Since ancient times, horticulture has been used by various civilizations not only as a means to get food and materials but also to improve the environment and people’s moods. Much like the Hanging Gardens of Assyria was created for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife to feel homey in a strange place, our practices of modern horticulture still reflect such sentiments with a high emphasis on creating therapeutic gardens as a method of preserving green spaces and improving mental health.
Singapore continually puts effort into doing this and more by creating therapeutic gardens backed by research and design guidelines compiled by the National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore. The NParks of Singapore have encouraged people-nature interactions since 2016, with the launch of its first therapeutic garden in HortPark. Today, we’re looking into the latest additions to their roster of restorative spaces: Sembawang Park, Sun Plaza Park, and Yishun Pond Park. All three spaces have a unique set of features and activity spots that cater to everyone, including children with special needs, outpatients, and seniors.
Sembawang Park
Sembawang Park
The biggest of the three gardens is Sembawang Park, located at the end of Sembawang Road towards the north, facing Johor Straits and overlooking Malaysia. Named after the sembawang tree which grows along running waters, the park is 2,200 sqm in size and is close to one of the only remaining natural beaches in Singapore, making it an ideal place to enjoy the beach breeze.
Barbecue pits are located around the park for anyone who wants to prepare and share tasty grilled treats with friends. A playground can also be found in the park, following a maritime theme to emphasize the park’s links to the naval history of Singapore. The therapeutic garden itself can be found in the middle of the park, with passive areas for meditation and rest and active areas for engaging activities. The park comes equipped with specially curated features for users with special needs. The Edibles Garden, Natural Playscape, Calming Corner, and Fitness Corner also surround the garden, making everything accessible no matter which type of activity visitors may want to do. For water activities, the park is near the beach so visitors can enjoy fishing or just chill by the water when they visit.
There are also various historical buildings surrounding the park which make it a prime location for travelers who want a taste of Singapore’s history. The Beaulieu House, the Sembawang jetty, the remains of the 1920s Seletar Pier, Admiralty House, Kampong Wak Hassan, Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang, Sembawang memorial, and the Sembawang Shipyard (a former British Naval Base from 1938 to 1968) encircle the park, giving guests something else to appreciate aside from the green space.
Sun Plaza Park
Sun Plaza Park
To the east is Sun Plaza Park, located in Tampines Avenue 7 and 9 within Singapore’s largest residential area. Despite its small size of 1,700 sqm, this park offers various activities for everyone, especially families with children. A unique feature of the park is the Sensory Discovery Garden, which tickles the visitors’ senses through different stations that utilize interactive play like textured walls, talking tubes, slides and more.
The park also contains an amphitheater for entertaining performances, and a beach ball court and a woodball course for sporty visitors. People looking for more active activities can also try cycling or jogging through the park connector network, which connects different parks in the city through a 36 km stretch that goes through Sun Plaza Park. Due to the park’s proximity to a dense residential area, it is one of the more well-known meeting places for cultural and social interactions in the neighborhood.
Yishun Pond Park
Yishung Pond Park
The last park to be unveiled is Yishun Pond Park. A 10-minute walk from the Yishun MRT station, the park is 1,900 sqm in size and is located near Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Compared to the activities offered by the aforementioned parks, the beauty of the Yishun Pond Park lies in the variety of birds, flora, and fauna you can find in its gardens. Visitors can bask in nature and enjoy the calming environment surrounded by various colorful trees, shrubs, marshland plants and bird species.
Since the park was created with the consultation of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital to make it accessible, outpatients from the hospital may visit the grounds which incorporate other features like wheelchair bridges, mound therapy stairs, and mound seat therapy into their rehabilitation and healing process.
There are currently 13 therapeutic gardens scattered around Singapore, which is expected to increase to 30 by 2030 according to Indranee Rajah, the Second Minister for Finance and National Development in Singapore. She announced the opening of these three new therapeutic gardens in a Facebook post last October.
“Therapeutic gardens are specially curated to allow us to interact with nature. They incorporate different terrains, rich biodiversity, specially selected plants and design features to enhance mental health and well-being,” Rajah said in her post.
Are you interested in visiting any of Singapore’s therapeutic gardens? If so, which one? Comment your thoughts below.
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