Monthly Archives: September 2008

Kate is here in Singapore!

Posted on September 15, 2008 | Leave a comment

Earlier this evening, I got to meet up with Kate Flint from Hills and Plains Seedsavers. It was just shortly after she alighted from the plane. Singapore is her first stop and she has just started her six week long tour which she calls it as the “Voyage of the Vegetable Vagabond” that takes her from her home in Adelaide, Australia to Singapore, United Kingdom, France, United States of America and Canada where she will visit fellow organic vegetable gardeners and seed-savers.

I am so honoured to be able to meet up with Kate and be her host. I also took the opportunity to ask Teresa from Balcony Greens to come to see Kate in real life. Kate has been a frequent visitor to Teresa’s blog where Teresa shares her experience as a highrise apartment vegetable gardener. This is the first time that Kate and I got to meet up with Teresa.

Before we left the hotel for dinner, we asked the hotel staff to snap our very first group photograph at the lobby. Strange, as you can see from the picture below, that there are three obvious orbs that appeared on the right side of the picture. My friends who are into photography told me the orbs appeared due to the presence of dust in the air or it could due to my dirty camera lens…

We went to Food Republic at Wisma Atria Shopping Center for our dinner. Teresa and I got some local fare for Kate to try and we were glad that Kate found the food nice and delicious. We got to know each other better, especially on what we grow, how we started our gardening hobby and so on, as we chatted along over dinner.

Many thanks to Teresa who drove,  we were able to bring Kate on a short tour in the car around the Singapore city center where she got to see some of Singapore’s famous landmarks, which included some new ones such as the Singapore Flyer and the bright flood lights that were switched on as part of the preparation work for the upcoming Grand Prix F1 night race that Singapore is going to host for the first time in a couple of days’ time.

Tomorrow will be a long day but I hope it will be a fruitful, enjoyable and memorable one for Kate. She will be visiting two community gardens where one of which is mine at Serangoon North. Mount Faber Park is one of next stops and if time permits, we will also bring Kate on a visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens or even HortPark – the gardening hub.

I would like to thank Kate for her generosity. I got a mousepad from her that depicted Australian aboriginal art, which will be an important keepsake to remind me of her visit, as well as, some vegetable seeds she had saved from her community garden.

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Posted in Vegetables, Visits

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Green Culture Singapore 4th Anniversary Gathering

Posted on September 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

Green Culture Singapore, a website and discussion forum which I started, celebrated its 4th birthday yesterday. This year, the party was held two days earlier than its actual date so that it falls on a weekend, so as to make it easier for our members to attend.

The celebration was marked by a gathering similar to those organised in previous years. Members of the Green Culture Singapore discussion forum would bring food and drinks for the potluck dinner. It was also a time for everyone who attended, to mingle and to catch up with fellow members. Some members also brought along some plants to sell as well.

This year, we did something different: we gave out souvenirs to all those who came. It was a handmade token of appreciation and a display ornament that was made out of different plant seeds stacked in layers. Many thanks to Lily and Teresa who came forward to help complete the making of these souvenirs. I also want to thank Richmond who has volunteered to help me print the stickers too.

There were two persons who we wanted to thank, namely, Mr Ng Cheow Kheng from the Community in Bloom for his support and collaboration and Phillipe Noor, who is one of our forum moderators who helped to conceptualise the GCS booth during the recent Singapore Garden Festival. We presented to them each a handmade souvenir as well.

We also did not forget to express our thanks to those members who have volunteered their time to help out at the GCS booth at the Festival as well. They include Lynnette (Velvetine), Cindy, Chongren, Xuan Hong (limxuanhong), Eng Ong (Bluefly), Teresa (sasa), Lily (davidia) and Richmond (kiddyduck).

There was a small highlight at this gathering where one of our members brought in a rare fruit, called the gac fruit, from Vietnam. I was asked to share with fellow members who were interested what I knew about it. Many of us also got to eat the carotenoid-rich aril that surrounds each large seed. Some of us also had the opportunity to bring some seeds home to grow. Many thanks to Karen79 who gave us all this pleasant surprise!

