Contact: Steven Tan
Mobile : (+65)98581198
steventan@merlioncity.com

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a magnificent world class botanic and horticulture garden getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Garden City during the daytime. Set near the heart of Singapore's busiest shopping district in Orchard Road, you will enjoy the magnificent view of this artfully landscaped and well-groomed National Park. The Singapore Botanic Gardens occupy an area of over 52 hectares and houses a primary rainforest and manicured grounds with thousands of specialty gardens displaying frangipanis, roses, ferns, desert plants, and rare specimens to name a few. The National Orchid Garden, located within the Botanic Gardens, is home to the wide variety of home-grown orchids, including the Vanda Miss Joaquim "Agnes" - the Singapore National Flower. It also has beautiful water features, and an exotic bromeliad collection from Central and South America. Other attractions for visitors' enjoyment include Palm Valley, Eco-Lake and outdoor concerts on Symphony Lake.

If you are looking for a scenic place to jog in the early morning, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is at ideal location with its early opening hours starting at 5am. And for the bird lover, you will be astonished to find the diverse multitude of bird species that have made their home in the Gardens, including Stork-billed Kingfisher, Long-tailed Parakeet, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Spotted Wood-owl, Oriental Magpie-robin, Black and Mute Swans, Muscovy Duck and Mallard and other exotics such as Great Hornbill, Red and Rainbow Lorikeets, and even Lesser Bird-of-paradise!

Shop for exquisitely beautiful gift items at the RISIS Store located at the entrance of National Orchid Garden. Its merchandise ranges from ornate sets of orchid brooches to unique name cardholders with designs inspired by the Peranakan culture, which is a fusion of Chinese, Malay, and European influences. Definitely a great place for those who are looking for special mementos.

If you are looking for a fine dining experience by the greens, head on down to Au Jardin, an exclusive little French restaurant serving one of the best French cuisine in town.

At any time that you need my private limousine service to bring you to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and other Singapore destinations, you can book my limousine service by sending me an email at steventan@merlioncity.com or give me a call at (65)98581198.

 

Botanic Gardens Opening Hours	: 5am to 12midnight
Admission Fee	: Free
Singapore National Orchids Opening Hours	: 8:30am to 7pm
Admission Fee	: Adults S$5      Senior Citizens (60 years and above) S$1   Children Free
Duration	: 1 - 2hrs

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History & Attractions of Singapore Botanic Gardens

Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore and a keen naturalist, set up the first Botanic Garden on Government Hill at Fort Canning in 1822 mainly to introduce into cultivation economic crops such as nutmeg, clove and cocoa. This Garden was closed in 1829.

The present Singapore Botanic Gardens was then founded in 1859 by an Agri-Horticultural Society, and was later handed over to the government for maintenance. From an ornamental garden with roads, terraces, a bandstand and even a small zoo, the Singapore Botanic Gardens has evolved into a leading equatorial botanic garden and a star visitor attraction. The Gardens possesses an array of botanical and horticultural attractions with a wonderful plant collection of worldwide significance as well as educational and recreational facilities.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens has been developed into three main sections of grounds known as the Tanglin Core which is the heritage core retaining the old favourites and charms of the historic Gardens; the Central Core which is the tourist belt of the Gardens; the Bukit Timah Core which is the educational and recreational zone. Each Core offers an exciting array of attractions. The Visitor Centre and the National Orchid Gardens are located at the Central Core. On the highest point of the National Orchid Gardens is Burkill Hall, an ideal place to host VIP receptions and events including events such as weddings or company gatherings. From the Burkill Hall, you will have a commanding, panoramic view of the magnificent Gardens and beyond and be enchanted with the diversity of orchids, ferns, flowering plants and palms in a lush and extravagant display of forms and colours. When night falls, the setting will be transformed into a fairyland of thousands of lights. Burkill Hall is available for viewing only at request for booking purposes only.
 

Tanglin Core

Bandstand
The Bandstand was constructed in 1860 and for many decades, it served as the location for band performances. Today it is a conspicuous Gardens landmark with its archaic architecture.

Sculptures
Located in Tanglin Core are three charming bronze sculptures: Girl on a Bicycle; Girl on a Swing and Lady on a Hammock. These bronze masterpieces were a kind donation to the Gardens by sculptor Sydney Harpley and the late Mr David Marshall, a vivid art lover and Singapore's first Chief Minister from 1955-56.

Swiss Ball Fountain
The Swiss Ball Fountain was a gift from the Swiss Community of Singapore to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation in1991. The 700-kg ball with a diameter of 80cm is only 99% spherical as it was hand sculpted. The sculptor is Ueli Fausch.

Sun Rockery
The Sun Rockery features a collection of more than 50 types of plants from the arid regions of Asia, Africa and America. The 1,400 sqm plot has been specially chosen for its sunny location.

