ever wondered how a chinese water village, or the remnants of an ancient civilisation would fit into the garden city of singapore? or maybe a mystical sunken city like this?
at the singapore garden festival, you would be enchanted by such award-winning garden creations of art from all over the world. many of the works are pretty stunning!
my most favorite garden design is the one above. seeking shangri-la is an imaginative display of the sunken paradise of shangri-la. the designer has painstakingly created this illusion with the careful choice of plants that resemble aquatic plant life. simulated water waves cast moving shadows upon the underwater city. it reminds me of the lost civilisation of atlantis!

an ancient building lies in ruins with just its stone facade. at certain timings, mist would be sprayed into the air, creating a somewhat dreamy or eerie feel in the jungle. oops, i mean garden.

people living in singapore do not have the luxury of knowing what it’s like to walk through a wildflower meadow. an exhibit here allows visitors to walk through an indoor meadow filled with little purple flowers! you won’t be able to smell them though, as they are behind glass.

lose yourself in this elegant spiral display.

one perpetually crowded exhibit is this giant panel of flowers made up to form the most beautiful face the world has ever seen — marilyn monroe’s. made famous by andy warhol’s iconic pop art, the image is instantly recognisable.

another display that forms the image of a famous person is this. can you recognise who he is?

a designer from china built a chinese water village of substantial size. it was modeled after a traditional farmer’s abode in jiangnan.

from another continent is this display of african grasslands, complete with giraffes!

flowerbeds with colorful flowers, complemented with equally colorful translucent panels hanging from the ceilings.

icicles. or are they really?

i’m not quite sure what these flowers are. but their vivid magenta and purple shades attracted me from afar. the flowers look as though they are dancing!


now, i’m sure most of you recognise this. it’s a patriotic effort created at the most apt timing for our upcoming national birthday. the crescent moon and stars are decorated with shimmery thread and white orchids.

there were also a couple of efforts to recreate singapore landmarks, such as a fountain in the shape of the merlion. it even spurts water from its mouth, just like the real merlion! there’s also the singapore flyer and the esplanade theatre. the esplanade theatre looks cute!

the orchid society of papua new guinea presented an eye-catching design!

really, it’s amazing what creativity and imagination can do to transform a regular garden to an awe-inspiring work of art. for a moment there, i forgot i was in an indoor exhibition and lost myself in the garden fiesta.

another exhibition that bears a similar theme is the sentosa flowers show held earlier this year. for now, i shan’t post too many photos as i would encourage all of you to go pay a visit! do take advantage of the cheaper weekday pricing, check out the gardens and tell me what your favorite is!


goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.







Great coverage of the flowers! Now I won’t need to fork out the the $12 to visit the exhibition, because Veron has done all the legwork! Haha! View all comments by pkchukiss
Cheeky! Students get in at 3 dollars on weekdays. Go go! View all comments by Veron
is a Fuchsia ! :) View all comments by steve
Thanks for the post. I realised I won’t have the time to visit the exhibition, so your post helps me catch up on what I would have missed. :) View all comments by py
Hi Gal…Chance upon your website and i love all your food reviews and the beautiful layout ;) Cheers! View all comments by Kristine
steve: Guess I should stop calling them the dancing flowers for now. Thanks!
py: I have posted the photos of what I feel are the best of the exhibition. So at least you won’t be missing this event completely :)
Kristine: Thanks dear! View all comments by Veron
Very nice coverage of the festival! I just took a truckload of photographs too, but while the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak regarding blogging about this event. I always enjoy the Singapore Garden Festival, and some of the fantasy and futuristic landscapes like the one above make me smile. Its like making the imagination come alive again! View all comments by Walter
Hmm….if only modern technology allows us to smell the flowers online….vaguely remember few years back, someone was looking this…
And wonder how they make those exhibits “mosquitoes-free” ??
Did you get any bites by the way ??
;P View all comments by X Wings
Walter: I love your last line! It really hit the spot. I was at Suntec last night and saw a huge crowd heading towards the exhibition, wanting to catch a final glimpse during its last few hours. It’s definitely a crowd favorite. They should have this event every year instead of biennially.
x Wings: I wanted to say that there was no stagnant pool of water anywhere for the mosquitoes to breed, but then I realise the Chinese water village garden did have a large pond somewhere! No bites for me, so they probably used some chemicals to keep it mosquitoes-free. View all comments by Veron
oh noes! I missed it. If only they opened on 2 Aug… :(
It looks interesting for your picture. View all comments by r.p
hey gal, wonderful post….i luv sg!! View all comments by Niyaz
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