This year is a memorable one for me. I am extremely glad and invigorated because I have found a couple more likeminded members who have come forward to join me in this same league to promote gardening. I am heartened every time I noticed three of my young members, namely, Richmond, Chongren and Xuanhong, wearing the GCS collar pins on their sleeves during the occasions where I did not expect them to wear it. I have also seen Eng Ong proudly donning on the GCS t-shirt when he visited various gardening-related occasions.

Last but not least, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to:

1. Fellow GCS members and Mr Ng Cheow Kheng who have made the effort to come down to support the GCS 4th Anniversary Gathering.
2. Greenhorn – for providing some exotic airplants for the gathering.
3. skyfiery and partner – for helping to take the numerous pictures to commemorate this gathering.
4. davidia, chongren, limxuanhong, kiddyduck – for being the advance party to help set things up at the gathering venue.

More pictures of the gathering can be viewed by clicking this link.

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Heliconia setting seeds in Singapore

Posted on September 12, 2008 | Leave a comment

One of my heliconias that I grow in my garden surprised me some months back with the formation of numerous fruits. Almost all the ovaries on the inflorescence were swelling up! I have seen the formation of fruits in our locally grown heliconias but the number of fruits was never that numerous. The plant was probably a Heliconia pseudoaemygdiana.  

Until today, the majority of the ovaries that were first seen on the inflorescence still persisted. From my memory, at least three months have already passed. Heliconia ovaries will only swell up upon successful pollination. The natural pollinators of heliconia flowers are humming birds that can be found in the plant’s native habitat in Central and South America but these cannot be found in Singapore! How the flowers of my plant got pollinated is a big mystery to me. It could be ants though!

Recently, some of the fruits have started to turn blue. Heliconia fruits turn blue when they are ripe. I did not really bothered to take a closer look at them because I thought the fruits would not yield viable seeds since we do not have hummingbirds in Singapore to pollinate the flowers. Most of the time, the fruits, even when they have turned blue, when prised open, do not reveal a well-formed seed.

I was requested by my friend Chong Ren who is also a heliconia enthusiast to take some pictures of my fruiting heliconia using my digital camera. While I was trying to position my camera properly to take the first shot, I moved the gravid inflorescence and I saw a couple of brown things dropping off from it.

I picked them up using my fingers and between my fingers, I felt something that was very familiar. The brown particles felt hard and rough. I took a closer look at one of them and I was startled to see that they were actually mature seeds of the heliconia! I never expected this and I wonder if the seeds are viable. Nevertheless, I guess they are worth a try. I will be sowing them and wish me good luck that they germinate!

The above picture shows how the blue fruit skin and aril around the seeds of the heliconia actually comes off to reveal the pebble-like seeds beneath. 

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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‘Community in Bloom’ Ambassador Award & Friends

Posted on September 10, 2008 | Leave a comment

Just last week, I have recently been informed by the Community in Bloom (CIB) of the National Parks Board that they have officially launched two new initiatives designed specially for the avid gardeners of Singapore, namely, the ‘CIB Ambassador Award’ and the ‘CIB Friends’ scheme.

I find the debut of the ‘CIB Ambassador Award’ and the ‘CIB Friends’ scheme very timely. The number of plant-lovers and gardening enthusiasts have been on the rise with the start of the CIB programme that allows Singaporeans to garden as a collective group in the green spaces around their homes and organisations.

Hence, the ‘CIB Ambassador Award’ and the ‘CIB Friends’ scheme will serve as excellent ways to recognise those who have contributed the promotion of gardening to Singaporeans from all walks of life.

 

The ‘Community in Bloom’ Ambassador Award

(http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118&Itemid=85)

Quoting from the CIB website, the CIB Ambassador Award recognizes individuals who have contributed through various means and channels to foster the love for gardening to the people in Singapore. CIB Ambassadors are volunteers with passion, who go the extra mile to spread the gardening bug and help others enjoy gardening. They contribute time, effort and/or resources regularly and actively engage with the community to facilitate the community’s gardening-based initiatives.

