Sakura under the Tropical Sun — Blossom Bliss at Gardens by the Bay
Momiji at the Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
The advantage of having huge column-less cooled conservatories at Gardens by the Bay is that we get to enjoy springtime blooms in our tropical city-state.
Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Momiji and I made it to Blossom Bliss, this year's sakura display at the Flower Dome of Gardens by the Bay. We almost missed it...but made it on the last day (24 March). I skipped out and spent around 2 to 3 hours strolling, admiring and shooting the blooms. Before I realised it, I had taken over 200 photographs! (O_O!)
Read on the news that this year's display carried more varieties than last year's display. Well, I missed last year's Blossom Beats. Though I confess that I wasn't too bothered about missing it since we were booked on a trip to chase sakura in Hakodate and Sapporo.
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (see more on IG)
And...actually, this year Hubby, myself and our bestie DT also booked for a long-awaited besties' trip to Japan. And the plan includes sakura-viewing in Hirosaki. Nevertheless, I wanted to check out the Blossom Bliss floral display, as they were bringing in several cherry varieties.
Past peak bloom! Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
When we visited, the blooms were already past peak - most of the leaves were fully unfurled (with more to come). But there were still many lovely blooms left on the trees to admire.
Still many pretty blooms on the trees! Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Many of the Somei Yoshino blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis) at the Blossom Bliss display had already fallen. But there were still some to admire, though no longer at their peak.
Somei Yoshino at peak bloom is truly breathtaking. I was very fortunate to be able to experience peak blossom season during our trip to Hakodate and Sapporo last year.
The 1,600 sakura trees (most of them Somei Yoshino) in Goryokaku Park were completely covered with delicate pale pink blossoms. It was as though the tree branches were clad with clouds. It's really difficult to put the scenery into words and into pictures. I tried, but I think I'm not good enough a photographer to capture the beauty.
The Somei Yoshino (染井吉野) is the classic sakura, the most beloved cherry variety by the Japanese, and possibly most commonly associated with Japan. Perhaps the Somei Yoshino best symbolises transience, with its single-petaled, almost-white-pale-pink appearance?
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
The other much loved sakura variety by the Japanese is the Higan-zakura (彼岸桜), another pale, delicate beauty. I think it may have also been on display.... Unfortunately I confess I often have difficulty differentiating between the Higan-zakura and the Somei Yoshino. (The former is a parent of the latter, by the way.)
Prunus 'Miyako', Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
Somewhere along the way were the yaezakura varieties. There was the pale pink Prunus 'Miyako'. This one was a first for me, and I looked it up on the Internet, hoping to find out more. Unfortunately, much of what I found was not clear.... Based on some pages I looked up, apparently, it is also known as the Prunus 'Shogetsu', and has also been labeled Oku Miyako, as well as Blushing Bride. Names can be confusing heh?
Prunus 'Miyako', Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
Anyway, I do love how the fluffy pink blossoms hang down in clusters, and how their colours contrast with the fresh green leaves.
Prunus 'Kanzan' (kanzan-zakura), Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
Not far away was the kanzan cherry (Prunus 'Kanzan'), another yaezakura variety. It is also a popular and well-loved Prunus serrulata cultivar - though not so much in Japan, where such varieties are considered gaudy or too showy.
Prunus 'Kanzan' (kanzan-zakura), Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (another on IG)
Actually, the kanzan-zakura (関山桜) brings back some vivid memories for me. It was the first sakura blossom I encountered. We were visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was past peak bloom season - in fact, it was long past and I only caught the last of the blossoms, the late-bloomers. We mostly strolled the Cherry Esplanade and parts of the Japanese Garden, and the few blooms I caught were the kanzan-zakura.
Prunus 'Kanzan' (kanzan-zakura) at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 29/04/2012.
The experience is stuck in my memories because I had been rather disappointed that I had missed out on peak blossom season. I also remember feeling a mixture of feelings while looking at the kanzan-zakura's showy pink blooms. I had felt that they were lovely, but was also a little mystified because I was half-expecting something else entirely. I do look back quite fondly to that day at the BBG, and every now and again remind myself that expectations, stereotypes and perceptions can often vastly differ from reality.
Kikushidare-zakura (literally, weeping chrysanthmum cherry blossom), Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
Moving on, there was the kikushidare-zakura (菊しだれ桜), the weeping form of the late-blooming kikuzakura. Apparently it's also called Cheal's Weeping Cherry and can have as many as 100 petals. So it seems the Japanese tend to refer to these varieties as kiku-zakura because they have so many petals they somewhat resemble the chrysanthemum....
Well, with so many petals, they are super eye-catching - looking very much like bright pink frilly pompoms... Hardly what one would expect sakura to look like.
Fujishidare-zakura, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (on IG)
There were 2 other shidarezakura varieties I saw. One was the fujishidare-zakura (富士しだれ桜), a weeping cherry with single-petaled blooms that cascade in a riot of white and pink.
Fujishidare-zakura, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
The fujishidare blossoms are white when they first bloom and turn pink as they mature.
