See Beautiful Bougainvillea On Bridges in Singapore - Started by Lee Kuan Yew

Flowers over the bridges across the motorway impress me every time I come home to Singapore's Changi Airport.

So colourful. So elegant. So happy. So harmonious.

I think of the quotation, 'gardens are not made - by saying oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade'.



I was delighted to read that the idea of putting plants on the bridges came from Lee Kuan Yew.

The plant is named after a French man, an admiral of a ship, by the on board botanist.

The good news is that the plants flower almost all year in tropical regions, such as Singapore, and in the USA in Florida. They can be grown as small trees, as climbers along fences and bridges, or in pots and hanging baskets. In temperate climates instead they have a short season.

Best of all, they thrive with little water. Perfect for those of us who travel a lot.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea
How to take cuttings:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/bougainvillea.html

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/political-leaders-share-reflections-on-mr-lee-kuan-yews-legacy
https://mothership.sg/2019/03/bougainvillea-flowers-singapore-overhead-bridge/
singaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have many more pictures of Singapore and plants around the world. Please share links to your favourite posts.

What's that plant which smells so delicious at night?

Rangoon vine? Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Every evening I passed a wonderful plant, pink flowers, aromatic stop-and-sniff aroma.
What is it?

Answer

I passed a lady clipping away at the edge. I passed her and stopped to look. She must have heard my footsteps and seen my shadow.

I smiled and she smiled. "Lovely plant!" I exclaimed. "Beautiful colours. What is it?"

She replied, "A 'Rangoon vine'. From Burma, now called Myanmar - next to Thailand. I am snipping away the dead parts."

I asked, "How do you know which parts are dead?"

"The dead parts have turned black."

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

She also showed me boughainvillea. "The government plants it over the bridges because it needs so little maintenance. No need to water it. It thrives on sunshine and lack of water."

She showed me more plants. "This is calamansi, as we call it. You call it lime. "

Sh moved on, "Do you like lemon grass. I'll cut you a spike of lemon grass. Smell it where it's been cut."

She kept pointing out more plants, "Over there's aloe vera. It's supposed to be good for you, if you know how to apply it. But if you do the wrong thing, it can be bad for you."

Such is life.

Useful Websites:

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plant-inspiration/plants-for-evening-scent/

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.