In terms of criteria, nominees for the CIB Ambassadors Award should fulfilled some or all of the following criteria:

  • Shared gardening knowledge to the community – facilitated or provided gardening ideas and tips through seminars, talks, sharing sessions, articles in media, web-based gardening blogs or forums, opening-up community gardens for learning, etc.
  • Facilitated gardening-based community projects – helping community groups in housing estates, schools and organisations to set up or sustain their gardening projects through providing guidance, resources, materials, etc.
  • Promoted the love for gardening – organised initiatives that resulted in greater awareness towards the benefits of gardening, engaged the public to spread gardening during road shows, exhibitions, community events, websites, blogs, etc.
  • Conducted themselves positively – in a manner that resulted in a sustained positive impact on gardening.

CIB Ambassador Award winners will be determined by a selection panel. Winners are selected from nominations based on their record of achievements and extent/impact of contributions made. Winners of CIB Ambassador Award will receive a plaque at the Clean & Green Singapore 2008 launch ceremony.

Nomination for CIB Ambassador Award is now open and must reach NParks by 24 Sep 2008. To nominate, download the nomination form from the following link:

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/CIB/CIBA%20Award%202008%20Nomination%20Form.doc

The completed form can be sent back to the CIB via e-mail (communityinbloom@nparks.gov.sg) or fax at +65 67621383 or snail mail to:

Secretary, CIB Ambassadors Award 2008
National Parks Board
Raffles Building, 1 Cluny Road,
Singapore 259569.

 

The ‘Community in Bloom’ Friends Scheme

(http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119)

The second new initiative is the ‘CIB Friends’ which is a scheme that provides opportunities for individuals to play a part in fostering the love for gardening among the people in Singapore by volunteering their time and effort to help others enjoy gardening. Individuals who have a passion for helping and volunteering can sign up to be CIB Friends.

Volunteers who sign up as CIB Friends can contribute in the following ways:

  • Host visits to Community Gardens – Volunteers can help to facilitate and guide visitors during visits to community gardens
  • Contribute gardening articles or write-ups to gardening blogs and newsletters - Volunteers can share their ideas on community gardens, gardening or plants through writing articles which will be posted in NParks website
  • Conduct gardening talks – Volunteers with gardening experience and knowledge can share their knowledge at the sharing sessions held at various locations
  • Facilitate the setting-up of community gardening projects – Volunteers with gardening experience and knowledge can help community groups set up community gardens through the sharing of basic gardening skills (theory and hands-on), working out suitable garden layout and selecting suitable plants for the new community garden
  • Help maintain community gardens – Volunteers can take part in helping to maintain community gardens in charitable homes through planting, weeding, etc
  • Promote gardening during exhibitions – Volunteers can help man CIB exhibition booths put up by NParks during community events, to promote gardening to visitors.

Active CIB Friends can look forward to the following benefits:

  • CIB Friend volunteer pass
  • Annual gathering for the CIB Friends
  • $10 token compensation per volunteering session
  • A CIB Friends T-Shirt
  • A chance to enroll in Gardening-related courses and workshops

To sign up as a CIB Friend volunteer, do email to communityinbloom@nparks.gov.sg the following details:

Area of volunteer work preferred: (1 or more)
Name:
Age:
Contact Number:
Mailing Address:
Occupation:
Language proficiency:
Gardening / plant knowledge:
Availability (pls specify day and time):

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Posted in Interesting News

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The smallest Heliconia

Posted on September 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

Heliconia stricta ‘Dwarf Jamaican’ is a heliconia cultivar that does not quite fit the usual stereotypical image we have in our minds about heliconias. Unlike its usual, erect, paddle-leafed, tall-growing counterparts, Heliconia stricta ‘Dwarf Jamaican’ grows up to only 30 cm to 1m in height, according to some sources. The attainable height of heliconias can be very variable and it depends on the amount of light and the prevailing growing conditions. Mine, that is now grown inside my ginger garden, is just barely 20 cm.

