A Father’s Garden: Remembering Dad Through Yellow Orchids
by Gml Gallery
There’s a particular kind of orchid, Oncidium, known affectionately as Golden Showers. Its brilliant yellow blooms dance lightly on their slender stems, delicate in form yet remarkably resilient. This was my father’s favourite flower.
In the garden of my childhood home, he planted rows and rows of these orchids—nestled not in soil, but on charcoals. As a man whose hands built homes and roads in the construction industry, he carried within him a surprising tenderness, a quiet gift that made plants bloom under his care. Every weekend, he would tend to his beloved orchids on the stair-like wooden shelves he built, and I would be nearby—on the swing next to his garden—either pestering him with endless questions or simply watching, mesmerised, as life blossomed at his fingertips.
He’s been gone for 26 years now, but those weekends feel like yesterday. That swing. Those orchids. That calm, steady presence.
This year, I’ve painted a tribute: yellow orchids against a teal background. The intricate shapes of the blooms are so full of life and strength. Set against my favourite shade of teal, they seem to glow—like a quiet, steady light that continues to shine long after it was first lit. Like a father's love that lives on in the things he built and the memories he left behind.
To all the fathers out there—who build, tend, care, and love in their quiet ways—Happy Father’s Day.
And to my own: this one’s for you.
With love,
Your Ah LiLi
