Inviting scent of spring

Inviting scent of spring

THE last rock has been laid on the Penang Botanic Gardens’ new double-storey pavilion — the final part of the sprawling gardens’ RM7mil expansion project.

Botanic Gardens chief controller Datuk Tengku Idaura Tengku Ibrahim said the control of the gardens was scheduled to be handed back to the administration at the end of the month.

“The project is practically finished. The contractor is doing final rectification works and after that, the keys will be handed to us.

“The state will then do the interior furnishings of the buildings,” Tengku Idaura told The Star.

The new double-storey pavilion houses a visitors' centre, administrative office and car park.

The pavilion, which is one of four packages in the gardens’ expansion project, is set to house a visitors’ centre, an administrative office and a car park.

Two other packages — an eco-stream walk and bambusetum — were completed in 2009.

The remaining package — the facade — originally had two towering arches outside the entrance but the structures were torn down last August following an outcry from non-governmental organisations which felt they were unsafe and tilting as well as unsuitable for the gardens.

Tengku Idaura said the facade, which now holds the ‘Dataran Teratai’ water garden, was becoming a topic of conversation as some of the Victoria amazonica water lilies in the ponds had started to bloom about a month ago.

Lush greenery: A Victoria amazonica with huge lily pads in one of the bigger ponds at Dataran Teratai.

“Dataran Teratai has seven ponds altogether and the Victoria amazonica lilies are planted in four of the larger ones.

“Their flowers are white at first, then change to pink,” she said.

Tengku Idaura added that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen had expressed her intention to officially open the RM1.5mil water garden in June.

“The leaves are now nearly 127cm wide now but they are expected to reach their maximum size of over 1.8m in June.

“Aside from these lilies, we also have quite a number of Typhonodorum lindleyanum (also described as a giant yam plant) from Magadascar, Sagittaria cordifolia (an aquatic plants species named after its arrow-shaped leaves) and a variety of Nymphaea (water lily) in several colours,” she said.

She added that the water garden would be opened to the public after the expansion project was officially completed.

Although the water garden was completed in January, the contractor had been requested to build a surrounding walkway around the ponds.

“The contractor has planted turf grass (outside the entrance to the gardens) which may be spoilt if many people walk and stand around the ponds.

“The surrounding walkway is not in the original plans, but we hope that it can be added,” Tengku Idaura said.

She added that the gardens would also build a 274m-long handicap-friendly footpath from one end of the car park to the entrance gate.

The expansion project started in 2008 and is commissioned by the Tourism Ministry and implemented by the state Drainage and Irrigation Department.

~News courtesy of The Star~