Dahlia Dreams @ Gardens by the Bay

Visiting the Flower Dome @ Gardens by the Bay during the Chinese New Year period has become an annual affair for our family. We love to see the floral display during the festive period which brings us much joy. This year, we were a little late, but am happy that we didn't miss the first floral exhibit for 2016!

Before entering the dome, we were captivated by the bronze cast bull which looked extremely magnificent with the golden necklace around its neck!

As we entered into the Year of the Monkey, the flower dome has transformed into the "Flowers & Fruit Mountain" (花果山) where the legendary Monkey King lived.

The center floral piece at the entrance showcase "The Four Gentlemen", which are four plants representing the seasons. Plum Blossom (梅) for Winter, Orchid (兰) for Spring, Bamboo (竹) for Summer and Chrysanthemum (菊) for Autumn. Each plant is associated with qualities such as integrity, resilience, honesty and courage.

Every year, when I looked back at the photos taken in the previous years, it amazes me how much our kiddos have grown. From children to teen. Give Gladys a few more years and she will be taller than me!

Our turn to take selfie!

It's great to bring my in-laws to the Flower Dome as they enjoy looking at the floral display. Take a slow and leisure walk around the Flower Dome, or sit down to rest within the air-condition conservatory when the folks are tired. This is also a precious moment where we see three generations spending time to interact and learn from each other.

Apart from admiring the flowers, taking pictures is also an important agenda on our list. I wonder if Hubby was trying to act like a monkey in front of the "Water Curtain Mountain" (水帘洞). Our girl definitely didn't seem to find her daddy hilarious and did not join him in the act.

This year, we were able to take pictures with our Chinese Zodiac animals smoothly. I'm definitely enjoying my walk through the exhibit without feeling the crunch from the crowd.

It's great to see Dahlia (大丽花) flowers back in action! Do you know that the Dahlia depends on its bright colours and sweet nectar to attract pollinators as it does not produce any scent!  No wonder the flowers are always so colourful and captivating.

Apart from the Dahlia flowers, Begonias, Pineapple Lily, Tangerines and other exquisite blooms are some of the floral you can expect to see.

Since we are being brought into the Flowers & Fruit Mountain, many monkeys can be seen hanging around. I thought the wooden crafted monkeys looked a little intimidating, but it is indeed a work of art. It seems the sculpture came from the same hands that did for the Year of the Goat. I am wondering if we will be seeing similar wooden sculpture for the Year of the Dog, and maybe when one cycle is completed, all the 12 Chinese Zodiac can be seen roaming around the Flower Dome!

Wooden Goat Sculpture

Hubby asked if I noticed one of the monkeys has golden eyes while the rest don't. Could it be that he is the Monkey King with fiery eyes!?

Special thanks to Gardens by the Bay staff who helped us to take our family shot on our visit. We would not be able to have such lovely pictures to take home without your help!

To satisfy my little crave for photo taking, we took more selfie together!

Dahlia Dreams is currently on until 28 February 2016. If you have not make a trip down to Gardens by the Bay, try to catch it before it ends this weekend! Admission charge to the Flower Dome applies.

For more information, visit Gardens by the Bay Website.