The Orchid Garden (Taman Orkid) in Kuala Lumpur Perdana Lake Garden

Does your mom love flowers? Mine does and I guess most mothers out there. In Kuala Lumpur we took a little trip to the KL Lakes to visit an Orchid Garden. The park is located in the western part of the city. We thought it would be nice to get away from the crowds and the concrete jungle and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Orchid Garden (Taman Orkid)
Location: KL Lake Gardens | Free Entrance

Kuala Lumpurâ€™s Lake Garden which is also known as the Perdana Lake Gardens is a tropical oasis in the city. It is big and the Orchid Garden is just one of the many attractions here. However, in order to visit these attractions and because this is a very large lake garden estate, you would need to take a taxi to come here and then further take a shuttle bus (from the park and they are not free) or one of those taxis parked. This is actually one of my disappointments in coming here because the park attractions are not easily accessible on foot. The attractions as well may be located beside each other but there is no easy way to transition to the next attraction on foot. I sometimes wonder on what exactly is the point of creating a nature park for the masses if the only way to get there and explore the area is through a moving vehicle.

A nature and recreational park must be open, friendly and easily accessible on foot by everyone. Not some hidden place where you have to unlock a challenge in order to visit. Nevertheless, go here to see the map of the Lake Gardens and you will see the location of the Orchid Garden which is across the Bird Park.

The Orchid Garden alone is approximately one hectare in size. It is the highest point of the Lake Gardens and has over 800 species of orchids in its location.

Beautiful purple Moth orchid.

These look like Cymbidium orchids.

My mother loves flowers especially orchids and I remember when I was little she would fawn over them with excitement when they bloom. Although she is not as passionate as my aunt who leads conversations with her orchid collection and even serenades them with an a capella, she adores them and I have learned a few species about orchids from her. Such as Vanda, Cattleya and Dendrobium, among a few that we had in our garden before.

I also often hear stories from my grandmother that Waling-Waling is the most sought after flower-orchid in the country. They are rare and very expensive, and are only found in the southern part of the Philippines, in Mindanao and usually hanging from a cliff.

TRIVIA: Did you know that the Philippines have two national flowers?

There was a motion in 2004 to replace the national flower of the Philippines, Sampaguita with the Waling-Waling orchid, but the motion was turned down, however, in 2013 a bill was passed declaring Waling-Waling as the Philippine national flower alongside Sampaguita.

The national flower of Malaysia is the Chinese Hibiscus. Although the Netherlands is perhaps the flower capital of the world, the country does not have a national flower. I am not surprised, the Dutch are too sober to be busy passing a bill about a national flower.

Other countries with orchid as national flower: Singapore, Panama, Colombia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize and Venezuela. Orchids are very popular in Central and South America!