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Singapore
Botanic Gardens
Not too far from one end of Orchard
Road, the Botanic Gardens are as big
a draw for tourists as they are for local
residents. It’s easy to see why — the
massive sprawl, first established in
1859, is home to a diverse flora of more
than 300 species.
The gated park has a colorful history:
in its earliest incarnations, it was a fertile
ground for botanic experiments — the
most notable being the cultivation
of the rubber tree which, to some
extent, helped shaped the fortunes of
South-East Asia. According to park
literature, the plants at the Gardens
became the basis for the region’s rubber
industry, which flourished along with
the automobile boom of the 1900s (thus
the high demand for rubber for tires). By
mid-century, the Gardens were home
to laboratories for orchid breeding and
hybridization, and all through the 1960s
they supplied seedlings for the country’s
roadside landscapes and parks.
In its current iteration, the lush and
largely sculpted grounds is home to
11 attractions, including a six-hectare
rainforest that was once part of the
original patch of green blanketing most
of Singapore. The park opens at 5am,
and the serene grounds are a favorite
destination for early-morning joggers
and
tai chi
practitioners.
The Botanic Gardens is
home to a diverse flora of
more than 300 species