Gardens by the Bay: A Deep Dive into Singapore's Twenty-First Century Garden
Gardens by the Bay, opened in stages from 2012 on reclaimed land in central Singapore, is the most ambitious public garden project of the twenty-first century. Its 101 hectares combine outdoor tropical gardens, two enormous biome conservatories, and the iconic Supertree Grove that has become a defining image of contemporary Singapore.
The brief
Singapore's government brief, issued in 2006, asked for a garden that would 'transform Singapore from a Garden City to a City in a Garden'. International design competition won by UK landscape architecture firms Grant Associates (Bay South) and Gustafson Porter (Bay East).
The Supertrees
Eighteen vertical garden 'trees' of 25 to 50 metres height, planted with 162,900 plants representing 200 species. Eleven of the Supertrees harvest solar energy by day; all are lit at night in the Garden Rhapsody show.
The Flower Dome
The largest column-free glasshouse in the world (1.28 hectares), with a cool-dry Mediterranean climate maintained for 32,000 plants from semi-arid regions worldwide. The Baobab section is particularly photogenic.
The Cloud Forest
An enclosed conservatory with the 35-metre Cloud Mountain — a vertical garden waterfall growing tropical mountain plants impossible to maintain outdoors in Singapore's lowland climate.
Heritage Gardens
Six themed gardens telling the story of Singapore's cultural diversity: Chinese, Indian, Malay, Colonial, plus newer Heritage gardens added to mark the country's Bicentennial.
Sustainability
The garden was conceived around environmental engineering goals: rainwater capture, biomass cooling, waste heat reuse. The conservatories use horticultural waste from across Singapore as biomass fuel.
Visiting
Open year-round, free for outdoor gardens, with paid admission for the conservatories. The free Garden Rhapsody (7:45pm and 8:45pm daily) is the moment most visitors choose. Add the OCBC Skyway between the Supertrees for the best view.
Explore on the map
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.