The Gardens by the Bahay Kubo: A Fiesta of Orchids floral display in Cloud Forest opened on 17 September 2024, showcasing orchids endemic to the Philippines and regarded as some of the most beautiful in the world.
Beautiful Orchids from the Philippines: Gardens By The Bahay Kubo
The Philippines is home to some of the world’s most diverse orchid species. At Cloud Forest’s Gardens by the Bahay Kubo: A Fiesta of Orchids floral display, 40 taxa of orchids which can trace their origins to the Philippines can be viewed.
These orchids include iconic varieties from the Vanda, Dendrobium, and Phalaenopsis genera.
A highlight of the floral display is the limited-time blooming of the Waling waling or Vanda sanderiana, a coveted orchid species affectionately known as the Queen of Philippine flowers, that is even worshipped as a Diwata, or fairy, by the indigenous Bagobo people.
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Other orchids on display include the Phalaenopsis schilleriana, one of the most widely sought-after and cultivated species in the genus and an ancestor of many well-known pink moth orchid hybrids today, as well Trichoglottis atropurpurea, commonly known as the dark-purple Trichoglotti due to the striking purple of the flower’s labellum, which resembles a tongue.
Bahay Kubo, Other Artefacts & Biodiversity on Display
At the centre of the floral display, amidst a landscape of orchids, is a Bahay Kubo. This dwelling is synonymous with the Filipino culture of the community coming together to help each other, as all the men of a neighbourhood will lift a Bahay Kubo on their shoulders and manually relocate it when a family wants to move.
The Philippines is also a haven for biodiversity with diverse fauna. One of the most notable is its national bird, the Philippine eagle. Widely considered the largest eagle in the world in terms of length and wing surface area, life-sized models of the majestic bird are in the floral display.
Other animals of the Philippines, such as the heavily built carabao and tiny tarsier (called “the world’s smallest monkey”), are also featured in the Cloud Forest display.
On loan from the collection of the Embassy of the Philippines in Singapore are several traditional artefacts that embody Filipino culture.
These include Kiping chandeliers, made from arranging sheets of rice paper to replicate the appearance of real leaves.
There are also ornamental lanterns called parol that are put up during the Christmas season (which begins in September in the Philippines), and traditional hand-woven mats called baníg.
Also on show are the sungka, a traditional Philippine game that is played with small stones, beans, or seeds, and rows of holes in the earth or a board – not dissimilar from Singapore’s congkak, and the kulintang, an instrument consisting of bronze gongs on a wooden board.
The orchid display was put together by some 20 Filipinos including domestic workers who volunteer with HOME (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics) and students in the National University of Singapore’s Filipino Cultural Club together with Gardens by the Bay’s horticulturists.
Gardens by the Bay CEO Felix Loh said, “Philippines is well-known amongst orchidologists to be home to some of the most beautiful orchids in the world. Naturally, the horticulturists at Gardens by the Bay were excited to bring a display of the country’s orchids to our Cloud Forest. We hope some of the Filipino elements like the Bahay Kubo will be an interesting introduction for our visitors to the rich culture of our neighbour, and also engender a warm home-away-from-home feeling for our local Filipino community.”
Gardens by the Bahay Kubo: A Fiesta of Orchids
When: Monday, 16 September 2024 to January 2025, 9 am to 9 pm
Where: Cloud Forest.
Admission charge to Cloud Forest applies
Get more details about Gardens by the Bahay Kubo
Read more about what to expect at the Cloud Forest, including a new digital experience.
