Flower Dome @ Gardens by the Bay

15 August 2012 by spunktitud3 9 Comments

Masquerading as a bloom at Gardens by the Bay – Flower Dome
Dress – Vintage

This fairytale wannabe-princess has found her new playground at the Flower Dome at Gardens by The Bay – it’s so cool (literally)! The Flower Dome is a world of perpetual bloom in all colours of the rainbow. The 16,000m² egg-shaped glass conservatory is maintained at a temperature of between 17-25°C to replicate the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions such as South Africa and parts of Europe and showcases flora and fauna which usually will not survive in Singapore’s climate. It also means the Flower Dome is one of the best places to escape the sunny island’s sweltering heat, and probably the ONLY place in Singapore where I can put on my fur coat and fantasize being in Europe during autumn…or Alice in Wonderland. All I need now is to smuggle some nightingales, deers and butterflies into the Flower Dome….hiak hiak :p

Learn about the lifecycle and pollination of the baobab and banksia trees or how the little things we do affect nature at these interactive walls. For me, it has another purpose….Gorgeous backdrop! LOL

The 1.2hectre (or 2.2 football fields) Flower Dome houses a great collection of flora and fauna from the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions, showcasing how plants adapt in different environments.

Succulent Garden
Succulents are water-storing desert plants belonging to families such as Cacti, Aloes and Crassulas. Look closer and you’ll find that many of these species have sharp spines to protect themselves against animals which may eat their soft tissues.
You can venture into the desert without experiencing the heat at the Flower Dome. This part of the Flower Dome is landscaped to resemble the marine world, with ferns fashioned to look like seaweed and cacti like the coral reef – a great irony to the arid weather they are usually found in.

Hello! Welcome to the Flower Dome! :) Somehow, this reminds me of Donkey in Shrek haha

Fun Fact: the tip of this cactus is so “furry”” because it protects the birds and bees which come to pollinate from getting pricked by the sharp spikes – talk about nature’s ingenuity!

First time I have seen a cactus with so many flowers!

While these agaves may not look familiar to you, what it is used to make will be – TEQUILA!

I lost no time in getting acquainted with them…

The Baobabs
More commonly known as the Bottle Tree, the African Baobab weighs more than 32 tons and is the largest tree in the Flower Dome. This gigantic tree has many uses for its roots, hollow trunks, bark, wood, leaves, flowers and furit, from building materials to food and medicine. Flowering at night, this species is pollinated by fruit bats, while terrestial mammals like baboons and elephants disperse its fruits by passing the seeds through the digestive tract before germination.

The Baobabs – the largest tree in the Flower Dome

Animals playing in the grassland. The eagle is carved from the roots of the lychee tree.

The Baobabs at night

Australian Garden
The Australian Garden is a fascinating showcase of plants that have adapted to survive long dry seasons and fires in Western and South Australia. The bark of these plants are also fire-resistant.

Kangaroo’s Paw (Anigozanthos spp.)
Take a close look at this plant and try to see the resemblance of the flower buds to a kangaroo’s paw. This unique feature makes it a popular houseplant, resulting in the removal of Kangaroo’s Paw from its natural habitat. Normally found in Southern West Australia, this plant has a root sap that helps it survive extreme dry spells.

A pretty bloom

South African Garden
This is one of my favourite gardens. South Africa is home to an amazing number of exclusive or endemic species of plants, and here you will find ‘Fynbos’ plants, which is ‘fine, delicate brush’ in African. These species have needle-like leaves that form thickets of fire-prone, hard-leaf shrubs that grow in sandy, low-nutrient soil. Many of the plants found in this vegetation have small, dark leaves covered in a waxy outer layer that helps them to retain moisture.

Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
With a striking resemblance to a bird with a turf of orange and blue feathers on its head, the Bird of Paradise has no trunk and forms a clump of leaves up to 2 metres high. There is a yellow-flowered version of this species known as ‘Mandela’s Gold Strelitzia’, which was grown as a homage to the great South African leader.

This reminds me of the Dum-Dum Easter Island statue in Night at the Museum haha

Blushing Bride – what a cute name!

South American Garden
This stunning garden will mesmerise you with exotic plants from Central Chile, on the west coast of South America and isolated from the rest of the continent by the Andes. Wonder through the Chilean Garden to find some interesting spiny plants such as the Monkey Puzzle Tree (on the extreme right of the photo) and the Puya from the dry rock outcrops in central Chile, or the stunning formation of the Chilean Wine Palm.

Californian Garden
Comprising mostly shrubs and a few trees, surrounded by herbaceous perennial and annual flowers, these plants in the highest garden in the Flower Dome are affected by natural fires that occur from time to time. Some of the plants also display aromatic, downy foliage to discourage herbivores from browsing on them.

Mediterranean Garden (Canary Island Palm)
The Mediterranean Basin is one of the first places in the world to practise agriculture, with crops such as olives, figs, grapes, wheat and lentils. Its coastal location and climate makes it attractive for farming, recreation and urban development, which also threatens the natural habitats.

