Monthly Archives: March 2009

Vertical Gardening Feature in Straits Times Life!

Posted on March 29, 2009 | 1 Comment

There was an extensive feature on vertical gardening in Singapore in the Straits Times Life! section yesterday. Vertical gardening is something that most Singaporeans can easily perceive since decades ago, our dwellings have gone skywards to make the best use of limited land in our island state.

Vertical gardening is the growing of plants on the vertical surfaces, be it on the wall of a home or something that is larger like the facade of a building. It is more than just aesthetics. Vertical greenery can help to cool buildings, thereby the reducing the need and cost of expensive air-conditioning. Plants also help to soften the hard and cold look of concrete that is used to construct our ‘concrete jungle’ in highly urbanised Singapore.

On the leftmost corner of the Straits Times main section, one of my vertical gardens with airplants on it was featured.

 The coverage on vertical gardening featured both hobbyist and commercial set-ups. For those of us who have followed the Community in Bloom Awards last year, we would have guessed that Mr Albert Quek’s set-up is one that would naturally appear in the feature story in the hobbyist vertical gardens portion. Indeed, Albert’s vertical garden was featured, together with two smaller photographs that showed how one can do something similar using bamboo sticks.

The cover page of Straits Times Life! section showing the feature story of the day.

I am honoured to be the next hobbyist who was featured in the story. My vertical gardens were inspired by Andrew Tan’s set-up which I first got to see it last December when I had the privilege of an invitation to visit his home. Andrew used an aluminium window grille in this vertical garden. For me, I recruited my Dad to help me in the construction of my vertical garden where he used laundry bamboo poles to make a grid that served the same purpose as the metal one used by Andrew.

I am honoured to have my two vertical gardens featured in the story. The larger vertical garden which had many airplants (Tillandsia spp.) perched on pieces of driftwood secured to the bamboo frame was shown on the first page of the main section of the Straits Times! I have noticed quite a lot of vertical gardens are rather ‘flat’ in their design and I thought I should just secure pieces of contorted driftwood onto the rather flat bamboo frame so as to achieve a naturalistic look where the branches can ‘grow outwards’ from the wall. I would then perch airplants on some of these branches.

The first page of the story and the vertical garden that was featured was mine which is a very simple set-up that can be done by securing decorative containers into a bamboo frame.

I also did a smaller version using the same framework but I secured small decorative containers onto the frame. The containers are very cheap and are bonded to the framework using cable ties. I would then slot in various plants grown in pots into these containers. Whenever the plants decline, I can easily take them out and swop with new ones. In my current set-up, I used peperomias which is a group of plants that I like every much due to their differing leaf shapes, texture and colour as well as various varying growth habits. 

The second page of the story that showed Veera’s set-up as well as the modular system that is available for purchase from Far East Flora. The vertical garden at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 was also featured.

For those of us who do not want to spend too much time making his/her own vertical garden, one can go buy a modular system called ‘Minigarden’ that is available from Far East Flora. Each module has three pockets and one can easily slot in a plant into each pocket. Each module can then be stacked up to a desired height.

For larger set-ups, it is best to consult a commercial company to help with the design and implementation. For this, Greenology’s wholly recycable ‘Green Envelope System’ was featured. It was designed by Veera, the boss of the company and comes with an irrigation system which is essential to provide water for a large set-up.

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Posted in Gardening People in Singapore, High-rise Gardening, Houseplants, Media Appearances, Newspaper features

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A NEW era of gardening has started for me…

Posted on March 27, 2009 | 2 Comments

Last November marked an important juncture in my gardening hobby. That was the time where I shifted my place of residence from Serangoon North to Hougang. Over at my former house, there were no suitable areas for gardening because I do not have an area at home that receives sunshine all year round.

The only place I could grow my plants at my previous residence was the landing in the staircase that leads to my apartment!

All my flat’s windows are facing either North or South and sunshine streams into the house in either direction for about 5 months a year when the sun shifts its path every half-yearly. Because all the window panes were frosted for frosted for privacy (the neighbouring block was situated close by) and sunshine that hits the glass becomes dispersed.

For those of you who have visited my old house at Serangoon North, most would have noticed that I actually had a balcony in the house. It was a huge one but strangely, the architect designed it to be located inside the lift lobby area which was dark and therefore, hardly conducive for growing plants.

The only space up in my apartment where I can do some gardening was at a landing in the staircase that leads up to my unit.  I had to raise my plants just below the level of the parapet so that they are able to ‘see the light’. The growing area faced south and the plants grown there could only receive direct sunshine from October to February annually. 

As you can see, my plants are not exactly healthy-looking. Do not laugh when you see the cactus situated in the center of the above photograph. It is a well-known sun-loving plant that was given to me by my teacher in Primary School. The plant exhibited etiolation for half a year when there is no sunshine but resumes with healthier growth when the sun returns!