Fujishidare-zakura, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
It was pretty amazing to be able to see white, pale pink and pink blossoms on the same branch. Personally, I prefer the fujishidare over the kikushidare.... I find the kikushidare a little too frilly for my liking.
Prunus autumnalis pendula, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
Illuminated Prunus autumnalis pendula, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
The other shidarezakura variety I saw was the Prunus autumnalis pendula. I'm not sure if I remember the label correctly; it may have been the Prunus subhirtella pendula. Whatever. I was just too occupied admiring the blossoms.
Illuminated Prunus autumnalis pendula, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (another on IG)
Later in the evening, as the sunlight faded, the lights started coming on, illuminating the blossoms. In Japan, there's usually evening illumination for people to appreciate the seasonal display. And thus with the fall foliage in autumn (posted here), and the sakura in spring. The evening illuminated blossoms are called yozakura (夜桜). How poetic it sounds in Japanese....
Illuminated Prunus autumnalis pendula, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (on IG)
The lighting can create some dramatic effects and contrasts, which is different from daytime light.
The evening light sources came from spotlights and some Japanese-like lanterns that were placed around the pavilion, pond and bridge that were at the centre of the floral display.
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Like last year's Blossom Beats, the floral display this year also had a 'Japanese' decor, with the pond, the lanterns, the central pavilion with its shoji-like walls. To be honest, I was ambivalent about the whole 'Japanese' decor.
The round windows of the central pavilion overlooking the blossoms were quite picturesque. (Took me a long time to finally get a relatively people-less shot of this.)
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
I can imagine how gorgeous the view would have been, during peak bloom...because the trees in the background would be completely covered with blossoms. (And I am telling myself to ignore the distracting glimpse of the torii at the corner of the window, and those barricades.)
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (on IG)
From certain angles, it looked fine and provided some great background or contrast for the blossoms. But overall, I think there's something...something too much? A bit of a miss with getting at the essence of Japanese aesthetics. Maybe if they just put in a simple winding stone/gravel path, mossy grounds with the occasional small stone lantern, some rustic wood benches, and plain paper lanterns among the trees. But ultimately, I think the blossoms are best showcased in their natural environment.
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay
Additionally... it's true that the sakura has great historical and cultural significance to Japan, and the Japanese took sakura blossom viewing to unparalleled heights (especially during the Heian and Edo periods). However, Japan does not have a monopoly on blossom viewing and there are other places where people can also view cherry blossoms - China, South Korea, Taiwan, the US (not just Washington DC), Canada, Denmark (the best known is Bispebjerg cemetery), Germany, Sweden (the best known is Kungsträdgården), other European cities... (That said, I am guilty of going to Japan to view sakura.)
So anyway, back to the stars - the blossoms. Other than sakura, there were also plum blossoms and possibly peach blossoms.
Prunus 'Fukubana', Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay
At some point, I remember seeing a very attention-grabbing double-petaled, rich pink blossom that was labeled as Prunus 'Fukubana', and that it was a flowering cherry. But somehow, they do not look like cherry blossoms at all.
'Prunus 'Fukubana', Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (on IG)
The cherry blossom, plum blossom and peach blossom all belong to the same Prunus genus. So what are these blossoms, cherry or plum, cherry or peach? Hmmm... I think plum. No, peach. No, plum. Okay, maybe peach?
A single, perfect cherry blossom on a twig. Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay (on IG)
Cherry blossoms, Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay
Apparently, sakura blossoms have that 'split' at the end of each petal (which is absent in plum and peach blossoms) and have oval buds.
And this one is maybe peach plum? Frankly, I find it hard to tell. So, I stopped bothering after a while.
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay
What I do know is these blooms pictured above are not sakura. Because sakura generally don't bloom on the branch like that. I think they might be peach plum blossoms.
Well, whether they be plum or peach, they don't lose out in beauty or cultural significance to the sakura either. In East Asian culture (and those influenced by them), plum and peach blossoms have long held pride of place and carried much symbolic meaning. Potentially, even more so than the cherry.
It is true that since the Heian era, hanami exclusively refers to cherry blossoms. However, prior to that, the custom actually centred around the plumblossom, as it was a custom which the Japanese court adopted from the Chinese. It's just that the sakurasurpassed the ume over time.
Blossom Bliss, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Still, the plum blossom continues to be seen as the harbinger of spring as well as a symbol of endurance and strength, particularly when depicted with the pine and the bamboo, known as the Three Friends of Winter in Chinese culture (called shōchikubai in Japan). And of course, in Japan, the plum blossom is also often associated with the Shinto kami of scholarship Tenman Tenjin, whose story I have posted about elsewhere. And though interest in the plum blossom has been overtaken by the sakura in Japan, plum blossom viewing still continues whenever it's peak blossom season. And there are parts of Japan where there groves of plum blossoms that are widely visited by the Japanese during peak blossom season, like the Soga Bairin in Odawara, Yushima Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto, among others. A lot of these spots are Tenmangu shrines, largely because the plum was beloved by Tenjin. (Update: Visited the Odawara Soga Bairin in 2019, posted here, and also the Yushima Tenjin Shrine, posted here.)
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