SINGAPORE - The staff of Gardens by the Bay held a tree planting ceremony this morning as a tribute to Singapore's first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr Lee is also known to green thumbs as Singapore's Chief Gardener and the Father of SIngapore's Garden City.
The ceremony saw the planting of a Sepetir daun tebal (Sindora wallichii) at the Golden Garden near the main entrance to Gardens by the Bay.
The tree, a species native to Singapore's primary forests, was meant to have been planted by Mr Lee during a visit he was planning to make earlier this year.
Others of its kind can be found in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Changi, where a tall specimen is marked as a Heritage Tree.
Historically, a tree of the same species once stood tall in Changi with a girth of 3.5 metres and a height over 76 metres.
Today's ceremony marked the completion of the planting in Mr Lee's honour.
andrewg@sph.com.sg