That growing area was also quite dry and windy. The relatively shade-tolerant plants like various prayer plants (Calathea and Maranta) did not grow well as a result and rolled up their leaves which is evident from the picture shown above. The only plant that seem to thrive is the Orchidantha which is a forest floor plant given to me by a gardening mentor. It is largely a foliage plant with lush green leaves. Its flowers are not easily spotted as they are brown and produced near the soil surface.

The original balcony design in the new house.

Things only started to change come last October. My parents decided that we should shift for a change of living environment. I seized the chance to go look for a new house with my parents with areas that are conducive for gardening. We finally settled on a maisonette apartment in Hougang and I finally got a long-awaited balcony where I can grow my plants!

The second picture above shows the balcony in its original state when we first moved in. The design was a little dated and my family decided to change the tiles to those that were more earthly-looking. The floor was later retiled with non-slip slabs too. The original balcony grille was about to break apart and was changed to a new one made from wrought iron with grille rods which were fashioned to curve outwards so that I can safely grow plants in hanging pots without having to worry that they fall and hit someone.

I did not get a perfect package with the new balcony because it faces North and sunshine only comes into the balcony space during the April to August period. Even thought the balcony ceiling is high and supposedly there should be more light, the lack of direct sunshine limited the range of plants I could grow. Cacti and succulents, flowering shrubs and edible plants such as herbs and vegetables are hence out of the list. 

My unit is located on the 14th storey and winds can get quite strong and frequent during certain times of the year. My initial try with foliage begonias and ferns failed miserably because their leaves got torn by the wind or became dessicated when I positioned them along the ledge of the parapet.

I also tried growing a couple of species of spiral gingers (Costus spp.) which I thought could grow in shady areas but not all of them were happy with the prevailing growing conditions. Those that did not fare well were found to be easily infested with aphids and thrips. I did not encounter such pests when I grew these gingers outdoors in my community garden!

At present, the search for ideal plant candidates is still on. I experimented with hoyas and found that those species with thick waxy leaves are able to tolerate the windy conditions. Because they are vines, I had to ensure that they do not climb all over the balcony and bring about an invasion. What was very much welcome was the fragrance that hoya flowers emit at night, which fills the entire balcony space.

The renovated balcony with plants added.

I still keep some spiral gingers which performed well in the balcony. Costus woodsonii is the most rewarding species to grow because it reliably produces its attractive red cones. Costus erythrophyllus seem to do quite well but was taken out because its leaves were particularly easily damaged when the plant was situated in a high traffic area. The rather petite lemon ginger, Monocostus uniflorus, showed itself to be a good hanging basket candidate which bears large single, yellow-coloured blooms.

Airplants (Tillandsia spp.) were observed to grow quite well too. I did not have to soak them in water like I did in the past and water was provided only via a fine water spray that was applied daily. They also get their source of water whenever the rain comes in during a storm. So far, none of them rotted on me, probably due to better air circulation afforded by the large open space.

I also experimented with growing various species of prayer plants. The larger ones like the wheat calathea (Pleiostachya pruinosa) and rattlesnake calathea (Calathea crotalifera) seem to be able to take the windy conditions quite well. The smaller ones like C. roseopicta need to be grown almost on floor level so that they do not catch the wind that will cause them to dry up.

I have to admit that I am still in the midst of learning about the environmental conditions in my new balcony and gardening in that space is something that challenges my knowledge and experience.

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Richmond’s maiden gardening talk on “Start Growing “Insect-eating” Plants!”

Posted on March 25, 2009 | 1 Comment

The talk entitled “Start Growing “Insect-eating” Plants!” by Green Culture Singapore member, Richmond Tan, organized by Community in Bloom and HortPark attracted about seventy participants last Saturday. It was Richmond’s first gardening talk given to the public.

Held in conjunction with the March school holidays, the talk aimed to promote awareness of these plants to the young. A small bazaar by gardening hobbyists was conducted for the first time outside the Fruit Room where participants can buy plants to bring home to grow. TALOS from the forum brought along carnivorous plants while bluefly gathered some African violet plantlets for sale to the participants of the talk.

A showcase of carnivorous plants has also been put up at the Lifestyle Corner of HortPark by my colleagues where one can come up close to interact with these intriguing plants. Basic information and growing tips are also provided as part of the display.

Visitors will be able to see the various representative groups of carnivorous plants that be commonly found on sale in local nurseries and these include North American pitcher plants (Sarracenia), tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes), sundews (Drosera),  butterworts (Pinguicula) and Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula).

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Vegetarian shrimps, anyone?

