| A wide variety of orchids are displayed in massed beds out in the open at the Mandai Orchid Garden. The sloping hillside on which the beds are laid out is a stunning view to behold when the plants are in full bloom. The attraction of the garden has grown eclectically to include the famous Water Garden, organic herb and spice enclosure, a fruit orchard, and a hydroculture plant tour and propagation garden.
 Mandai Orchid Garden was started in 1951 by the late John Laycock, a lawyer fascinated by orchids and a founder of the Orchid Society of Southeast Asia (OSSEA), and continued under him until his death in 1960.
Before the Second World War, he had collected many rare species from the Indonesian jungle and cultivated them in his own garden. He pioneered the hybridising or crossing of plants in Asia, creating new varieties. Determined not to give up, John Laycock and Lee Kim Hong purchased five acres of land on the Mandai Road from the government on a long lease and began a new collection in 1951 and orchids have been grown on this site since then. He leased a further five acres of land for commercial cut flower growing, this land and more forms the Mandai Orchid Garden today.
Since 1961, Mandai Orchid Garden has been recognised by the Singapore Tourism Board as a tourist attraction. The Garden is internationally known and attracts up to 200,000 visitors yearly. One of the main highlights of the garden is our showcasing of how orchids were cultivated in the olden days; that is grown on open beds on the ground. A number of plants from John Laycock's original collection are still maintained, though many were lost during World War II.
Singapore Orchids has come under new management since 2002. Under the new management, Mandai Orchid Garden has been transformed into an integrated garden with lots of new facilities, including Vanilla Pod (their Continental Restaurant and Bar),
 The Discovery Tour will introduce students to various concepts in Plant Tissue Culture, basic DNA concepts and a short introduction to the World of Insects. Visit their website for more information.
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Dec 2009.