The garden which spreads over
52 hectare has
thousands of flora, many
of which are rare. Opening times are from five in the morning until
midnight. To do justice to the gardens you will need to allow yourself
at least two hours. If you suffer from orchid mania then the National
Orchid Garden is a must. It is not open as extensively as the main
garden, it's hours being 8.30a.m. to 7 p.m. with last entrance at 6
p.m. It is claimed to be the world's largest orchid display including
the VIP orchids named after visiting State dignataries. The one named
after Margaret Thatcher has a strange appearance, I'll say no more on
that!
Just inside the entrance is a lake full of terrapins. There are numerous paths around the gardens with several map boards situated in convenient places to work out where you are in the gardens. If you are keen on orchids follow the signs for the orchid collection. On entering the orchid collection there are numerous paths around the collection, it's worth going round a couple of times at least because you will see some that you missed first time round and then you'll find that you are back on a path that you recognise you have been down before.
As
is inevitable with most attractions of this type there is
a souvenier
shop but this one is quite good with a good selection of, as you would
expect, "orchid" orientated gifts as well as batik goods, sun hats and
all the other items that you would expect.
The gardens have a vast variety of plants and a tranquil atmosphere. One particularly interesting tree is the cannonball tree which has incredible orange flowers and forms a nut that is the shape, size and colour of a "cannonball.
Okay so
you're tempted, how
are you going to get to Singapore? Why not set your holiday off with a
real treat and fly with Singapore Airlines. Even travelling by economy
is comfortable and you will be treated with the utmost coutesy from
attentive cabin staff. Have a look at the Singapore Airlines
Website for flight times. For those of you living in the
North of England or Scotland avoid that trudge down to Heathrow. You
can fly from Manchester! There are regular trains to the airport from
Middlesborough through York and Leeds. An almost hassle free way to
start your journey.
For those of you that would like to see more images of the Singapore Botanical gardens visit my Botanical Gardens photo album page.
