{"id":13474,"date":"2012-11-17T20:05:42","date_gmt":"2012-11-18T04:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/?p=13474"},"modified":"2012-12-28T09:38:50","modified_gmt":"2012-12-28T17:38:50","slug":"natures-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/17\/natures-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature’s World"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Timaru Herald<\/em> in New Zealand has the latest rave review<\/a> for Singapore’s new Gardens by the Bay complex<\/a>. It’s no surprise that orchids abound in the recently opened park, which covers 250 acres (101 hectares) of the tiny island nation. Sitting close to the equator with a tropical rainforest climate, Singapore has long been a garden city full of orchids. In fact, the country’s national flower is a Vanda<\/a> hybrid<\/a>. Gardens by the Bay consists of conservatories, elevated walkways, outdoor gardens, a small lake, and 18 remarkable “supertrees.” These artificial trees serve as vertical gardens for orchids, ferns, bromeliads, and other air plants<\/a>. The supertrees also harvest solar power, collect rainwater, and provide ventilation for the environmentally friendly structures. Both conservatories, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, look somewhat like enormous glass seashells. They house thriving plant collections from around the world, and also offer cool, air-conditioned relief from Singapore’s tropical heat. With the supertrees illuminated every night, it’s no wonder the article calls Gardens by the Bay “real Avatar<\/em><\/a> territory.”<\/p>\n

For more pictures of this fantastic park, check out the landscape architecture website Landezine<\/a>. They have 24 large, high quality photos which help show why this ambitious new project has been winning awards like Building of the Year from the 2012 World Architecture Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n