Bay South Garden opened to the public on 29 June 2012. It is the largest of the three gardens at and designed to show the best of
tropical horticulture and garden artistry. The overall concept of its master plan by Grant Associates draws inspiration from an
orchid as it is representative of the tropics and of Singapore, being the country's national flower, the
Vanda 'Miss Joaquim'. The orchid takes root at the waterfront (conservatories), while the leaves (landforms), shoots (paths, roads and linkways) and secondary roots (water, energy and communication lines) then form an integrated network with blooms (theme gardens and Supertrees) at key intersections.
Conservatories The conservatory complex at Gardens by the Bay comprises two cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, situated along the edge of
Marina Reservoir. The conservatories, designed by
WilkinsonEyre and led by
Andrew Grant of Grant Associates, are intended to be an energy-efficient showcase of sustainable building technologies and to provide an all-weather
edutainment space within the Gardens. Both are very large (around ), and the Flower Dome is the world's largest columnless glasshouse. The construction of glasshouses is special: having such a large glass roof without additional interior support (such as columns) and aiming to minimize the environmental footprint. Rainwater is collected from the surface and circulated in the cooling system connected to the Supertrees. The Supertrees are used to vent hot air and cool circulated water.
Flower Dome The Flower Dome was the largest greenhouse in the world as listed in the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records at 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres) and replicates a cool-dry
mediterranean climate. It features a changing display area, the flower field, and eight other themed gardens, namely The Baobabs, Succulent Garden, Australian Garden, South African Garden, South American Garden, Olive Grove, California Garden and the Mediterranean Garden. These eight gardens exhibit exotic flowers and plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions from five continents. Here is the list of some plants growing in the Flower Dome: The flower displays, located predominantly in the flower field, are six to eight horticulturally-themed shows held annually. Each flower display reflects different seasons and festivals, focused on one type or a collection of plants and flowers such as
dahlias,
cherry blossoms,
tulips,
roses, and
poinsettias. The Flower Dome also features several sculptures, such as a collection of 40 different driftwood animals by James Doran-Webb,
Bruno Catalano's
La Famille De Voyageurs, and
Yayoi Kusama's
Kei-Chan.
Cloud Forest The Cloud Forest is higher but slightly smaller at . It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between and above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Central- and South America. It features a "Cloud Mountain". After ascending to the top by an elevator, visitors descend the mountain via a circular path which crosses underneath the waterfall multiple times. The "Cloud Mountain" itself is an intricate structure entirely clad in
epiphytes such as
orchids,
ferns,
spikemosses and
clubmosses,
bromeliads and
anthuriums. The Maiden Hair Fungus inspired the design by Grant Associates and consists of many levels, each with a different theme, including The Lost World, The Cavern, The Waterfall View, The Crystal Mountain, The Cloud Forest Gallery, The Cloud Forest Theatre and The Secret Garden. The following is a partial list of plants growing in the Cloud Forest: In April 2022, a
Māori kūwaha (meeting house) sculpture was presented to Singapore by
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, of
New Zealand, during her first official trip abroad since the
2020 pandemic. Symbolising strong ties and a friendship between New Zealand and Singapore, it is the work of master
carvers from the
New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. Other sculptures in the Cloud Forest include
Dale Chihuly's
Ethereal White Persians,
Marc Quinn's
The Rush of Nature, Paul Baliker's
A Matter of Time, and a series of four botanical "hybrid" sculptures by
Makoto Azuma.
Supertree Grove Supertrees are the 18 tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between and . Grant Associates conceived and designed them with the imaginative engineering of
Atelier One and Atelier Ten. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens. The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of
bromeliads such as
Neoregelia and
Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees:
photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees (such as lighting), similar to how trees photosynthesize, and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, similar to how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems. There is an elevated walkway, the
OCBC Skyway, between two larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a panoramic view of the Gardens. Every night, at 7:45pm and 8:45pm, the Supertree Grove comes alive with a coordinated light and music show known as the Garden Rhapsody. The accompanying music to the show changes every month or so, with selected themes such as "A World of Wonder" and "A Night of Musical Theatre", which features excerpts/pieces from films like
The Little Mermaid (1989 film) and
Pinocchio (1940 film). The Supertree Observatory, opened on 27 December 2019, is housed inside the tallest Supertree, which is 50 metres tall. It comprises three levels, the ground floor, the Observatory Space and the Open-Air Rooftop Deck. Visitors would take the elevator up to the Observatory Space and thereafter take a flight of stairs up to the Rooftop Deck. The Observatory Space is located one level below the rooftop deck, and it consists of an indoor area with full-height glass windows and a peripheral outdoor walkway. Here, visitors can also experience a message about the effects of climate change conveyed through digital media. The Open-Air Rooftop Deck, which is an open-air
observation deck on the canopy of this Supertree, offers 360-degree unblocked views of the Gardens and the
Marina Bay area. Italy's Pavilion in
Expo 2015, featured a structure called
Albero Della Vita (or "Tree of Life" in Italian), which proved visually similar to Singapore's Supertrees.
Far East Organization Children's Garden Designed by Grant Associates, which also designed Gardens by the Bay, the Children's Garden was fully funded by
Far East Organization for $10 million. This attraction was opened on 21 January 2014. The children's garden is near the treehouse and the adventure trail. The adventure trail consists of trampolines, balancing beams, hanging bridges and more. It is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, or the next working day if Monday is a public holiday.
Horticultural-themed gardens There are two distinctly different sets of horticultural-themed gardens, which centre on the horticultural heritage of the various cultural groups in Singapore and on the biology and ecology of the tropical rainforest. These gardens are an important part of the Gardens' edutainment programme, which aims to bring plant knowledge to the public. The Heritage Gardens emphasize the various cultural groups in Singapore, the significant role that plants play in their respective cultures, and the country's colonial history. It also focuses on economically important plants in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The four gardens are the Indian Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Malay Garden and the Colonial Garden. The World of Plants features a curated selection of plants that showcase the biodiversity of the tropical rainforest. It consists of six subthemes illustrated by six sub-gardens: Discovery, Web of Life, Fruits and Flowers, Understorey, World of Palms, and Secret Life of Trees.
Bayfront Plaza and Floral Fantasy of the future garden at Marina South The Bayfront Plaza is the main entry precinct into the Gardens from Bayfront MRT station. It includes Floral Fantasy, a indoor attraction consisting of four floral artistry garden landscapes and a 4D multimedia ride simulating the journey of a dragonfly's flight path through Gardens by the Bay. Other venues within the Bayfront Plaza includes an indoor events space, the Bayfront Pavilion, a cafe and a
pop-up market on weekends. == Future Developments ==