on my iPhone.

[Ann]

Frank, Fons and Anthony:

Thank you all so much for your very kind comments.

I hope the reason that Anthony is limited to looking at the photographs on his cell phone means that he is travelling and photographing in some fabulous place and does not mean that there he has suffered a catastrophic computer melt-down?

[Hugh_3170]

+1 to the comments of the others - Ann you are spoiling us!

A visit to the National Orchid Garden and Singapore's Botanic Garden, which it is a part of, is simply "a must do" visit for those travelling to Singapore.  Likewise the Jurong Bird Park.

[Ann]

Hugh:
"Your Wish is my Command"!

Trees and a Tragedy

This grand four-faced clock stands near one of the entrances to Singapore's renowned Botanic Garden.



Founded almost 160 years ago, the gardens cover some 64 beautifully maintained acres with spacious lawns, lakes and ponds, fascinating plantings, delightful sculptures and a Symphony Concerts stage nestled under the trees.





Groups of different species of Palm, with fronds of varying shapes and colours, provide accent points and shade



Hanging from the trees are orchids and ferns like this handsome group of Staghorn Ferns (Platycerium grande):



I noticed several other unusual ferns in shady places under the trees such as this Bifurcated Hart's Tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium furcata) :



The gardens are also home to some magnificent ancient trees which pre-date the creation of the gardens.

Some of the trees are listed "Heritage Trees". In order to qualify for Heritage Tree status, the tree needs to have a girth of more than five meters and to be of exceptional beauty or rarity.

Tembusu (Cyrtophyllum fragrans) is native to Southeast Asia. It flowers, profusely, twice a year with highly-scented white flowers and grows to more than 45 meters. Its timber is exceptionally hard, strong and resistant to rot and termites so Tembutsu trees have been harvested heavily for construction purposes and few really large ones have survived.

I believe that there were only six with Heritage status still growing in Singapore when I was there and this was the best known and most beloved of them all. It is featured on the reverse of the Singaporean $5 banknote.



A massive fibrous-barked trunk supported this gorgeous 270-year-old tree. Until about three years ago a splendid low bough grew parallel with the ground from the sawn-off stump (which you can see on the side of the trunk). Enormous efforts were made over the years to provide an elaborate support system for this iconic branch but eventually it cracked and had to be removed.



Otherwise the tree appeared to be in perfect health until, on a glorious sunny windless afternoon in February last year the Tembusu uprooted itself without warning and fell instantly to the ground.

The tragedy was not limited to the Tembusu: it claimed the life of a young mother and seriously injured her family and another man.

Following the tragedy, another "Heritage" Tembusa (which was growing near houses and a church) was felled last December because of safety concerns. So now there are only four Heritage Tembusus still growing in Singapore although many young trees are being planted.

The falling tree also flattened some of the Palms which grew nearby but this fine Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona) was spared.

[Hugh_3170]

Ann, now I am thoroughly spoilt! 

Not that I mind at all - the trees and the delicate greens portrayed in your beautifully executed images are a lovely and most welcome contrast to our cold damp blue grey winters day here in Melbourne.

Sad story about the heritage trees and those killed/injured.

[Ann]

Strange Sprouting

Some most unusual trees have sprouted in the 250 acres of gardens which have been created in Singapore’s Marina Bay between the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Docks.



Known as Supertrees, but with no botanical name, they are host to myriad orchids, bromeliads, ferns and climbing vines as they soar to heights of between twenty and fifty meters above the surrounding natural trees.



Their trunks were built from concrete with an overlying skin of steel mesh with pockets in which thousands of little plants are growing;



while flowering vines are gradually climbing over the twigs around the funnels at the top.



The eighteen Supertrees serve other purposes too: they act as funnels to collect rain-water; they support photo-voltaic cells and they act as venting shafts for the stunning gardens which have been created inside the two colossal glass-covered conservatories (the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome) that have been built next to the trees. Plant-waste from the conservatories is burnt in a furnace which generates further electricity for the pumps and lighting in the conservatories.



The Supertrees provide additional shade for garden visitors by day and at night they glow in soft pastel colours. There is an aerial walk-way connection between some of them and a café sits at the top of one of them.

[Netr]

Ann, thank you for all these wonderful photographs.  In posting #14 you didn't label some of the pictures.  Going down in order, the first unlabeled shot is a dendrobium, then the yellow one with the twisted petals is a different type of dendrobium, then the one you labeled phalaenopsis is a dendrobium (named dendrobium phalaenopsis), then a yellow vanda, then two different types of dendrobium, then you correctly identify the Singapore national flower, then after the phalaenopsis and cyprepedium (or paphiopedium) flowers, the bright pink one you identified as a miltonia is another vanda, and the last one is also a vanda. Most of these flowers are probably hybrids, which can make it difficult to pick what they are.

[armando_m]

Beautiful images, they bring back memories from the time I was fortunate to spend in Singapore

[Ann]

Netr:

Thank you so much for doing what I was really hoping that someone here would be able to do — identify those orchids for me.

Although I love that family, and try to grow a few in my own small greenhouse, I have very little experience with them.

I am re-labelling the photographs with the correct names.

I think that I have noticed a distinguishing feature in Vandas? They seem to have little protruding forked tongues?

[CS]

Those gardens and the Supertrees are indeed most interesting! As one who has never been to Singapore, and is not likely to do so, I thank you for the wonderful armchair tour. 

[Ann]

Flower Dome:



The Flower Dome is one of two giant glass structures that were constructed like eggshells with all of their supporting framework on the exterior so that the colossal temperature-controlled interiors are entirely free from interior columns.
(This interior definitely screamed out for my Fisheye).





When I was there, they had mounted a Lilytopia extravaganza and the space was filled with more than 7,000 flowering bulbs of Lilies and some other Lily-like flowers. The scene, and especially the scent, was truly wonderful.



As soon as a plant faded, new replacements were being brought in (by the trolley load!) by the gardeners.





The sub-theme was a retrograde tribute to the Beatles, music and the 1960s so old cars, busses and bicycles had been turned into plant-holders.









While plant growing and species preservation are extremely scholarly and serious pursuits in these gardens, there are numerous sculptures and delightful touches of humour and fun everywhere.

“Ants”: This section of a large piece of old tree-trunk covered with giant stainless steel ants was created by Eng Siak Loy and stands close to the entrance.



The attractive Balinese carved wooden crocodile bench is nearby, surrounded by ancient fossilized tree trunks.



Peeping out between the plants is the very amusing “Nitpicking” sculpture, created from Driftwood by James Doran-Webb. A number of his pieces are dispersed throughout the gardens.



The Flower Dome is maintained at about 70° F with a fairly dry atmosphere and some very large trees have been brought here from all over the World including some massive Columbian Wine Palms (Jubeaea chilensis).





The Australian collection included this Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris), and some Kangaroo Paw flowers and Xerochrysum Everlasting Daisies from Western Australia.







Maintenance of these structures must be enormously expensive and this roof-mounted equipment provides safe support for the window-cleaning crews. All of the glass was certainly spotlessly clean.

[Akira]

Ann, thank you for the further pictorial report!  It is amazing to know how the artists in Singapore are inspired by the richness the nature provides.

The sub-theme was a retrograde tribute to the Beatles, music and the 1960s so old cars, busses and bicycycles had been turned into plant-holders.

Yes, that's the "Flower Power" in the true sense of the word!   

[Netr]

> Netr: Thank you so much for doing what I was really hoping that someone here would be able to do — identify those orchids for me.

Ann, Thank you for these beautiful pictures.