Count Your Blessings!

With love and passion, everyone can have a nice garden...Elaine Yim

Count Your Blessings!
Count The Garden By The Flowers, Never By The Leaves That Fall.
Count Your Life With Smiles And Not The Tears That Roll.
..... Author unknown.

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Malaysian Flora USDA Zone 11
Welcome to our exotic world of everlasting summers and tropical rainforests!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Rainforest of 1-Utama

The 1-Utama Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia is a good example whereby green architectural and engineering concepts and techniques are incorporated into its design and development. These features include a rainwater harvesting system that reduces the usage of treated piped water significantly and a building automation system with sensors that automatically adjusts the lighting and temperature requirements. From the gardening point of view, today, we shall explore the Rainforest area of 1-Utama.

If you wish to view the blooming of this giant water lily (Victoria amazonica), you should go there in the evenings when the bud is just beginning to open. To reach the water lily pond, use the exit from Secret Recipe Cafe on Lower Ground (LG) floor. The water lily pond is located out in the open area just next to the Mamak restaurant.

Updated: 3rd June 2014
The Giant Water Lily pond has been relocated to the Rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama. This is due to construction works on the MRT project on the previous site.

Old location - Rainforest area

New location - Rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama

This is the pond that houses the Victoria Amazonica, the world's largest water lily plant. With effect from 2014, it is located at the Rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama, next to the Australian willow trees.

Its natural habitat is the ponds and lagoons deep in the forest tribulatories of the Amazon River. Our award winning botanist and researcher, Dr. Francis Ng and his team has successfully grown this giant water lily here.



I would also encourage you to watch the above video of David Attenbourough's BBC Wildlife on You-tube. Click here to view the overwhelming comments. It is a a short 4 min. documentary about this clever and amazing plant. The video shows how this lily open as pure white petals on the first day, gives out a strong fragrance to attract the scarab beetle to pollinate it, then closes at night, trapping the beetle inside. The next evening it opens again setting the beetle free. The petals changes to dark pink on the second day and the flower withers away.

I am so excited after watching it, I can't wait to share this with you. I was lucky to be able to witness and photograph the victoria amazonica in bloom. The flower is so beautiful, its pure white petals slowly opening right before my very eyes!. I hope you have enjoyed my earlier post.

These are koi fishes swimming happily in the clear water that stretches along the curved walkway into the mall. I think a pale yellow koi is pregnant because I see a bulging stomach.

This is a waterfall where water flows from an upper floor to the lower pond below. Can you see the carps in the upper deck and also in the pond? The palms here further enhances the look of this tropical landscape.

There are over 100 species of flora and fauna with real forest trees and flowering plants in the rainforest garden. The plants are properly labeled. This picture shows a man-made cascading waterfall with ferns growing around it. The rainforest gives visitors a chance to learn, appreciate and experience nature in tranquil surroundings.

Fish food is availabe for sale at a counter nearby. So, children can have a fun outing here feeding the colourful koi fishes in the pond while mum and dad takes a breather after a long day shopping at the mall. If you are hungry, you can enjoy the al-fresco dining experience as the cafes and restaurants are just a few steps away. There are also some benches here for people to sit down, relax and enjoy the calm and cool surroundings. It's a breathtaking view. Look up to the sky above and you will see a Rainbow Suspension Bridge. Wanna try walking across it?

The Rainforest has a plethora of fishes. Besides these beautiful koi fishes, there are also a variety of other freshwater fishes housed in a giant aquarium for public viewing. There are signboards with information about the fishes in front of the aquarium.

Standing next to this waterfall gives me a refreshing and cool feeling. I like the green pothos seen here dangling gracefully from the top of the waterfall. There are more pothos at the balcony and among the rocks.

There are so many koi fishes here, I think they are having a population explosion !

This is a beautiful combination of anthuriums, bromliads, pothos, peace lilies and another red leaf plant, the name which I do not know. I think this looks like a flower bouquet arrangement.

The funny thing is that this Rainforest has been around for some time now and I have not noticed it before. I mean it has been there a few years already and I have gone to this mall so many times, I have never really appreciated it. Many times I have just walked passed it, oblivious to its beauty and tranquility. Not until when I went there to take photographs, and what a wonderful feeling this was. It is like a new discovery and sense of happiness at having found a green and environmental friendly place right here in a busy shopping centre.

Do you like this concept?

I wish to leave behind a Green Environment and Healthy Earth for our future generations.
To visit Think Green Thursday, please click here.

25 comments:

  1. I can see myself having lunch there and looking onto this paradise.

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  2. Awesome! What an amazing place to visit. And that Lily is mammoth! What a neat opportunity for you to see it actually bloom! Beautiful photos.

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  3. What an interesting place to visit.

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  4. These photos are stunning. We have the victoria amazonica here at our conservatory of flowers and they are just so special to see. Thanks for sharing these.