The plant grows as a tight, stout clump and it can be planted in large numbers in the foreground or be used as a candidate for forming a living border in a tropical-theme garden. The lanceoate leaves of this cultivar have a wavy margin and distinctive red midrib. Depending on the light intensity, the leaves can take on different shades of green. In high light, the leaves appear to look lighter, jade-green while under darker conditions, leaves will look darker green. I prefer to grow my plants under lower light so that they take on a darker green colour as that, to me, seems like a healthier colour. I don’t like my heliconia leaves to take on sickly yellow colour or have them burnt, which happens easily if they are grown under high light conditions. 

This heliconia can be planted in full sun and up to 60% shade. Bear in mind when plants are bought from a nursery where they are grown under shade, they need to be gradually acclimatised to the higher light conditions slowly.

Like most other heliconias, I find Heliconia stricta ‘Dwarf Jamaican’ prefers to be grown in friable, fertile soil that is enriched with organic material. It will be good if there is a layer of compost around the crown of the plant. Feed generously with organic fertiliser to encourage lush, vigorous growth. The roots should be kept moist at all times as droughty conditions can stunt growth and plants that are grown under high light conditions are highly susceptible to leaf burn during the hot and dry season.

Heliconias are mainly grown for their flashy and flamboyant inflorescences. The flowers of Heliconia stricta ‘Dwarf Jamaican’, like the plant, is like a ‘shrunken’ version of its larger counterparts. The inflorescence is upright and the bracts are red with a green border. The number of bracts is significantly reduced and look obviously less flamboyant compared to most other heliconias. The rather small inflorescences of this heliconia tends to get ‘lost’ amongst its lush foliage and I can only find it by sifting through the leaves!

‘Dwarf Jamaican’ is perhaps the only small heliconia that can be grown inside containers, due to its smallish size. When grown inside a large pot, it will take some time for the plant’s growth rate to catch up with the size of the container. Whenever clumps become crowded, the plant can be taken out of its pot and divided.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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Home Concepts Magazine (Sep 08 issue)

Posted on September 6, 2008 | Leave a comment

I have contributed another article to the Home Concepts magazine. In the September 08 issue, I wrote on growing the peanut plant that is both an edible and fun to grow plant at home. All my earlier contributions focussed mainly on ornamental plants and I thought it would be a refreshing topic for readers if I were to write on something that one can harvest, enjoy and eat.

 To grow the peanut plant, one can simply buy raw peanuts seeds that are sold at our local wet markets and supermarkets which are normally bought to make desserts. Do not used salted or sugared peanuts that are sold at snacks as they have been killed by the roasting process! Germination rates of raw peanut seeds bought from the market may be poor, probably due to prolonged storage time and one just has to keep sowing the stock of seeds that has been bought until a good number of seedlings have been obtained.

The peanut plant is a tidy little bush featuring lush green foliage and I have started to grow them since young and they never been able to bore me.

One of the interesting things to watch what a peanut plant does is when the night time approaches and daylight has started to diminish, plants can been seen to fold their leaves as if they are going to sleep.

In addition, do you know that the peanut is perhaps the only common legume that has its fruit development process all taking place underground? After the small, dainty, bright yellow flower fade, a peg is formed at the end of a long stalk which elongates and bury itself underground! 

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Posted in Contributed Articles, Vegetables

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Finding English names for Edible Banana cultivars

Posted on September 4, 2008 | 2 Comments

In Singapore, most of us know the edible bananas by their Malay or Chinese names, which are somewhat localised. Without their proper cultivar names in English, it becomes quite difficult for us to go find out more about them, especially information about their growth characteristics and the cultivar’s growing conditions.