Vanda Miss Joaquim "Agnes"
Miss Joaquim is the name given to a family of Orchids and the National Flower of Singapore. It was coined in 1892. Derived from a cross between Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres varieties of orchids, it is also the oldest recorded natural hybrid of Singapore and the first Vanda hybrid to be registered in the world. The Vanda Miss Joaquim "Agnes" was selected as the National Flower of Singapore in April 1981 because of its beauty, resilience and year-round blooming quality.

Swan Lake
The Swan Lake, or as it is more commonly known, the "First Lake", is constructed in 1859. The Lake covers an area of about 15 hectares. On the islet in the Lake are seen the Sealing Wax Palm (Cyrtostachys lakka), the Nibung Palm (Oncosperma tigillarium) and the large-leaves shrub, Simpuh Air (Dillenia suffruticosa).

Marsh Garden
This boggy habitat is the home to specimens of Siamese Screw Pine (Pandanus kaida) with their multiple prop roots and pineapple-like fruits, the Paper Plant (Cyperus papyrus, the Sealing Wax Palm (Cyrtostachys lakka) and various water-loving plants such as the sedges, aroids, ferns, Torch Ginger and water lilies. A small collection of Canna can be found at one end of this Garden while the Barringtonias (Barringtonia asiatica, B. acutangula) with their delicate, nocturnal flowers thrive on the fringe of the pond .

Plant House
The Plant House was constructed in 1882 and houses the Gardens' aroid collection. Aroids are one of the distinctive groups of plants equivalent to the orchids and bromeliads. The Gardens currently houses a modest collection of 29 genera and 160 species and cultivars. The wooden lathes of the roof of the Plant Houses are festooned with various ornamental climbers, notably the New Guinea Creeper (Mucuna warburgii) and the spectacular Kock's bauhinia (Bauhinia kockiana).

Rain Forest
The Gardens' Rain Forest, a 4-hectare remnant of Singapore's primeval forests, provides visitors with an introduction to the region's primary vegetation. Lofty trees, elaborate buttresses, massive lianas and a tremendous plant diversity offer a unique visual treat.

National Orchid Garden
The National Orchid Garden, opened on 20 October 1995 by the then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, is located on the highest hill in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Three hectares of carefully landscaped slopes provide a setting for 60,000 orchid plants comprising of 400 species and more than 2,000 hybrids.

The distinctive feature of the National Orchid Garden is its design concept which presents the display of plants in four separate color zones over most of its areas:

• the "spring" zone with its prevailing colors of bright and lively shades of gold, yellow and creams
• the "summer" zone with its major tones of strong reds and pinks
• the "autumn" zone of matured shades
• the "winter" zone of whites and cool blues.

The color zoning is achieved by a careful blend of selected trees, shrubs, herbs and orchids (mostly hybrids) with matching foliage and floral colors.

Other attractions within the National Orchid Garden are the VIP Orchid Garden showcasing outstanding orchids from the Botanic Gardens named after State Visitors and VIPs from within and outside Singapore; the Tan Hoon Siang Misthouse featuring orchids display against a backdrop of cultural decor and the Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad collection with its display of over 20,000 plants representing over 800 types in the Pineapple family and the new soon-to-be-opened Orchid Cool House featuring plants from the cooler tropical highlands.

The RISIS Nature Gallery, a gift shop offering Gold-plated orchid jewellery/ornaments and other orchid themed souvenirs is also located here.

Palm Valley
The Gardens' collection of palms is concentrated in Palm Valley where it is arranged in a herring-bone pattern with islands representing the major palm groups. The Gardens has in its collection more than 119 genera and over 250 species. Many of these species are ornamental or important economic plants.

Heliconia Walk
This pleasant Walk overlooks the Symphony Lake and the Palm Valley. Completed in 1998, the Walk leads visitors through ever-blooming masses of lively Heliconias. Selected for their color and form, and arranged in beds with cistas in-between, the plants provide a distinct contrast to the surrounding landscape.

Symphony Lake
Completed in 1976, the lake is abound with ornamental fishes and water plants such as water lilies. The Lake is also the setting for the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, a leading outdoor venue for musical performances in Singapore. Aside from being an important landscape feature, the Symphony Lake is also the source of water for the National Orchid Garden.

Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre is your first stop in your tour of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Here, you can find out more details of the Gardens and pick your route of the the 3 Cores. This is also the place to pick up gift items at the gift shop and have a light refreshment or lunch before your venture into the scenic Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Ecolake
This lake has been specially built with a natural margin and base. It is designed to provide a range of microhabitats suitable for the display of a wide variety of aquatic plant life. An island adds to the aesthetics and also provides an additional habitat for plants and a sanctuary for animal life. A boardwalk provides with a unique platform to enjoy the lake.

Economic Garden
The garden is devoted to an educational display of plants. Major sections are allocated to plants that  produce fruits and nuts, herbs and spices, fragrant plants and plants that are a source of medicines. Other useful plants include those that provide rubber, oil, beverages, dyes and rattan.