Discovery @ Hort Park on 12 Dec 2007

Thirty seventh Discovery Posting:

Hort Park, a park opened to the public on 7 Dec 2007. was my destination for the afternoon.

HortPark is a one-stop gardening hub that brings together gardening-related, recreational, educational, research and retail activities under one big canopy in a park setting (NParks, 2007).
For more information, click here.

As i walked into the park, i noticed these flowers (pictures below) which i never seen before. First 'discovery' of the day. The name, Portulaca grandiflora, was tagged to one of them, so that's its name. And the common name for this is the moss rose or rose moss.
Discovery Note:
1. The roselike flowers are about an inch across and come in bright colors like rose pink, red, yellow, white, and orange.
2. The plant is used in the treatment of hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver with ascites, swelling and pain in the pharynx.
3. The fresh juice of the leaves and stems is applied externally as a lotion to snake and insect bites, burns, scalds and eczema.

Second 'discovery' looked like a sea holly, but a sign board nearby indicate that this is the Laurentia longiflora or otherwise known as the Star of Bethlehem.
Discovery Note (Information for Hippobroma longiflora, a synonym for Laurentia longiflora):
1. When pulling this, it is important to wear gloves: the sap is an irritant which can be absorbed through the skin, and a small amount of sap in the eyes can cause blindness.

Walking around the park, i spotted this interesting looking cube (picture below).
From a signboard nearby the cube:
Flowers found around the cube (picture below).Third 'discovery' is a plant which i have been seeing around Singapore but i never got to know its name. But a signboard nearby this plant finally answered my question. This is the Fairy Lily (picture below). Discovery Note:
1. This is also known as the white rain lily.
2. Scientific name: Zephyranthes candida

Located in the park is a section where they showcase ideas on how to recycle bottles and other materials as containers for plants. I'm showing some of the ones which i found interesting and nice (pictures below). Walking around, i also noticed this (picture below).The bins are a great start for what other parks clould do. But the venting machine? I do hope they're (vending machines) there due to the GardenTech event and will be removed soon.

Cause it does really 'stand' out in the park.

Anyway, there's a section called, Fantasy park, which features characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Here's Dorothy and her dog (picture below). The Scarecrow (picture below):Tinman (picture below).The lion who loves flowers if my memory serves me correct (picture below).Fourth 'discovery' is a very common flowering plant which we see almost all around Singapore. The bougainvillea (pictures below)!Discovery Note:
1. They are thorny, woody, vines growing anywhere from 1-12 meters tall, scrambling over other plants with their hooked thorns.
2. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance that is easily left in the flesh of an unsuspecting victim.
3. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white (picture above), but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.
4. You will most likely to find them to be at the sides of our bridges.

What really made me want to go visit Hort Park was the green houses which they housed flowering plants from the Mediterranean regions in the springtime and flowering plants from cloud forests. And these green houses are actually experiment green houses to find out the most energy, water and economic efficient way to maintain these plants. As eventually, you will find these plants in greenhouses located in the upcoming Gardens by the Bay.

Read more about these by click on the picture below (you might need to magnify a picture a bit for reading) Flowers from Green house No. 2 (picture below).Flowers from Green house No. 5 (picture below)There was just one thing which made my trip there a little disappointing. I was unable to enter the Green house as the doors were locked... arghz.

Anyway, if you are wondering what methods are they using to make the green house efficient, click on the picture below for a detailed explanation.Lastly, there was a lifestyle corner where they showcase ideas on how to do interior landscaping using shade-loving and indoor plants. What a place to relax myself while waiting for the drizzle outside to stop outside (picture below). =)