On our way home from India last week we spent a few days in Singapore, which is famous for its luxuriant botanic gardens.
At a distance I caught a glimpse of these South American, 'Victoria' water lilies. These are possibly the slightly smaller Victoria cruziana species, from the Parana-Paraguay basin.
The dominant colour in the gardens is lush tropical green, against which many flowers seem positively luminous, especially the orchids in the National Orchid Garden, located within the Botanic Gardens. I was rather amazed to see the paths lined with the delicate yellow orchids, known in Australia as Dancing Lady Orchids. A couple of other orchids are shown below.
This 'torch ginger' (Etlingera elatior) made a striking contrast to the greenery. The natural distribution of gingers ranges from India to the Pacific.
Also looking very dramatic were some 'Crab Claw', Heliconias from tropical South America.
From this lush tropical environment we returned to summer in the 'Mediterranean climate' of Victoria.
Having arrived home I was stuck by the vivid contrast of these bright pink Begonias and the orange of the Crososmia beside the path.
The intensity and combination of these colours reminded me of the colours I had seen so recently in India. I have arranged them in a celadon bowl by Alister Whyte * .
Greetings from Christopher
31st January 2016
* Click on the blue text for further information.
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