The garden was first established in 1951 by John Laycock, a lawyer and a founding member of the Orchid Society of South East Asia.

Together, they brought 5 acres of land on Mandai Road, eventually leading to the creation of the MOG.

On 1 January 2011, the garden ceased operations upon the expiry of its lease, and the land and was slated for development into a new tourist attraction.

In the first quarter of 2018, the Mandai Wildlife Bridge was built near and above its former site, it was officially opened on 6 December 2019.

[2] The aviary known as Bird Paradise was opened in 2023, occupying the most of left part of its former site and adopted its remnant artificial structure Orchid Waterfall.