HortPark is a park and garden located in the southwestern part of Singapore. It opened in December 2007, but it was not until May 10, 2008, that Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

, officially launched it. Situated in the

Southern Ridges The Southern Ridges comprise of trails connecting three parks along the southern ridge of Singapore. Some of the attractions along these trails include its greenery and the connecting bridges. This project linked up the parks between the Kent ...

, HortPark is a park connector that allows visitors to travel around

Kent Ridge Park Kent Ridge Park is a 47-hectare public park located in Kent Ridge, Singapore, between the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Science Park. Due to its undisturbed habitat and abundant plant life, it is a popular venue for bird ...

Telok Blangah Hill Park Telok Blangah Hill Park is a park situated at Telok Blangah Green, off Henderson Road, in Bukit Merah. It connects Mount Faber Park via Henderson Waves Bridge (274m, 899ft). Standing at 36m (118ft) above Henderson Road, it is the tallest pedestri ...

, and Mount Faber Park. Traveling is made possible through elevated walkways and connecting bridges.

Features

HortPark comprises the following features: *HortCentre *Greenhouse Retail and Workshop *Hands-On House *HortLawn and Event Lawn *Theme Gardens *Butterfly Gardens

HortCentre

The two-storey HortCentre building also serves as the visitor services centre. It showcases gardening attractions, which include the Green Roof and the Lifestyle Corner. The building was one of the winners of 2008 International Architecture Award for Best New Global Design. It is also one of the 11 finalists for Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence 2009. Green Roof is a rooftop display of the different types of

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and draina ...

systems and plants suitable for green roof planting. Lifestyle Corner is where visitors can see how flora-themed furnishings can complement the homes, through the showcasing of interior landscaping and lifestyle-gardening ideas.

Greenhouse Garden Retail and Workshop

Located near the visitor services centre, the greenhouse consists of two-halves: garden retail and workshop area. The garden retail is currently managed by The Plant Story which also operates a café on the premises. Meanwhile, the workshop area is used to conduct workshops organised by HortPark.

Hands-On House

The Hands-On House is a laboratory in a classroom setting. It also consists of a sheltered demonstration area in an outdoor setting for learning purposes. It is also popular with small groups of fitness and wellness enthusiasts.

HortLawn and Event Lawn

HortLawn is located near to the HortCentre while Event Lawn can be found near the Hands-On House. Both lawns are suitable for hosting a wide variety of outdoor activities such as workshops, bazaars and functions.

Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden was opened in May 2009 by the

National Parks Board The National Parks Board (NParks) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. History In November 1989, Minister of National Development, S. Dhanabalan, presented the National Parks Bill ...

in partnership with

National Biodiversity Centre The National Biodiversity Centre (: NBC; Chinese: 国家生物多样性中心; ms, Pusat Kepelbagaian Bio Nasional; ta, தேசிய பல்வகை உயிரியல் நிலையம்) is a branch of the National Parks Board ...

to allow visitors to learn about the different stages of butterfly metamorphosis and also serve as an experimental garden to facilitate butterfly species recovery. The landscaped theme garden allows visitors to encounter the butterflies up close and personal amongst a visual feast of tropical plants and nearly 20 species of native butterflies. The research focus of the Butterfly Species Recovery Programme is to find suitable nectar and host plants for breeding a variety of butterfly species, including locally extinct species such as clipper (''

Parthenos sylvia ''Parthenos sylvia'', the clipper, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in south and southeast Asia, mostly in forested areas. The clipper is a fast-flying butterfly and has a habit of flying with its wings flapping stiffly between the hori ...

'') and common sergeant ('' Athyma perius'').

Theme gardens

HortPark features 21 theme gardens.''HortPark – The Gardening Hub''
, National Parks Board Factsheet, 10 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2009. Each theme is reflected by the careful selection of plant species. *Floral Walk *Home Garden *Car Park Garden *Lifestyle Corner *Water Garden *Vertical Greenery *Silver Garden *Balinese Garden *Plant Introduction Garden *Native Garden *Pitter Patter Potter Garden *Butterfly Garden *Herb and Spice Garden *Fruit Garden *Vegetable Garden *Golden Garden

GardenTech

HortPark played host to GardenTech 2007 and GardenTech 2009, a biennial gardening carnival that showcases the latest horticulture and landscaping technology tools, products and services. Both local and overseas exhibitors alike participated in the carnival.

Other involvement

HortPark also features a series of other initiatives by the

(NParks). They include Community in Bloom (CIB), which encourages communal gardening and "The Living Wall", a research project by

Building and Construction Authority The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. It was established on 1 April 1999 through the merger of the Construction Industry Development Board ...

(BCA),

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in th ...

and NParks. "The Living Wall" showcases vertical greenery systems. HortPark also features six prototype glasshouses as research stations for the upcoming Gardens by the Bay. In addition, HortPark serves as a

satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or coun ...

for the Centre of Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) which is managed by the Industry Development arm under NParks.

References

External links

National Parks BoardHortPark
{{Parks in Singapore Parks in Singapore Tourist attractions in Singapore