The Life! section of the Straits Times that was published last Saturday (29 Mar 08) featured a very nicely done corridor garden. I must say that that corridor garden would serve as a very good role model and fine example for all Singaporeans who dwell in highrise apartments to follow and learn from. Before I move on, I would like to credit the pictures I posted on this blog to the Straits Times. Many thanks to Andrew Tan writing this article!
Corridor gardens are not necessarily messy and untidy. Neither should they be boring where pots of plants simply line up along the corridor’s parapet.
Do you know that corridor gardening in Singapore is, in fact, is not encouraged and often frowned upon for several reasons?
I have been told that some town council officials actually conduct frequent checks on the corridors in the apartment blocks in their constituencies to ensure that residents comply with the basic guidelines. However, most of time, the ‘give and take’ stance is taken, as long as residents do not overly crowd a corridor.
The most important and obvious reason for not encouraging gardening along the corridor is due to some inconsiderate instances where flower pots and so on, become obstacles to traffic and block fire escape. Hence all those various pieces of garden hardware that I saw in the pictures shown in the article can be considered as obstructions to human traffic.
Corridor gardening is not easy. Because Singapore is a small country and most of us live in apartments, we must either have very understanding neighbours or neighbours who love plants to be able to enjoy and permit such massive planting. Troublesome neighbours who dislike one’s plants may become those who go complain to the authorities for the obstruction caused or for the fear of mosquito breeding. I have encountered people who simply link gardening and plants with mosquitoes.
I have members on my Green Culture Singapore discussion forum lamenting that their plants grown in the common corridor that got stolen. That probably has rendered some of them from posting pictures of their plants on the forum. I reckon some clever people can actually recognise the location by just looking at the pictures and go steal those plants when one is not aware. Corridor gardeners also have to tolerate vandalism that may sometimes occur.
As we all know, not all Singaporeans live in apartments that has a balcony, especially those who live in 3-room flats. The only place that these people can do some gardening is the common corridor and that is often the only place that has some decent sunshine that is vital for plant growth. Also notable is that not all Singaporeans are keen to go down to the community garden to do gardening.
The ‘kampong’ spirit and good neighbourliness in modern Singapore are literally dead. We know that nowadays, neighbours seldom interact and the doors to each home are shut tight. Some people still do not know their neighbours well even having lived next to each other for years. The apartments that line the corridor make up a mini-community and can consists of two or more races. I thought - can gardening is an activity that can be used to bring neighbours of various faiths and races closer together? How about community gardening for neighbours who reside on the same level?
Neighbours can cooperate to watch each other’s plants – the gardening version of the neighbourhood watch. They can also grow herbs and spices to be shared among each other. When one family is away for holiday, neighbours can help to water their plants. They can also work together to design a themed garden just for their level. Last but not least, if window boxes are to be built one day in HDB flats, residents can then all take part to dress up their apartment block’s facade – a way to show their community spirit. Lastly, citizens can then also play an active role to beautify their living environment, a step that should be taken to help us get closer towards our goal, that is, to make Singapore truly a ‘City in a Garden’.