Posted on March 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

If you have to HortPark recently, you could have noticed some green bushes producing interesting shrimp-like inflorescences at the tip of their branches. Because of the shrimp-like appearance of the inflorescences , these plants, which are botanically known as Justicia brandegeana, are known commonly as the shrimp plant! This Justicia species was named after the American botanist, Townshend Stith Brandegee.

The shrimp plant is a member of Acanthaceae family and sometimes referred via two other common names, which include false hop amd shrimp bush. Quite a number of ornamental shrubs that are common garden plants in Singapore come from this family. Some medicinal plants that are used locally in folk medicine are also members of the Acanthaceae family.

Native to Mexico, the slightly curved inflorescences of the shrimp plant grown in HortPark have rather dark reddish orange bracts that overlap one another. There are cultivars with yellow and green coloured bracts. The true flowers are hidden between the bracts and they peek out from between the bracts when they bloom. Flowers appear from the end nearest to the stem outwards the tip of the inflorescence.

As a plant, the shrimp plant grows as a rather short shrub with a rather lanky habit. It is recomended to grow several plants close together and in the garden, the shrimp plant can be used to create a border or grown inside a flower bed. To prevent plants from becoming straggly, it is best to prune them periodically to encourage these plants to adopt a more compact and bushy growth habit. Pruning will also promote the production of new flowers as buds appear on new growth.

The shrimp plant prefers to be grown in fertile and well drained soil. Fertilise regularly and do so especially after pruning to encourage new growth. The location for growing the shrimp plant should be exposed to direct sunshine as this plant is a sun-lover. Some individuals who live in highrise apartments face problems trying to rebloom this plant, probably due to the lack of sufficient duration of direct sunshine. Plants also need to be watered generously during the hot season. Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to keep roots cool and moist. New plants are easily propagated from stem-cuttings.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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Root Awakening (21 Mar 09)

Posted on March 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

The last instalment of the Root Awakening column for the month of March 09 was published today. In this week’s column, answers to three questions where provided. Coincidentally, they all dealth with problems encountered on edible plants.

The first question was about the occurrence of brown spots and lack of fragrance in pandan plants (Pandanus amaryllifolius). The brown spots could be due to a fungal infection that is commonly encountered in areas with low air circulation and dimly lit. The lack of light will also cause the plant to produce less essential oil which explains the lack of fragrance in this popular plant with many culinary uses.

The second question was asked by a gardener who noticed white woolly growth on his/her tomato plants. These are likely to be mealy bugs which is an insect pest that is easily eradicated with several repeated sprays of petroleum oil (summer oil) if the infestation is small. Large-scale infestation will be difficult to treat and it is better to discard the plant to prevent the spread of the infestation to other plants.

The last question was about how to get new basil plants. Basil can be propagated via seeds collected from the dried flower heads or via stem-cuttings. For the latter method, one has to use non-flowering stems for propagation. First, strip off the leaves near the cut end and ensure there are about two nodes. Next, stick the stem into a pot of well-drained soil and keep in a shaded area until new roots are formed.

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A beautiful but difficult to grow Calathea warscewiczii

Posted on March 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

Calathea warscewiczii is a beautiful plant for shady areas in a tropical themed garden. A prayer plant relative and a member of the Marantaceae family, this plant has a curious habit of folding up its leaves as if one puts two hands together during prayer when night falls.

This herbaceous plant is native to Costa Rica and Nicaragua and produces lanceoate leaves that have a dark green background and an attractive fishtail pattern on the upperside of the leaves. If conditions are optimal, the leaves that are covered with fine silvery hairs leaves, which make them furry to touch, can grow up to almost one foot long. The leaves have a maroon coloured underside.

Besides its attractive leaves, Calathea warscewiczii also produces showy cone-like inflorescences. The bracts that cover the cone are creamy white in colour when they first emerge and they gradually turn to yellow and take on a pinkish hue with time. They are spirally arranged around the cone and the rims of these bracts fold over the edge, which make the entire cone looks somewhat like a rose flower when viewed from the top!

Calathea warscewiczii is not an easy plant to grow though. I find that it is one fussy prayer plant to grow. It needs to be grown in an area with bright, filtered sunshine. Like most other sensitive calatheas, direct sunlight can burn the leaves of this plant. This plant likes to be grown in an area with high humidity and protected from winds.

It is also particularly picky over the medium that is it being grown in. It is best to grow Calathea warscewiczii inside a well-drained mix that is rich in organic matter. The fibrous roots need to be in contact with moist soil at all times and it should not be allowed to dry out completely. Mulch generously to help keep the roots moist and cool. Waterlogged conditions should also be avoided as roots can rot away.

