✦ Singapore is known as a ‘city in nature’, but few venture beyond its biggest green attractions like Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay ✦ Many of the city’s less-known green spaces are equally worth visiting, and span diverse concepts from edible gardens to community farms ✦ This story highlights six of the best 'hidden' green spaces in Singapore worth travelling to, from a hillside garden in the suburban north to a permaculture farm in an arts centre
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SINGAPORE HAS LONG EARNED its reputation as a ‘city in nature’, where lush greenery is seamlessly integrated into the urban landscape. Yet most visitors never venture beyond the headline attractions of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay to our less-known but no less compelling green spaces.
From community gardens and a garden-in-a-hotel, to edible farms and a thriving ode to those who have gone before us, I’ve found that some of the most memorable gardens are the ones that rarely make it onto typical sightseeing itineraries.
There’s a certain charm about these places, which offer a glimpse into the many ways Singaporeans connect with nature.
For me, plants are extraordinary for their diversity, beauty and many roles in nature. They add colour, texture and character to any space, but also shade our streets, feed pollinators and create habitats for wildlife.
Here are six of my favourite ‘hidden’ green spaces that make the detour worthwhile.
All photos by Lauryn Ishak
Woodlands Botanical Garden, Marsiling – a 24/7 hillside community garden
Few visitors think to head north to the suburban town of Marsiling, but those who do will be rewarded with one of Singapore’s most exceptional community gardens. Spanning 2,500sqm across nine storeys of a hillside, the award-winning Woodlands Botanical Garden is home to more than 200 varieties of mostly flowering ornamental plants.
It’s so colourful and diverse that it’s a magnet for birds, bees, butterflies, dragonflies and a host of other pollinators.
Here, the flowers include familiar favourites like hibiscus, roses, jasmine and gardenias, but also unique finds like the white powderpuff and cherry bush.
When I first visited, I was astounded at how this once-bare hill had been transformed into a beautifully designed landscape teeming with biodiversity. Over the years, the garden has added new plants and other elements: first a pond, then a giant, ornamental birdcage structure, so each visit feels like a new experience for me. The wonderful news is that Woodlands Botanical Garden is open to the public around the clock, making it a peaceful retreat at any hour.
Jurong Lake Gardens – an Edible Garden next to a lotus pond
Jurong Lake Gardens in the west is one of Singapore’s green national treasures, a sprawling lakeside park that offers respite from the city’s hurried pace.
Within it lies a sizeable food garden that demonstrates what food abundance looks like.
Set against the tranquil backdrop of the Chinese Garden’s lotus pond, the Edible Garden spans several distinct zones: the Kitchen Garden, Edible Flower Garden, Climber Garden, Root Garden, Herb and Spice Garden, and the Beverage and Medicinal Garden.
The Kitchen Garden is my favourite area to visit, and is where I often go to feel recharged and inspired. Thoughtfully designed and beautifully planted, the garden shows how productivity and aesthetics can exist hand-in-hand. Edible plants such as okra, eggplant and beans adorn the grounds, coming together in a spectacular, vibrant display.
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay – Singapore’s first garden-in-a-hotel
As Singapore’s first garden-in-a-hotel, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay sets the standard for bringing greenery indoors. Its atrium alone is home to over 2,400 plants, trees, shrubs and groundcovers spanning more than 1,400sqm, including over 60 species of flora.
Visitors are first welcomed by a spectacular 13m-tall vertical green wall behind the concierge, a living artwork inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Wooden structures representing mountain peaks and glass beads symbolising water reinforce the hotel’s remarkable vision of bringing nature indoors.
My favourite green space is the lush 150sqm urban farm on the fourth floor roof terrace, which is open for public visits.
Here, more than 60 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers are grown organically in neat rows of raised beds. These include star fruit, eggplant, guava, passionfruit marigold, moringa and brazilian starflower.
