Singapore Botanic Gardens

Address: 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Singapore is a Garden City, and Singapore Botanic Gardens became the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Singapore. Located in 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569, Singapore Botanic Gardens cover 74 hectares, which is half of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Britain and one fifth of the Central Park in New York. It has more than 20,000 plants, including many endangered species. In Singapore Botanic Gardens, you can see the progress of a Tropical Botanical Garden in a British colony gradually evolving into a world-class scientific institution for plant research, protection and education.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens have preserved the cultural landscape with rich and diverse historical characteristics since its establishment in 1859, especially its central position in the development of rubber planting in the South Pacific. Singapore Botanical Gardens are divided into three core areas, they are Dongling District, Central District and Bukit Timah Tourist Area from south to north. Except for the National Orchid Garden located in the central area, tickets are required to enter, and all other areas are open free of charge.

What to Visit in Singapore Botanical Gardens

Botany Centre

There are precious historical trees and colonial-style buildings in the Botany Centre. And there are important research sources here, which contain Botany and Horticulture Library, Singapore Herbarium, Orchid Breeding Micropagation and Education Publicity and Seminar Room.

The Heritage Museum

The Heritage Museum's multi-functional interaction and multimedia exhibition illustrate the rich cultural heritage of the botanical garden in detail. Historical objects on display include old photos, cultural relics, plant specimens, books on rare plants and plant paintings from the early 19th century. The 314-square-meter CDL Green Gallery donated by CDL is an extension of the History Museum. The first exhibition held in CDL Green Gallery shows the journey of greening in Singapore. The CDL Green Gallery is the first Zero-Energy green gallery in Singapore. The building is characterized by the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) composite roof panels to provide the energy needed for building operation. Solar panels generate more than 31,000 kwh of energy, which exceeds the gallery's annual energy consumption of about 30,000 kwh.

Swan Lake

Swan Lake was built in 1866, which is the eldest visiting waterscape in Singapore. It covers 1.5 hectares. The name of Swan Lake comes from a pair of verrucous swans from Amsterdam. The swans glided gracefully on the lake, which made the tourists excited. Swan Lake is also the important water source of plants in Dongling Strict.

Singapore National Orchid Garden

Singapore National Orchid Garden is located in the central and western part of the Botanical Garden, including 3 hectares of hilly land, where a large number of rare orchids are planted, including "Vanda Miss Joaquim", which is known as the national flower of Singapore. There are more than 400 purebred and more than 2,000 orchids in the National Orchid Garden, with a total of more than 60,000 plants. Among them, Vanda Miss Joaquim is known as the super queen. In 1893. Miss Joaquim accidentally found this native bell orchid in the local area, which is rare and unique and was selected as the national flower of Singapore.

Since 1962, whenever a distinguished guest comes to visit Singapore, a new variety orchid will be named after the visiting distinguished guest. This Orchid Naming ceremony is regarded as the highest courtesy for the guests. Celebrities attending the naming ceremony of orchid include not only politicians such as Ms. Lao An, wife of Zhu Rongji of China, Mandela of South Africa, Diana and Mrs. Thatcher of Britain, Laura Welch Bush of the United States and members of the Japanese royals, but also entertainers such as Jackie Chan. Up to now, the Singaporean government has officially registered more than 60 orchids named by the famous persons.

Orchids in Singapore Botanic Gardens

The low temperature greenhouse

The low temperature greenhouse covers 500 square meters, which is in the north of the Singapore Orchid Garden. This low temperature greenhouse attempts to imitate the tropical plateau cloud forest environment to show those orchids that only exist in the tropical plateau.

The tropical rain forest

The tropical rain forest is a part of natural heritage in Singapore. There are more than 50 percents of the rare plant species of Singapore in this tropical rain forest. The tropical rain forest is located in the east of the central area of the Botanical Garden, with an area of about 6 hectares, which is older than the history of the Botanical Garden itself. In these 6 hectares of precious virgin tropical forest, 314 species of plants constitute a multi-level ecological space, including herbs, ferns, climbers, shrubs and trees. Some trees are as high as 50 meters, even as early as 1819.

The Ginger Garden and the Evolution Garden

The Ginger Garden is in south of the entrance of the National Orchid Garden, it has more that 250 plants of Zingiberales.

The Evolution Garden is located in the central and eastern part of the Botanical Garden. This 1.5-hectare garden shows the gradual evolution process of plants in various periods from the first creature on earth. There are gorgeous tree ferns and cycas in Jurassic Park. The Herb Garden is in the central part of the Botanical Garden, which covers 2.5 hectares. It shows more than 400 medicinal plants.

How to get to Singapore Botanic Gardens

Subway: Take Circle Line, get off at Botanic Garden Station