Since officially opening its doors in 2012, we look back at the engineering, architectural and horticultural feat that is Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. There is a reason why olive trees are not found in the tropics. The native Mediterranean species thrives in bright sunshine, but requires chillier temperatures to bear flowers and fruit. Hence, when an olive tree in equatorial Singapore, estimated to be over 1000 years old, successfully blossomed and subsequently fruited in 2015, it was a testament to the engineering and horticultural achievement that is Gardens by the Bay, the 101-hectare park located in the urban downtown of the city-state. First conceived by Dr Kiat W. Tan, botanist and former chief executive of Gardens by the Bay, the idea of constructing a world-class garden in the tropics, on reclaimed land, south of Singapore’s financial centre, seemed completely outrageous at the time. It is hard to imagine that this horticultural destination was once sea, then sand and soggy ...
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