Botanical Garden - Lakeside

The Putrajaya Botanical Garden is really huge. During our last visit, we only managed to cover the Morrocan Pavillion, Vine Garden and Heliconia Walk (shown by the the pink arrows in the map below). This time, we were able to cover the Canna Walk and Pandanus Walk located by the lake before it started to drizzle and we had to run for shelter. Sigh!!! Or shall I stay optimistic and tell myself that gives us reason to return to the Botanical Garden again for another visit!!

It was a gloomy afternoon. But we were filled with excitement. We brought some snacks, books, newspaper and a mat with the intention of having a picnic at the Botanical Garden. It has been a looooong while since all 4 of us had a picnic. Our excitement was shortlived, when the drizzle started. Thus our visit only covers area near to the lake side.

Here is the jetty where one can get a boat ride in the lake. As our visit was on a week day, so the boat service was not available. We were hoping to get a ride on the tram. Unfortunately, it was not available too as the tram has been sent to the Prime Minister's residence, meant to be used during the Hari Raya Open House.

Overlooking the lake, is a huge structure with green roof and domes. That is Perdana Putra that houses the Prime Minister's Office.

By the side of the lake is the Putrajaya Lakeview Restaurant. My friend said that the view from the restaurant is spectacular in the evening.

Fortunately, we had those grass-thatched gazebos that provided us with shelter from the rain. It was really nice to sit under those gazebos and enjoy the splendid view of the lake in front of us.

Some beautiful orchids used to decorate a small section at the entrance of the Lakeview Restaurant. As it is the month of Ramadan, we can see an oil lamp has been placed there. I assume it is lit up in the evenings as part of the celebration of Lailatul-Qadr* night.

* Note: During the last 10 days of Ramadan month, Muslims will keep vigil for Lailatul Qadr (The Night of Decree), the night when the holy Quran was sent down. It is believed that angels descend and shower blessings on that particular night, so homes are brightly lit-up with oil lamps.

Tall, splendid-looking pandanus plants greeted us at the Pandanus Walk. Aren't they beautiful?

Bright, vibrant-coloured Rangoon Creeper was found near walkway by the lake.

These are what we found at the Canna Walk. These bright coloured Cannas definitely cheered us up!

Canna

The Putrajaya Botanical Garden has a beautiful section dedicated to Cannas. It is called the Canna Walk. In this section, one gets to see the garden fabulously landscaped with various colourful Canna and I found these description of Canna on the signage:

Cannas are native to Tropical America, where there are about 25 wild species. Canna generalis, commonly known as garden cannas, are hybrids that come in many different colours. Most cannas propagate by underground creeping stems (rhizomes), while others propagate by hard, bead-like seeds.

Cannas gained popularity as a garden plant in the mid-19th century, when the first hybrids were produced in France (1848). Since then, hundreds of hybrids displaying many shades of red, yellow, orange and pink flowers have been produced.

According to Professor R.E. Holttum in Gardening in the Lowlands of Malaya 1953): "There are very few plants in Malayan gardens that give really solid masses of colour... cannas are very important, as few other plants, whether herbaceous or woody, can compare with them in producing massed colour effects."

Vine Garden, Botanical Garden, Putrajaya

We spent a lot of time walking along the Heliconia Trail and Vine Garden. However, it was the Vine Garden that we truly enjoyed. We saw so various kind of climbing plants & flowers on trellis and pergola. Some of them I have never seen before are the Sand Piper Vines & Tumbergia Bengal. It's so nice to sit under the trellis of these plants to rest our feet and enjoy the beauty of the colourful blooms hanging around us.

Botanical Garden in Putrajaya

Do you know that there are 3 major gardens in Putrajaya, i.e. Botanical Garden (Taman Botani), Agricultural Heritage Park (Taman Warisan Pertanian) and lastly Wetland (Taman Wetland)?

During our visit to Floria Fest 2009 in Putrajaya, we took the opportunity to explore the Putrajaya's Botanical Garden that is located in Precint 2 and had a brief stop at the Wetland too.

BangChik & KakDah, if you are reading this, I am truly envious of all the beautiful gardens you have at your suburb! It's so wonderful to be living in a suburb surrounded by greens.

The Botanical Garden that we visited is HUGE! The completed area that is opened to public covers an area of 63 acres!! Yup, it's not possible to walk around such huge area. However, one can opt to take the tram (unfortunately it was under repair during our visit) or hire bicycle for some adventurous discovery of the garden.

An Overview of the Botanical Garden

The 5 Features of the Botanical Garden

The Garden features 5 key areas:

1. Explorer's Trail (comprises of Canopy Bridge, Heliconea Trail &Vine Garden)
2. Palm Hill
3. Sun Garden (comprises of Sun Garden, Orchid Path & Floral Step)
4. Floral Gardens (comprises of African Collection, Tropical African Collection, Bougainvillea Tunnel, Asia Pacific Collection & Ficus Shades)
5. Lakeside (comprises of Hibiscus WalkPandanus Walk, Canna Walk & Fern Garden)

However, my friends and I were only able to cover the Explorer's Trail, even though we had spent over 2 hours there!!! Even my friend's mom whom we called, Aunt Claire, who celebrated her 71st birthday on the day of our visit, had a fun time walking around this huge park with the help of a walking stick.

At the Canopy Walk

Operation Hours

No entrance fee is charged for the Botanical Garden is you do your own tour.
Bicycles for Hire & Trams are available to bring visitors around this huge garden.

Different kinds of bicycles catering to children, adult & family are available for hire.



The beautiful tiles featuring leaves of various plants are found at the entrance to the Botanical Garden.

A scene taken from the Canopy Walk

We will definitely return to the Botanical Garden to cover the other areas that we have not ventured. Another garden that I am very keen to check out is the Shah Alam Agricultural Park. Heard from fellow photography enthusiasts in our community's forum, USJ.com, that this park features many photography opportunities.

Come, let's visit our local parks!!