With flowering bougainvillea, massive palm leaves and giant trees with prodigious leaves, Singapore is lined with greenery that shelters its residents from the tropical heat. Thanks to government policies and landscaping ordinances, the verdant bushes drape over office blocks and boughs arch across streets. With the orchid as its national emblem, the city-state is very much the garden city of Asia.
The Bay South Garden is one of three gardens recently opened as part of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. Just next to Singapore’s central business district and the Marina Bay, this spectacular botanical showpiece houses two glass conservatories in an incredible location.
The lofty Cloud Forest glasshouse replicates cool moist conditions found in regions typically 1,000 to 3,500 feet above sea level and features some 130,000 plants found in areas such as Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu. The Flower Dome, on the other hand, houses species that thrive in Mediterranean and semi-arid climates.
Exotic ferns, vines and bromeliads also dangle and weave ambitiously around the garden’s “supertrees”, a grove of giant vertical gardens. At night, the trees truly come alive with light and sound shows. Explore the history of Singapore by wandering through the Indian, Malay, Chinese and colonial-themed heritage gardens.
