Tulipmania 2014: In Full Bloom At Gardens By The Bay

After getting busy planting the tulips for Tulipmania at Gardens by the Bay, we were all eager to go back to the Flower Dome to view the tulips in bloom. We took the opportunity over the Good Friday weekend to go view the flowers and we were certainly not disappointed. It was an amazing sight to see tulips of different colours and varieties covering the flower field! It was really so beautiful. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers and I confess: I really wanted to take some home with me. 

A sea of tulips! With those miniature houses and the windmill in the background, it really does feel like Holland huh!

I figured this shirt was most appropriate when I dressed him this morning. It was a gift from his Kong Kong - we've never visited. Hopefully soon!

Here's an interesting fact: I never knew tulips are likely to have originated from Central Asia.

Gorgeous double-flowered tulips - the first time I'm seeing these. They almost look like peonies with al those petals. Love.

"Yellow Flight", one to the varieties of tulips which we planted, as Noey very excited informed me.

Pretty pink-purple (I can't decide!) tulips with with yellow centres.  

Lovely hyacinth flowers which were interspersed with the tulips. 

Tulipmania is on at the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay now till 4 May 2014, so this is your last weekend to catch it. Don't miss it! A second series of tulips bulbs were planted over the course of the past week so if you're wondering if there will still be blooms now at the tail end of the run, the answer is: yes there are! Be warned though that this flower display is very popular and there was a very long line of people waiting to buy their tickets when we visited. So if you're thinking of going to view the display, do yourselves a favour and buy your tickets online before you arrive. 

(By the way, the 50% discount on tickets to the Flower Dome for senior citizens is still on till 4 May as well. Don't forget to take advantage this great deal!)

Tulipmania with Miffy at Gardens By The Bay

There will be tulips blooming in Singapore over this week and guess which little tike had a tiny part to play in that?

Following its hugely successful run last year, Tulipmania will be returning to Gardens By The Bay this year, starting tomorrow! From 14 April to 4 May 2014, the flower field in the Flower Dome will be awash with tulips and hyacinths, and it promises to be a spectacular sight. 

But before that, the flowers have to be planted, and we were really excited to be invited to be part of the gardening crew for the day. 

We were first briefed on the layout of plants on the flower field, which looks to be quite different from last year's arrangement. Instead of rows, the flowers will be grown around miniatures of Dutch canal scenes, houses and windmills in a setup inspired by Madurodam, a popular miniature park in the Netherlands.

Just as I was starting to get a little bit worried about the size of the task, we were led to the back-of-house and shown what we actually had to do: plant tulip bulbs in pairs in planter boxes. (Whew!) These planter boxes would, when completed, be installed in front of Dutch houses to bloom. The tulip bulbs, all 25,000 of them, had arrived overnight from Holland, conveniently grown in their own little individual planters. So all we had to do was pop them out and replant them in the planter boxes. I was surprised to learn that it takes 4 to 5 years to grow tulip bulbs to the size that were being used for Tulipmania. Size matters! The bigger the bulbs, the bigger and stronger the flowers they produce. 

We were given gardening tools and big bags of compost and told to get going. All the kids needed to hear were the reassuring words: "it doesn't matter if you make a mess!". With that, they were off! Naomi's favourite bit was digging in compost.

And Noey's was trying to work out the optimum height to achieve the best compost-in-planter to compost-on-table ratio.

He was pretty pleased with our handiwork when we were done! Some of the bulbs didn't quite sit straight, but another interesting thing we learnt about tulip bulbs is that they are phototropic, ie. they will always grow towards the light. So it didn't matter if the bulbs were leaning to a side as they would naturally grow up straight up to the light anyway. Very forgiving toward us amateur gardeners, I'd say!

The real highlight for the morning however, weren't so much the tulips but a certain bunny who caused quite a stir with her appearance -- Miffy! If you're wondering what Miffy has to do with tulips, the answer is that is that, like these tulips, Miffy hails from The Netherlands. (Hands up those of you who thought that Miffy was Japanese!) Miffy's original Dutch name is Nijntje, a shortening of diminutive konijnte or "little rabbit".

It was our first time meeting Miffy live and the kids were very taken by her, especially Meips. She couldn't keep away from Miffy and kept trailing Miffy around, wanting to go hold her hand and give her a hug. I had to physically remove her to prevent her from getting in the photos of others.

(Photo credit: KLM's Facebook Page) 

As an added bonus, the children were give the opportunity to do some planting in the flower field under the watchful eye of Miffy. Boy, were they enthusiastic! Armed with shovels and their hyacinth bulbs, they got down to work.

The kids both enjoyed the process thoroughly and proved themselves to be pretty good gardeners, though Meips was foiled in her attempt to shower her Gor-gor with soil.

After all that work, someone really needed to rest!

