Singapore’s National Orchid Garden

If you love growing orchids, visiting Singapore Botanic Gardens should be on your bucket list. There are twenty-five different sections of plants growing in the gardens, and their National Orchid Garden has been named the world’s largest orchid collection in the world with over 60,000 orchids.

In 2015, Singapore Botanic Gardens was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site making it the first and only tropical botanic garden to receive this honor. Singapore Botanic Gardens is not a new botanical garden. In 1822, Sir Stamford Raffles, representative of the East India Tea Company, was searching for a site as a trading stop for England. He purchased Singapore for England and created the first botanical and experimental garden at Fort Canning. His small garden would eventually become the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

In 1859, the garden at Ft. Canning was moved to a larger location and expanded. In 1874, the garden was handed over to the British colonial government running Singapore, and Kew-trained botanists from England directed the development of the garden until Singapore became an independent country in 1965. Singapore National Parks Board assumed supervision of the garden in 1965 when it was named the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The Gardens preserves indigenous plants and uses its Seed Bank for conservation, research and education. It is also a popular tourist attraction for people around the world interested in viewing its vast plant collection. National Orchid Garden is a favorite section because of its amazing display of orchids in every size, shape and color.

Areas found in the National Orchid Garden include the VIP Orchid Garden (hybridized orchids named for celebrities), Colorful Orchid Garden (orchids with the most colorful flowers), Cool House (orchids growing in higher elevation tropical rainforests) and Tan Hoong Siang Mist House (the most rare and expensive orchids in the collection).

A special orchid on display is Singapore’s national flower, the vanda orchid called Miss Joaquim, Papilonanthe Miss Joaquim. In 1981, Singapore selected Miss Joaquim as its national flower because of its vibrant color and hardiness. Interestingly, it was hybridized by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian woman living in Singapore in 1803. She loved growing orchids and crossed a Vanda hookeniana orchid with a Burmese Vanda teres orchid. The Miss Joaquim orchid produces beautiful flowers in shades of pink, red and white. Interestingly, the orchid’s sweet scent was used to create an air freshener called Singapore Bliss that is used by Singapore Airlines.

Anyone who loves orchids should add the Singapore Botanic Garden and its National Orchid Garden to their list of places to visit. The garden is breathtaking and well worth seeing.