Singapore Garden Festival returns in sixth edition with larg

SINGAPORE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Garden Festival, which showcases creations from the world's top award-winning garden and floral designers, returned in its sixth edition on Saturday.

Organized by Singapore's National Parks Board and Gardens by the Bay, the nine-day event is the largest show to date, spanning across 9.7 hectares, and features 79 exquisite garden and floral displays.

Taking center stage at the Meadow are 15 show gardens by designers from all over the world. With an emphasis on horticultural excellence, designers sought out interesting plant material to feature in their outdoor displays.

Inch Lim, one of Malaysia's best-known horticulturist-garden designers, brought in "The Treasure Box," which won the Horticultural Excellence Award this year. The receptacle has five-meter walls, a small waterfall and a pavilion with a stream running between them.

The walls and the floor are covered with mainly rice plants to create a cocoon-like effect. These rice plants symbolize the real treasure -- they represent the life and sustenance that we are heavily reliant on.

Nearby, housed in a 10-meter-tall tent, six whimsical Fantasy Gardens combine the creative use of plants, stage lighting and props to draw visitors into a whimsical world. Italian designer Stefano Passerotti's "Nature's Resolution" transports visitors back to the past with Chinese instrumentals.

The event also showcases five balcony gardens featuring colorful and inspirational displays for small-home and apartment owners. Visitors can see how these designers transform 3 meters by 3 meters spaces into a soothing retreat.

Besides, six table-top floral displays are on show, with fresh flowers, cutlery and decorative accessories. Visitors can also enjoy 12,000 orchid plants with over 200 species and hybrids at Orchid Extravaganza at Flower Dome.

Started in 2006, the biennial event has expanded in scale and improved in variety over the past years, attracting more and more designers as well as people from the community gardening groups to participate.

Dennis Lim Kiat Fong, Director (Festival, Events and Exhibitions) of National Parks Board, told Xinhua that the festival has converged many garden lovers. "Because they get to learn a lot of new plants along the way, and we are able to introduce many new categories that interest them, and every edition we get positive feedback," said Lim.

This year's Singapore Garden Festival gives out 42 awards, 11 bronze, 12 silver and 11 gold as well as eight best of show awards. Singapore's Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong noted the garden festival is not just an event but part of a national greening movement.

"A movement tied to the vision of a Garden City set out by our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. A movement which we hope to grow from the ground-up, and make Singapore a greener and better home," said Wong.

This year's garden festival will last until July 31. It's estimated that over 300,000 visitors will visit Gardens by the Bay during the nine days. The organizer has also set up non-ticketed area with various activities to reach the public.