We'll be back again at Tulipmania again this week to see the flowers in bloom. The tulips are expected to start blooming from tomorrow and the best time to catch them is likely to be the upcoming Good Friday long weekend (or slightly before that!). If you're excited to catch Miffy, do note that Miffy will only be making special appearances at Tulipmania at the following events:

1. Easter Egg Hunt with Miffy
Date: Sunday 20 April 2014
Egg Hunt Sessions: 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
(Each session is 1 hour long and registration opens in the Flower Dome 30 mins before each session.)
Eligibility: Chidren aged 3 to 12 years. (Children between the ages of 3 to 6 require parental supervision.)
Admission charges to the Cooled Conservatories apply.

2. Tulip Cheer
Date: Saturday 26 April 2014
Appearance Timings: 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

Also, starting from 14 April 2014, all visitors to the Flower Dome will receive a souvenir Miffy postcard. Don't forget to collect yours as you enter the Flower Dome, while stocks last! 

For more details on ongoing activities for Tulipmania, do check out the Tulipmania page on the Gardens By the Bay website. You can also check out the KLM Facebook Page to follow Miffy's adventures in Singapore. 

Tulipmania
Flower Dome, Gardens By The Bay
14 April to 4 May 2014
9am to 9pm daily
Admission charges to the Cooled Conservatories apply.
(There is an ongoing promotion for Senior Citizens offering a 50% discount off regular Senior Citizen rates for the Flower Dome. ie. resident senior citizens only need pay $4 for entry!)

Feed Me! at Gardens by the Bay

The school holidays are just around the corner!

I am looking forward to spending some time out and about with the kids during the week long break, and one of the places we plan to be checking out is Gardens By The Bay. In conjunction with the school holidays, Gardens By The Bay has planned a Children's Festival with lots of interesting programmes for kids to learn more about nature as they explore the gardens.

We were given a preview of one of these sessions a couple of weekends ago when we were invited to discover the interesting world of carnivorous plants with the Feed Me! programme. Yes, did you know that we have carnivorous plants right here in Cloud Forest at Gardens By The Bay? I don't know about your kids but mine are always peering into the pitcher plants whenever we visit, hoping to find a dead fly or two inside, so I knew they were going to be excited about finding out more about these fascinating plants.

We started the morning with a quick introduction to plants and how they usually make food and obtain nutrients.

Getting introduced and talking about what food they like to eat. 

 

Getting a simple introduction to photosynthesis.

Then it was off to the conservatories to take a look at some other interesting plants with special adaptations.

The tree grape -- a succulent which stores water in its trunk. It also has a papery bark that can help reflect sunlight when it's very hot.

Super fat bottle trees. Their swollen trunks are primarily for water storage.

Taking a closer look at aerial roots.

After that, it was time to take a closer look at the special category of plants that feed on more than just sunlight, air and water. They also love a yummy bug or two! We were introduced to three different varieties of such plants, all to be found at the top levels at Cloud Forest: the Pitcher Plant, the Butterwort and the Venus Fly Trap. Interestingly, they all have different features and methods of ensnaring their prey.

The pitcher plant uses a pitfall trap. Insects are attracted to its sweet scent, but once they enter, hairs within the pitcher plant prevent the insects from crawling out again. They eventually drown in the digestive liquid within the pitcher and are consumed.

One variety of pitcher plant that you can find at Cloud Forest. Looking innocuous.

The Butterwort was new to me. It looks like a regular plant to me, but it is actually a flypaper trap that secretes a sticky substance on its leaves to trap small insects. Very deceptive.

The Venus Fly Trap was everyone's favourite. A snap trap that closes on its unsuspecting prey, it is the most "exciting" plant, though I've yet to see it in action!

Butterwort on the left and the Venus Flytrap on the right.

After the field trip, it was back to the activity room where the kids got to make their own Venus Fly Trap craft. In line with the conservation message of the Gardens, almost everything was made from recycled materials, which I thought was a nice touch. The kids -- and their parents -- soon got busy coming up with a chomper of their own.

Helping to sketch the outline shape for the Venus Fly trap.

Busy cutting and pasting. Noey could mostly manage on his own with minimal help.

Ah-ah-mmm! Venus Fly Trap ready for action!

It was a fun and educational way to spend the morning.

If you're interested to participate in the Feed Me! programme, subsequent sessions are scheduled to be run 15 March (Sat), 18 March (Tues), 20 March (Thurs) and 22 March (Sat) from 10.30am to 12.30pm. You have to pre-register online at www.gardensbythebay.com.sg and a programme charge of $18 applies, in addition to conservatory charges. This programme is suitable for 4 to 6 year olds. There are also a number of other interesting programmes where the kids can learn about how plants reproduce (The Birds and The Bees), the little creatures in the ground and the roles they play in keeping plants healthy (Stories in the Understorey), and be a little explorer to discover the resident creatures at Kingfisher Lake (Discoveries at Kingfisher Lake). Do check out the list of educational programmes on the Gardens By The Bay website for more details.

If self-exploration is more your thing, there are a number of trails and activity sheets you can pick up to make your own discoveries. The new War of the Roses display at the Flower Dome promises to be quite a treat with over 60 varieties of roses on display and I'm looking forward to seeing that. As for the kids, I'm sure a visit to the FEO Children's Garden will be a must when we visit.

Now, let's pray that the weather holds out -- and the haze stays away! Have fun at the Gardens this March!