I did a search on the Internet and found a very useful and informative web book that was published in 2000 by Bioversity International’s Banana and Plantain section, entitled ”Banana cultivar names and synonyms in Southeast Asia”. It is a publication that I have been looking high and low for a long time!

URL – http://bananas.bioversityinternational.org/files/files/pdf/publications/synonyms.pdf

This 24-page booklet that is available online for free contains the background on the nomenclature and classification of Southeast Asian bananas as well as, a listing of variety names and synonyms that have been agreed at the meeting that was held in Philippines in 1999 where the curators of national banana germplasm collections resolved the names of nearly 300 banana varieties and agreed on a classification system, following that of Cheeseman and the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants.

From this publication, I now know the equivalent English names of two of the three edible banana cultivars,namely, Pisang Tanduk and Pisang Udang, that are grown in my community garden. Pisang Tanduk was written to be a triploid (AAB) banana cultivar, classified as a cooking banana, or a plantain. It’s internationally accepted cultivar name are Musa x paradisiaca ‘Horn’, ‘Cuerno’ and ‘Macho’. The red skinned banana that I have in the garden, which we call ‘Pisang Udang’, is found to be a type of triploid AAA, non-Cavendish, dessert banana. Its scientific name was given as Musa acuminata ‘Red’, ‘Rojo’ and ’Morado’.

I managed to find the two cultivar names because I knew their Malay names. The reason why I cannot find the other banana cultivar’s name was due to the fact that I only know its Chinese name; people here call it the “Forty Days Banana”. This particular banana variety is a highly yielding one which bears numerous hands of sweet and delicious dessert bananas. Each banana fruit measures about 10 to 15 cm long and the reason behind its Chinese name is that the fruits are said to be ready for harvest after about 40 days the flowers appeared.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Fruits, Trees, Tropical ornamentals

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Growing Silverbeet in tropical Singapore

Posted on September 2, 2008 | 5 Comments

For a long time, I have always thought that the growing silverbeets here in tropical Singapore was really not possible. Well known to be a leafy vegetable that is commonly grown in the temperate and subtropical areas of the world, the silver beet is also known as Swiss chard. It is a related to the common beet root and the silver beet’s scientific name is Beta vulgaris var. cicla and both belong to the same Chenopodiaceae family.

I was inspired to grow this vegetable after I have seen a fellow edibles plant gardening friend’s success in growing it. I wanted to try my hands to grow silver beet because of its lush appearance which I have seen in numerous vegetable growing books. The plant has large, fleshy, shiny green ribbed leaves, with stems that range from white to yellow and red depending on the cultivar.

At around the time of planting, I managed to get the seeds of the cultivar with white petioles. Recently, I have seen pots of silver beet with yellow and red leafstalks put up on sale in our local nurseries but I cannot be sure whether they have been grown here locally. We all know that many of our plants are imported and some even though they are said to be grown in Malaysia, they may also come from Cameron Highlands, where the climate is much cooler than the lowland tropics. 

From my experience of growing the silverbeet, I noticed that it is a plant that likes to be grown in very well draining soil. The ground must be well worked on to make it friable and open. Fertile soil that is generously supplemented with compost or a high nitrogen fertiliser will boost the growth rate. Plants do not like wet feet and they rot easily if the soil is too wet. The soil should be just moist to touch.

Plants also have a tendency to be ‘top heavy’, that is, they can collapse when the aerial growth gets too lush. I prop them up using sticks before that happens. Most importantly, never allow any part of the plant to get injured. Any open wound quickly leads to rotting of the surround tissues and plants die very quickly. In addition, grow the silverbeet under shelter as plants cannot withstand the heavy downpour that is commonly encountered in the tropics.   

I have tried eating some of the young and tender silver beet leaves which were picked from the plants that I have grown. However, I have to declare that I was not too used to its taste because the silver beet tasted quite bitter.  The texture was very similar to that of the common Spinach and Ceylon Spinach. My mother who helped me to cook the vegetable did so by stir-frying it, similar to how she prepares other Oriental leafy vegetables.

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Posted in Vegetables

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