Plant nurseries in Singapore (2020) - popular house plants & where to buy them

Plant nursery in Singapore	Price range
World Farm (Hua Hng Trading)	$
Cheng Tai Nursery	$
Toh Garden	$ to $$
Sing See Soon	$$
Spa Flora	$$
Far East Flora	$$ to $$$
Candy Floriculture	$$$

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WORLD FARM (HUA HNG TRADING)

World Farm - also known as Hua Hng Trading - is one of the largest nurseries I've personally been to.

They have a huge selection of plants and gardening supplies, and as a "wholesale garden centre", their prices are cheap.

But while their prices are more affordable than most, World Farm carries pretty common plants.

If you are after exotic or rare plants, you'd be hard pressed to find them here.

It's also quite ulu - World Farm is located off Sembawang Road; the nearest MRT is Khatib.

Address: 15 Bah Soon Pah Rd, Singapore 769 962
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm on Mon to Sat, 9am to 1pm on Sun.

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CHENGTAI NURSERY

Some plant enthusiasts call this a "bonsai heaven", and it sure seems like it. The nursery is massive, and it really is mostly filled with mini trees.

They are one of the most affordable of the nurseries that specialise in bonsais, with tabletop trees going for as cheap as $20 to $30.

I'm no bonsai expert, but according to forums, shoppers have found beautiful shui mei bonsais (that would cost over $1,000 elsewhere) selling for just $300+.

Address: 51 Sungei Tengah Rd, Singapore 698 997
Opening hours: 8.30am to 6.30pm, daily.

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TOH GARDEN

Love our national flower? Head to Toh Garden, which specialises in orchids.

Despite requiring quite experienced care, these flowers are super popular in Singapore, and can get notoriously expensive - costing up to a $200+ per pot.

You can find orchids at most nurseries, but at Toh Garden, you'll have more to choose from, and they're usually priced slightly below the market rate.

Toh Garden has a website which lists their flowers and prices, so you can check the prices before going down.

Address: 11 Lor Pasu, Singapore 699 191
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm on Mon to Sat, 8am to 3pm on Sun.

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SING SEE SOON

Sing See Soon is one of the first nurseries I visited, because its flagship store is at Punggol, near my home.

Along with a few other nurseries, Sing See Soon is located at Punggol East, near the hip cafes like Whisk & Paddle at Tebing Lane.

I find that BLG Nursery (the leftmost one) is cheaper, but Sing See Soon is the biggest of the few nurseries along that stretch, and seems to have the widest variety of plants.

The prices are decent, and if you get more than one plant, you can try your luck bargaining.

Aside from the usual suspects, they sometimes carry rare plants too. I recently bought a variegated bear paw succulent for $16 there.

Sing See Soon also recently opened an outlet at Simei.

Address: 32 Punggol E, Singapore 828 824 & 5 Simei Lane
Singapore 528710
Opening hours: 8am to 8pm, daily.

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SPA FLORA

Spa Flora is located furthest west of the famous "Far East Flora stretch" in Thomson.

Contrary to popular drivers-by belief - yes, it isn't just Far East Flora there.

The first thing you'd notice about Spa Flora is not flowers, but huge, hanging air plants. I found this gem of a nursery when my sister was on the hunt for air plants and was pleasantly surprised to find that they're quite affordably priced.

The common, smaller ones are just a few dollars, but if you want a huge, green "chandelier", it'll cost more (like, a hundred dollars more).

Address: 553 Thomson Rd, Singapore 298 139
Opening hours: 8.30am to 7pm, daily.

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FAR EAST FLORA

This one needs little introduction - if you've driven past Thomson Road, you would have seen Far East Flora's huge signage.

It's possibly the most well known nursery in Singapore, and for good reason.

It's got everything you need, just not at super cheap prices. But that's to be expected of a one-stop shop, right? You pay a little more for convenience.

Far East Flora has a website where you can order your plants too.

Next to Far East Flora, you will find Goodwood Florist, which is actually part of Far East Flora as well.

I personally find Goodwood slightly more affordable, with more "green" plants.

Far East sells a lot of flowers, potted or fresh-cut.

If you're into huge plants (for your garden, perhaps), head to Hawaii Landscape.

During my trip there, I noticed that even their potted plants are quite big. Judging from that (and their name, obviously), I'm guessing that they cater to the garden crowd.

Address: 565 Thomson Road, Singapore 298 184
Opening hours: 8am to 9pm, daily.

CANDI FLORICULTURE

Spa Flora is on the far left of the Thomson stretch, while Candy Floriculture is on the far right. I've been there a few times, and each time the place is quite empty, save for a few cute stray cats.

Why the ghost town?

Because Candy's is expensive.

They bring in a lot of bonsai from Japan, like the popular black pine and shimpaku.

I once saw a tabletop-size pine bonsai going for $21,000. Siao ah.

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And don't even try to bargain.

I recently bought an imported variegated monstera borsigiana for $150, which is shockingly expensive.

The original price is even scarier - it was actually $168, and I only got a discount cos the boss wasn't in.

I went back a second time and tried to buy one more - because addicted already - and this time, boss lady was in.

One of the helpful workers brought us to Candy to ask for a discount, and instead of politely declining, she actually scolded the worker for asking. In front of us. Without acknowledging us. #OKcan.

Address: 567 Thomson Rd, Singapore 298 183
Opening hours: 8am to 7.30pm, daily.

OTHER PLACES TO BUY PLANTS IN SINGAPORE

NOAH GARDEN CENTRE

I personally prefer the experience of handpicking my plants - I want to make sure they don't have pests and the leaves are in good shape! - but if you prefer to cart out, try Noah Garden Centre.

I have friends who've bought from them and the plants all came healthy and with a reasonable price tag.

Address: www.noahgardencentre.com.sg

GARDENER'S DAY OUT (GDO)

If you're a rare plant collector, you'll have better luck at the monthly Gardener's Day Out, organised by NParks.

Many sellers take this chance to sell their prized plants at GDO.

For more information, check the official GDO website.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.