Mediterranean Garden seen from atop, with Marina Bay Sands and the SuperTrees visible through the glass surface

During the official opening of Gardens by the Bay, food stations were set up along the pathway for the guests. Good reference for those who are interested in hosting an event in the Flower Dome. We hear they are fully booked till end of 2012 though. Maybe I should start booking for my wedding…in 3012 haha

Olive Grove (Olea europaea)
Marvel at the 1,000 year old olive trees in the Olive Grove. The trees travelled in style from Spain via refrigerated container to Singapore. Cultivated for over 10 thousand years in the Mediterranean, olive trees are a highly versatile and valuable crop, providing fruit, oil and leaves that are used for food, medicine, cosmetics and fuel.

The Flower Dome houses fine-dining restaurant Pollen fronted by one of London’s top Michelin Star chefs Jason Atherton. Serving mainly Mediterranean-inspired modern European cuisine, it’s definitely a great dining experience; for you get the feeling you are dining in your friend’s gardens along the cool Mediterranean sea, and temporarily forget that you are in Singapore. Psssst – Table 8 is the best table in the house with the best view of the perpetual floral garden.

The conservatory is made up of more than 3,332 individual panels of 42 varying shapes that offers a clear view of the Marina Bay skyline. It’s also designed with environmental sustainability in mind, applying cutting-edge technologies that provide energy-efficient solutions in cooling. A glass panel is left open to let hot air escape, and let the occasional bird which accidentally flew into the Dome to get out.

Visitors to the Flower Field can look forward to changing floral displays according to seasons and holidays such as Chinese New Year and Christmas.
TOP: Flower Field during pre-opening in October 2011
MIDDLE: Flower Field decorated with thousands of orchid blooms during November 2011’s sneak preview in conjunction with the World Orchid Congress
BOTTOM: The Field transforms into a sea of red and pink blooms during the official opening in June 2012.

Flower Dome by night

Be mesmerized with the array of radiant floral blooms

The giant hibiscus is as big as my hand!

Beautiful blooms

My latest floral hairdo!

LEFT: Talk about eco-birthday candles!
RIGHT: Finally, a plant that can make me laugh. Heh.

LEFT: Am I suppoused to kiss this plant for it to transform into a Little Prince?
RIGHT: Wow, I didn’t know the Devil can blush

So lovely!

Gardens by the Bay – Flower Dome

At a loss for words with so many gorgeous blooms

I found 2 cute flower fairies playing in the gardens during the official opening (don’t worry, she’s only drinking fruit punch haha)

Foxglove

A rose by any other name would be just as gorgeous

Spotted a camellia that has dropped off its plant, and promptly used as a hair accessory – so Chanel-esque! Camellia flowers are also good to make tea with, or pressed into oil as a great haircare product.

There is an indoor event space for 1,000pax within the Flower Dome.

Opera at Flower Dome

Flower Dome from the OCBC Skyway. It does LOOK like a dinosaur’s back, doesn’t it?

Exterior of the Flower Dome – what marvellous architecture

About Gardens by the Bay
At 54 hectares, Bay South Garden is the largest of the three gardens which form Gardens by the Bay. When completed, the Gardens by the Bay will occupy a total of 101 hectares of land by the water around Marina Bay and the 32 hectare Bay East Garden will be linked to the Bay South Garden by Bay Central which will feature a 3 km promenade that offers stunning views of the city. It is masterplanned by UK-based landscape architecture firm Grant Associates. It is viewed as a bold step in enhancing the liveability/quality of life in the city as well as Singapore’s international appeal. To me, nature and greenery is always welcome to induce a sense of tranquility to the crazy corporate world most of us face daily, and the Gardens definitely softens the ‘hard’ concrete landscape that has been building up at Marina Bay. Best of all – 80% of the Gardens are free admission – so yay! to another place  where I can spend a lazy evening with my friends for free under the stars.

Bay South Gardens consists of several signature parts such as the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest cooled conservatories, Supertrees vertical gardens, OCBC Skywalk, Heritage Gardens; The World of Plants and the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes.

Read More about Gardens by the Bay
In Full Bloom: Cloud Forest @ Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay: SUPERduperTREES

Address
18 Marina Gardens Drive Singapore 018953
Website: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg

Getting There – Train/Car

Garden Admission
Access to the outdoor gardens in Bay South is free. The admission charges to the Cooled Conservatories and the OCBC Skyway are found here.

• Outdoor Gardens
Rates: Free Admission
Hours: Daily; 05:00 AM – 02:00 AM

• Conservatories (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)
Rates: From $8 – $28
Hours: Daily; 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM

Last ticket sale at 08:00 PM; Last admission at 08:30 PM

• OCBC Skyway
Rates: From $3 – $5
Hours: Monday – Friday; 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Last ticket sale at 08:00 PM; Last admission at 08:30 PM
Weekends & PH
09:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Last ticket sale at 07:00 PM; Last admission at 07:30 PM