✦ 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 by the president of the Singapore Gardening Society highlights some 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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I REMEMBER WHEN I first came across PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay’s Urban Farm, tucked away on the hotel’s fourth-floor roof terrace, with its neat rows of raised beds filled with more than 60 varieties of edible flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruits. I was struck by the generous space the hotel had allocated to organic food farming – an impressive commitment in space-starved Singapore – and how pleasing the layout of the garden was.
It’s been three years since that day and this ‘secret’ pocket of greenery has drawn me back many more times. The 150 sqm farm, next to the hotel’s signature Peppermint restaurant, remains charming as ever. On a recent visit, I found eggplant, chilli, moringa, star fruit, guava, lime, curry leaf, passionfruit marigold, Indian borage, Brazilian starflower and many other treasures. Once harvested, this fresh produce will make its way into dishes at Peppermint, 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.
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As Singapore’s first garden-in-a-hotel, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay raises the bar on how humans can incorporate nature within the spaces we live in. You notice this the moment you step into its ground-floor lobby, where a 13m-tall vertical green wall rises from behind the concierge – a living artwork inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings.
Wooden structures representing mountain peaks and glass beads symbolising drops of water reflect the hotel’s remarkable vision of bringing nature within; no small task in one of the world’s most densely populated urban environments.
Take the lift to the fourth floor reception and central atrium, and the vision truly comes to life. Here, the soaring glass-roofed atrium doubles as a cavernous greenhouse for over 2,400 trees, shrubs and groundcovers, including over 60 species of flourishing flora. Plants line the walkways, hug the wooden pavilions designed to resemble bird nests, and stand at attention along the twin staircases that wind their way to the fifth-floor ballroom.
I love how the hotel has incorporated greenery almost everywhere you look, making the most of the sun filtering through the skylight and keeping its family of monstera, ficus, dracaena, philodendron, palms and other plant species very happy.
In a city of concrete and steel, surprising pockets of greenery like this feel all the more delightful. And there are many others, if you know where to look.
From community gardens to heritage grounds, I’ve found that some of Singapore’s most memorable green spaces are the ones that rarely make it onto typical sightseeing itineraries. They offer a real glimpse into the many ways Singaporeans connect with nature because they’re so much more lived-in.
Here are five of my other favourite ‘hidden’ green gems in the country where you can relax side-by-side with locals and nature.
All photos by Lauryn Ishak
Woodlands Botanical Garden, Marsiling – a 24/7 hillside community garden
Head north to the suburban town of Marsiling, where few visitors venture, and you’ll be rewarded with one of Singapore’s most exceptional community gardens. Spanning 2,500 sqm – about the size of two Olympic swimming pools – and tumbling down nine storeys of a hillside, the award-winning Woodlands Botanical Garden is home to more than 200 varieties of mostly flowering ornamental plants.
Their colour and diversity are 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 beautiful 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. 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
About 30 minutes from Woodlands by car to the west, Jurong Lake Gardens 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, this 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 because it’s so thoughtfully designed and beautifully planted, showing 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. This is where I often go to feel recharged and inspired.
The Urban Farm at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay
Railway Staff Quarters, Bukit Timah – a heritage garden along the Rail Corridor
Not too far away, along Singapore’s Rail Corridor green spine, stands the conserved Railway Staff Quarters near the former Bukit Timah Railway Station, built in 1932 in the red-roofed style of small British country stations.
This quiet monument to Singapore’s colonial past is flanked by two distinctive gardens – a kampung (local village) garden on one side, and a herb and spice garden on the other – that speak of some of its history.
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.
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 whether you’re a novice or a more experienced gardener.
The Horticulture Introduction Garden is a must-visit, with its neat aesthetic and curated palette of flowering and foliage plants, including caladiums, alocasias and philodendrons.
I’m always drawn to the elegant stone planters, whose varying heights create a layered display that make a lovely backdrop for photos. The garden is alive with birdsong, and if you are fortunate, you may see squirrels scampering through the trees.
The garden at Railway Staff Quarters
Goodman Arts Centre Community Farm – a permaculture farm where art meets regeneration
Across Singapore, on the island’s east coast, is the Goodman Community Farm, a permaculture garden that’s part of a visual arts centre where regenerative farming meets art and community. (Permaculture means growing plants using the principles of ecosystem design and 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. PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is Singapore’s first garden-in-a-hotel, with thousands of plants and a 150sqm rooftop urban farm on its fourth floor, next to Peppermint restaurant, that’s open to the public and supplies produce to the 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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