Far East Organisation Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay

We're always on the look out for playgrounds when we are out and about. Not being mall-going people, you'll more often than not find us roaming outdoor parks and spaces, with playgrounds being a welcome sight for both parent and child. Fun for the young ones and a bit of respite for the adults!

Well, we've found the mother of all playgrounds. It's got wet water play areas and dry forest adventure areas. It's got a toddler play area for 1-to-5s and tree houses and an adventure trail for 6-to-12s. It's surrounded by plants and greenery. It's huge. And the best part: ADMISSION IS FREE!

We've talking about the hotly anticipated Far East Organization Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay, which opens its doors to the public today, 21 January 2014. If you, like us, have lamented the lack of a children's play area at Gardens by the Bay over the past year, I can safely say that all will be forgiven when you visit this space. Covering a space of 1-hectare (!!!) and located between the Cloud Forest dome and Satay by the Bay, the Children's Garden is a play haven where 1 to 12-year-olds (and over!) can have fun and enjoy interactive play in a lush garden setting. 

We attended the launch of the Children's Garden, and quite frankly, it wasn't just the kids who couldn't wait to play. I found myself wishing that I was a child again and dressed in less stuffy clothes so that I could get in on the action as well! Here's a quick introduction to the different areas:

A. Toddler Play (1 to 5-year-olds)

Catering to the littlest ones is Toddler Play. Through the gates, walk straight past the lockers for the Water Play area and you'll find it. It's conveniently next to the cafe so parents can grab a drink or a bite while watching their kids have fun. I'm not sure what they serve since it wasn't open when we visited but I've got my fingers crossed for good (or at least decent) coffee! The play area features a balancing beam, play spring seats, sway bridge, seesaw, a climbing structure with a slide, a toddler swing, a toddler hammock, stepping springs, flower table and seats, megaphone and a caterpillar topiary trellis. Plenty to keep the little tikes occupied! 

B. Fish Fountain (2 to 5-year-olds)

The water play area for toddlers, this is next to the main water play area and features 17 fish sculptures of varying sizes. Shooting water out of their mouths, naturally. This is much tamer than the main water play area, and for that reason, great for the little ones, especially those who might feel intimidated by the water everywhere in the main water play area. I think it'd also be a good for those who want to play with water but just who don't like getting drenched or getting their head wet. I think you can pretty much escape that here!  

C. Water Play (6 to 12-year-olds)

Surely the pièce de résistance of the Children's Garden, the Water Play area is the first thing you'll spot upon entering the gates, and my, is it impressive. When it gets going, it's really water fun everywhere! I liked the garden-themed elements that were used, from the reed-like water splines that sprayed water around while spinning 360, and the orchid-shaped splash buckets. Another special feature of this Water Play area and a first surely: the water jets here are synchronised to music! So even if you're not playing inside, it is actually still rather entertaining to watch.

D. Adventure Trail (6 to 12-year-olds)

This, together with the Treehouses, was my kids' favourite. The Adventure Trail is a green ridge that runs alone half the perimeter of the Children's Garden. It mimics the natural landform, with dips and humps, and is interspersed with play structures for jumping, crossing and climbing. So much fun really, with balancing beams, slides, a spider net, monkey bars, a swinging bridge, hill climbing ropes, a revolving disc and more. Definitely sized for the older ones but 2 year-old Meips didn't care and gamely tried everything her 5 year-old brother did.

E. The Treehouses (6 to 12-year-olds)

Set within a thicket of rainforest trees are two treehouses, each a combination of web-like metallic frames with rope baskets suspended from platforms. Not traditional tree houses but those in the style of the supertrees here! With rope bridges and climbing structures, it was spider-Meips' favourite spot! She was a bit tiny for some of the structures and needed help to be hauled out of some of the baskets, but it didn't stop her. Noey on the other hand also had a lot of fun with the slides. 

In short, the kids loved the Children's Garden, and I loved the Children's Garden. The kids loved the play elements, naturally. But I liked how this wasn't just a playground or a water play area, but effort had been made to weave the play elements together into a garden. So there are topiary arches used along the Adventure Trail to create shade for the children, and different species of the Ficus trees planted close the the Treehouses to form a thick curtain of trailing aerial roots for children to duck under, and flowering plants planted in certain sections to create a natural habitat for butterflies. As a parent who loves to bring her children out to play in parks, this effort to bring nature closer to the children is something I appreciated.

In fact, one of the highlights of our visit for nature-loving Noey was discovering a huge beetle in the sand. We initially thought it was dead, but when we realised it wasn't, we rescued it and set it on a rock nearby to wander home. Such opportunities, I treasure.

The Far East Organization Children's Garden really blew us away. We can't wait to visit again, though I'm a little worried about how crowded it might be once word gets out. Still, don't wait too long to visit. It really is a gem of a place.

Far Eastern Organization Children's Garden
Gardens by the Bay, between Cloud Forest and Satay by the Bay
Free Admission
Opening Hours: 9am - 9pm
Closed for maintenance every Monday (or next working day if Monday is a PH)