Once harvested, fresh produce makes its way into dishes at the hotel’s signature Peppermint restaurant, cocktails at the bar and even post-treatment teas at the spa – part of the property’s impressive farm-to-table, farm-to-bar and farm-to-spa offerings.
HortPark – where themed gardens teach design
Tucked away in the Southern Ridges, HortPark is something of a living textbook for garden enthusiasts. It features a collection of themed gardens that each demonstrates different design principles and layouts, making it an inspiring place to visit for novice and experienced gardeners.
The Horticulture Introduction Garden is the standout for me, with its neat aesthetic and well-curated palette of flowering and foliage plants, including caladiums, alocasias and philodendrons.
I’m particularly drawn to the elegant stone planters, whose varying heights create a layered display that draws the eye. The garden is alive with birdsong, and if you are fortunate, you may see squirrels scampering through the trees.
Railway Staff Quarters, Bukit Timah – a heritage garden along the Rail Corridor
Along the Rail Corridor near the former Bukit Timah Railway Station, the conserved Railway Staff Quarters stands as a quiet monument to Singapore’s past.
Flanked by two distinctive gardens – a kampung (local village) garden on one side, and a herb and spice garden on the other – the former residential building is now surrounded by plants that tell its story.
The kampung garden echoes the ornamental shrubs and flowers once grown by households in the 1960s, including the Peacock Flower, a vibrant, free-flowering, pollinator-friendly plant. Meanwhile, the herb and spice garden celebrates the culinary flora of the same era, such as pandan, whose leaves lend their fragrance to kueh (traditional local cakes), drinks, meats and rice.
Walking through both is a delight, and as much a horticultural experience as a historical one – this place serves as a gentle reminder that every garden carries the memory of the people who once tended it.
Goodman Arts Centre Community Farm – a permaculture farm where art meets regeneration
Situated within the Goodman Arts Centre, the Goodman Community Farm is a permaculture garden where regenerative farming meets art and community. Permaculture applies the principles of ecosystem design, using systems thinking to create productive, resilient landscapes that work with nature.
Spaces like this are a rarity in Singapore, and this farm combines those principles with fun, artistic elements, making it truly one-of-a-kind.
Cultivated with the help of seniors, this tropical food forest serves as a living demonstration of soil regeneration, biodiversity and closed-loop systems, where waste is transformed into valuable resources.
Here, you will also see companion planting in action, with banana, yam, sweet potato, mulberry and many other plants working together to support soil health, plant growth and pest control.
To me, this place is much more than just a garden. It’s a playground for the community to learn and bond, and one of Singapore’s most engaging escapes into nature.
FAQs
What is there to do at Jurong Lake Gardens besides walking?
Jurong Lake Gardens is home to the Edible Garden, a food garden set beside the Chinese Garden’s lotus pond, with zones dedicated to kitchen herbs, edible flowers, climbers, roots and medicinal plants.
Does PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay have a garden or farm?
Yes. It’s Singapore’s first garden-in-a-hotel, with a 2,400-plant atrium and a 150sqm rooftop urban farm on its fourth floor that’s open to the public and supplies produce to its restaurant, bar and spa.
What can I see at HortPark?
HortPark in the Southern Ridges is a collection of themed gardens, each demonstrating a different design principle – the Horticulture Introduction Garden, with its caladiums, alocasias and philodendrons, is a standout.
What’s along the Rail Corridor near Bukit Timah?
Near the former Bukit Timah Railway Station, the conserved Railway Staff Quarters is flanked by a kampung garden and a herb and spice garden, both planted with species tied to 1960s Singapore households.
Where is Woodlands Botanical Garden and is it open to the public?
It’s a community garden in the northern suburban town of Marsiling, spanning 2,500sqm across nine storeys of hillside, and it’s open to the public around the clock.
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Discover the city's first Garden-in-a-Hotel at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore, where biophilic design, sustainability, and eco-wellness merge.
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