HortPark
HortPark is a 9-hectare (22-acre) park located in Queenstown, Singapore. It opened in December 2007 and was officially launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in May 2008.[1]
Situated in the Southern Ridges, HortPark is seamlessly conencted to the adjacent parks, namely Kent Ridge Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, and Mount Faber Park via 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.[2] It is also one of the 11 finalists for Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence 2009.[3]
Green Roof is a rooftop display of the different types of green roof 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 in partnership with National Biodiversity Centre to allow visitors to learn about the different stages of butterfly metamorphosis and also serve as an experimental garden to facilitate butterfly species recovery.[4]
The 150-square-metre (1,600 sq ft) 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) and common sergeant (Athyma perius).
Theme gardens
HortPark features 21 theme gardens.[5] 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 National Parks Board (NParks). They include Community in Bloom (CIB), which encourages communal gardening and "The Living Wall", a research project by Building and Construction Authority (BCA), National University of Singapore 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 for the Centre of Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) which is managed by the Industry Development arm under NParks.
See also
References
- ^ "PM Lee Hsien Loong Officially Opens Two Pedestrian Bridges and HortPark - The Gardening Hub at the Southern Ridges". NParks. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "International Architecture Awards". Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
- ^ "Uli Announces 11 Finalists for the 2009 Awards for Excellence Competition Asia Pacific". Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
- ^ https://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=172&Itemid=129#21 Archived 31 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine National Biodiversity Centre
- ^ HortPark – The Gardening Hub Archived 2 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, National Parks Board Factsheet, 10 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
External links
- National Parks Board
- HortPark
- v
- t
- e
- Bukit Batok Memorial
- Caldwell House
- CHIJMES Hall
- Civilian War Memorial
- Early Founders Memorial Stone
- Former Indian National Army Monument
- Founders' Memorial
- Japanese Cemetery Park
- Kranji War Memorial
- Lim Bo Seng Memorial
- Old Tao Nan School
- Raffles's Landing Site
- SGH War Memorial
- Tan Kim Seng Fountain
- The Cenotaph
- ArtScience Museum
- Asian Civilisations Museum
- Baba House
- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
- Changi Chapel and Museum
- Chinese Heritage Centre
- Former Ford Factory
- Fort Siloso
- Images of Singapore
- Indian Heritage Centre
- Madame Tussauds Singapore
- Malay Heritage Centre
- National Gallery Singapore
- National Museum of Singapore
- Peranakan Museum
- Reflections at Bukit Chandu
- Science Centre Singapore
- Singapore Art Museum
- Singapore Philatelic Museum
- Singapore Discovery Centre
- Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
- The Battle Box
- Alkaff Gardens
- Beauty World Market
- Big Splash
- CN-West Leisure Park
- Escape Theme Park
- Fantasy Island
- Gay World Amusement Park
- Great World Amusement Park
- Jurong Bird Park
- Malay Village
- New World Amusement Park
- Punggol Zoo
- Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris
- Tang Dynasty City
- The Maritime Experiential Museum
- Ultimate Magic
- Underwater World
- Van Kleef Aquarium
- Volcanoland
- Wonderland Amusement Park