Singapore Garden Festival

Singapore Garden Festival charms visitors with garden & floral displays

The Singapore Garden Festival is back for the third time to charm visitors with the works of top designers, as well as garden and floral displays.

President S R Nathan opened the festival, which is being held until July 22 at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre.

On display are some 250,000 tropical and temperate plants, as well as 31 masterpieces by award-winning garden and floral designers from 17 countries - with four winners from Singapore.

The centrepiece is a five-metre tall display called The Man Who Planted Trees.

It is grown and nurtured by hundreds of people from the public - and is the fruit of labour of the community.

The eight-day festival is expected to draw over 300,000 visitors.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Senior Minister of State for National Development, Grace Fu, said: "Community gardening is indeed blossoming as Singapore transforms from a Garden City to a City in a Garden...We need the community to help nurture and grow it."

For the first time in the festival, two Singaporean designers were awarded top honours.

John Tan's garden, "The Tree House - Modern Kampong Lifestyle", was the winner for the Best of Show - Landscape Garden category. His garden depicts a modern kampong house that reflects the lifestyle of the future, but yet retains the old character of wooden houses.

Damian Tang's "The Mysterious Jungle of Pandora" came out tops in the Best of Show - Fantasy Garden category. His garden replicates a rich jungle environment shadowed by underlying tones of danger and the unknown that would captivate and overwhelm the senses.

Jim Fogarty of Australia was named the inaugural recipient of the SGF Horticulture Excellence Award. The award was given in recognition for best plant use and plant quality in his Landscape Garden entitled "Daintree".

Germany's Brigitte Heinrichs took home the Best of Show in Floral Windows to the World category with her work entitled "Design with Nature".

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-