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  5. I would not get any shopping done if I were there. :)

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  6. Hi Autumnbelle, what an amazing place with the giant waterlilies. I have seen old photos of these with a victorian lady standing on the leaves. Thanks for showing that fabulous bloom too. I do like the concept of having those features at a shopping mall. So many will not take notice, but for those who do, and come with cameras, it is like looking into another world. :-)
    Frances

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  7. Splendid little fishies and lilies.Thanks for showing us this cool shopping center.
    Rosey

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  8. Oh so nice! I like the pond. I wish I am there now to relax myself both walking through the forest and shopping. TQ for posting these pictures, now I know what to expect. I thought they only have plants. The entire landscape is a beauty.

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  9. Helen, do you know that before this, I actually had frequented those cafes located next to the rainforest but never did I venture further into the Rainforest area. How strange.

    Daisy, Joanne, Donna, I love this place because of its green concept and beautiful gardens. The 2 main gardens are Rainforest and The Secret Garden and another garden outside at Central Park. What more now that we have a ‘Beauty Queen’ here.

    Poetic Shutterbug. I’m sure you are the best person to understand my feelings here.

    Frances, Rosey and Stephanie, this lily is name after Queen Victoria of England. In Europe it is known as the Giant Water Platter. I’ve been told that this lily is also grown in conservatories in some countries such as Britain, Singapore, Australia and Finland.

    Thank you all so much for the visits, the nice comments and sharing the excitement with me.

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  10. It's a nice,serene place to visit. 1 Utama has done well to introduce shoppers to nature. We took some disabled visitors there one day and they thoroughly enjoyed feeding the koi.

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  11. I wondered who it was that had never seen an apple tree and so I came here for a visit.....and happy that I did. Almost hard to believe that this rainforest is in the mall. Very impressive. You wouldn't want to see the inside of our boring mall.

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  12. Oh Belle, you had been missing this domesticated jungle for a couple of years... So blotanical must have provided the right stimulant for you to view things and start clicking! Cheers ~bangchik

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  13. Just love those lilies... as you know... every time I find them I have to feature them!

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  14. Wonderful! I love all the water features!

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  15. Very nice photographs, Autumn Belle! Visit my think Green Thursday post! :)

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  16. This is a refreshing blog entry. Thank you for sharing those lily and koe. I can't wait to return to see what you share next.

    Happy Harvesting going on in my Garden so stop by sometime and see what I am sharing with my Garden Network of Friends.

    Great to have found your blog!
    Bren

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  17. I can't believe that Victoria Amazonica lily pad! So the bud begins to open in the evening (would love to catch a night time picture) then the beetle pollinates it, gets trapped but it sets it free? Unreal- Interesting post! The fish & foliage are cool too. Ha..did you take notes..I'm not sure I would of remembered all that! Have a great weekend-

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  18. How nice if all the shopping areas starts this idea and maintain the green ecology theme - that way, it would be nice to go to one garden theme to another in shopping complexs.

    Anyway, the red leaf plant is also known as a bromeliad.

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  19. That is so neat. I'd love to see it in person. Those Victoria waterlilies are amazing, I've only ever seen pictures of them. Lucky you get to enjoy it in person!

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  20. fabulous series of pictures, I love the place awesome, happy think green Thursday to you.

    Norm

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  21. Amazing place to visit. I am with you that I only really started paying close attention to nature in the last 5 years. The video was really great. I had never seen a flower like that living where I do. Thank you for posting to Think Green as you have the perfect blog here for it... Michelle

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  22. Sunshine girl, one thing I like about 1-Utama is that it disabled friendly. They are setting good examples which others businesses should emulate.

    Donna, how I wish I can plant a red apple tree in my back yard. Yes! A rainforest here and how about a walkway that has koi fishes swimming happily underneath?

    Bangchik, blotanical has certainly helped me rediscover my childhood passion for photography. Instead of being lost in the rat race, now I stop to take photos, admire nature and try to relish every moment of the day.

    Charlotte, Tatyana, I think I am just like a little girl who has just found a beautiful toy and wants to show it to her friends.

    Maryt, thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the nice comments. I have just visited your blog.

    Bren, welcome on board and thank you so much for the compliments and encouraging comments. Will be glad to visit your blog and Garden Network of Friends.

    Kilauea Poetry, actually I didn’t know that this lily was so fascinating until I saw the BBC video. That was why I have included a link to share with all of you. I was lucky to be there at the right moment when the flower started to bloom. I have photographed the flower in bloom while the beetle part can be viewed from the BBC video. You have to see it in order to believe it.

    James, I do agree that 1-Utama is setting many good examples that other shopping complexes can follow. And thank you very much for your information on the red leaf bromeliad :)

    Catherine and Norm. Welcome to my blog. Thank you for the visit and nice comments.

    Michelle, welcome and thank you very much for the visit to my blog. I am happy to participate in Think Green Thursday. It for a cause I believe in. Thank you for hosting TGT possible

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  23. wow, this is reeeallllly nice. I think I've seen a similar lily with that huge round leaf at our botanic gardens here in DC. It's just lovely.

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  24. Before uploading my video about the koi pond to Youtube, I came across your article on this Rainforest. I love it. Hope that you don't mind if i put a link to my video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQyxTmw3lmY

    Thank you.

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  25. Sunnyboy88100, Welcome to My Nice Garden. Yes, you can link to this post and thank you very much for reading my blog and linking in!

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