A Desert All A-Bloom

MANILA, Philippines — If you think nothing grows in the middle of the desert – think again. You’ll never say that again after you’ve seen the Dubai Miracle Garden, an oasis in an otherwise infertile land.

Situated on a 72,000-square meter entertainment complex, 20 kilometers from the city center, it is the world’s largest natural flower garden – and definitely lives up to its label as a miracle. It displays more than 100 million flowers. Just imagine having to take care of them all!

The management focuses on quality blooms, most of which are from all over the world – petunias, marigolds, geraniums, coleuses, calendulas, violas, zinnias, alternantheras and sunflowers, from nearby Egypt or as far away as the United States.

Vertical and horizontal plots and spacious fields of aromatic buds greeted us, and this sensory overload continued as we strolled through pathways made alive by herbage, ferns, branches and barks.

A house overflows with flowers.

Mini fairy tale houses, complete with roofs, walls, windows, doors, terraces, front yard, steps and fences – covered with florets – are strategically placed around the area. We would not have been surprised if literary characters would pop out should we decide to open the door.

This living patch of Eden is connected by several multi-colored tunnels, organized frames and heart-shaped arches which provide a semblance of direction to the assortment of larger-than-life animals – teddy bears, turtles and even flying bumblebees.

Emus, swans, ostriches, plus an oversized gigantic peacock enhance their beauty with their spread-out wings filled with multi-colored flowers which maximize their appeal.

Not only just for show, there are functional displays such as traditional clocks, towering fountains and geysers, sturdy lamp posts, revered stupas, tall towers and turrets with speakers perched on top for the regular prayer times.

A geyser spouts in the midst of the lush garden.

It seems ironic and amusing – something out of the movie Inception – to observe that the vegetation is likewise used as jars, vases, boxes, cones, pyramids, tree trunks, hedges and even walls to host more flowerets!

For the weary, a strip of cafés with refreshments and snacks are available, with upside-down umbrellas to provide shade, as well as bedecked benches and swings with posies spread out along the premises of the park.

To attempt to lower the temperature of this open-air wonder, trees have been planted along the perimeter to serve as shade and as windbreakers.

“A Bollywood movie Hamari Adhuri Kahani was filmed in the expanse to romanticize and explore the softer side of Dubai, which is otherwise known for its soaring skyscrapers and teetering towers,” shares Cezar Sta. Maria, our friend and guide for the day, a Dubai resident for years and is revenue manager for the Bonnington Hotel.

Everything from a huge teddy bear to a cartoon giraffe and arches of all shapes and colors are covered in flowers.

The crowning glory and a sight to behold was the Emirates Airbus A380 absolutely enveloped in blooms – yes, even the logo is spelled out with buds – and matched with a totally populated and completely propagated landing strip. This structure received the Guiness Book of World Records Award for the largest floral arrangement in late 2016.

The garden follows a different theme each season, which ensures that even veteran visitors will have a brand-new experience on each visit.

“The park places a prime focus on annual and seasonal flowers,” Cezar further explains.

Equally entertaining were the people from various walks of life we encountered as we roamed around the arena of colors and fragrances.

The Emirates plane and floral runway is a major highlight at the Dubai Miracle Garden.

An adult couple was clingy and sappy as they took turns taking pictures of one other, and even bothered others to take more shots of them together in sweet poses; restless friends who argued which angle was best for their selfies; young parents who wanted more keepsakes, to the irritation of the kids who just wanted to go and explore; and even a glamor girl forever fussing with her hair, makeup, dress, shoes and accessories – for a self-portrait, aiming to eclipse the magic of the floral backdrop.

We spotted older botanists who scrutinized the plants beyond their beauty, film buffs who seemed to recreate some movie scenes through the panning of their video cameras, aircraft enthusiasts who marvelled at the plane and would-be artists who continuously tried to capture the spirit of the landscapes on their sketch pads.

On the way home, we reminisced the day, with the lingering scents of the flowers, soon starting to miss this jewel of Eden in the middle of a desert.

The blossom-bedecked peacock