When the plant is grown in an area that is too hot, dry or windy, its leaves will curl up into a roll and leaf edges will likely to turn brown as well. Unhappy plants tend to exhibit stunted growth. It is a challenging plant to grow in highrise apartments due to the dry and often windy conditions. One can try growing it below the parapet where it is shadier and sheltered from drying winds.

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Posted in Houseplants, Tropical ornamentals

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Contribution to Home Concepts magazine (Mar 09)

Posted on March 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Garden Treats column in this month’s issue of the Singapore Home Concepts magazine focussed on a selection of plants which are used in the perfumery industry. Five different plants where featured which included the ylang ylang (Cananga odorata), champaca (Michelia spp.), jasmine (Jasminum spp.), frangipani  (Plumeria spp.) and rose (Rosa spp.). Essential oil is extracted from their flowers and are used to make various fragrance products.

From the above selection, of particular significance are two tropical flowers, namely, ylang ylang and white champaca (Michelia x alba). Essential oil from these flowers is used to make the Jean Patou cult classic, Joy and Chanel No. 5, respectively. Extraction of essential oil from flowers is usually not feasible at home due to the lack of access to specialised equipment. But one can still enjoy these flowers for their fragrance which is emitted into the space of a garden or home. Hence it will be prudent of one to grow these fragrant plants in a pot and so that they can be easily shifted around!

For the entire of March, visitors to HortPark will get a chance to know more about perfumery plants as a showcase has been put up at the timber deck located just outside HortPark’s Lifestyle Corner. The display was put up by myself and my fellow colleagues working in HortPark in conjunction with my article on perfumery plants in the Singapore Home Concepts magazine. Information on how to grow and care for these plants in the garden is provided. Guided tours of the Lifestyle Corner as well as the perfumery plant showcase, lasting for an hour, have been organised on two Saturday afternoons – 14 and 21 Mar 2009 at 5 pm.

In the perfumery showcase at HortPark, one can expect to see a few more perfumery plants in addition to the five mentioned in the article. They include the citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus), lemon (Citrus limon) and tuberose (Polianthes tuberose). As mentioned earlier, flowers are the main raw material that are harvested for perfumery uses but for citronella grass, it is the leaves that are harvested. In the case of the lemon, the peel of the fruit is used. It will be a good idea to drop by later in the evening. The fragrance of the flowers usually intensifies when night falls.

One very important thing to note for the growing of these perfumery plants is that the majority of them are sun worshippers. They need direct sunshine to grow well and produce flowers. Apartment gardeners are likely to encounter alot of difficulty in trying to get these plants to flower if there is insufficient direct sunshine at their homes. Many of these perfumery plants are also shrubs and they need to be pruned periodically to ensure they do not become straggly. Pruning will encourage the growth of side shoots which will help to keep the plant compact-looking.

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Posted in Contributed Articles, Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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A hectic day of gardening events!

Posted on March 15, 2009 | Leave a comment

It was a hectic Saturday for me but one that was enjoyable and satisfying because I was able to share the things about gardening that I have learnt with the members of the public. I hope they will find the tips useful and inspire them to grow more plants.

My hectic Saturday schedule started in the afternoon at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with a gardening talk that was titled “Introduction to the Zingiberales order – Cultivation and Landscape Uses”. I am honoured to be able to give the first gardening talk for the public in a collaboration between Green Culture Singapore, Community in Bloom, HortPark and the National Library Board, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. In the past years, our gardening talks were mostly given in the public and community libraries while some others were conducted at HortPark. 

The first thing that astonished me was the crowd that attended the talk at the Function Room. The room was totally filled and more chairs had to be carted in. Still, I noticed a couple of participants had to make do by sitting on the floor. I am surprised because I did not know there can be that many people who are interested to know more about the plants in the Zingiberales order which is made up of various ornamental, medicinal and edible plants that range from the bird of paradise, heliconia, various gingers and the rare and obscure Orchidantha.

I hope the audience who attended the talk will grow the rhizomes of the sand ginger, Kaempferia galanga, that were given to each of them. The sand ginger is a small plant that can be grown in a pot, both by apartment gardeners as well as those who have a garden in a landed property. It was a small gift that I hope will spark the public’s interest for gingers and other species belonging to the Zingiberales order.

The talk was indeed an ambitious one where I attempted to cover all eight families in the order. I really hope the pace was manageable for my audience and sincere apologies for the slight over-run because there was simply too much to cover. This first talk forms the first of the series of talks that will be conducted over the course of 2009. These later talks will cover some of the families separately in detail. 

After the talk at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, I rushed back to HortPark with the help of my good friend and colleague, Mr Ng Cheow Kheng, who offered me a fast ride on his car. The second thing which happened that astonished me was that some of my audience in the earlier session followed me to HortPark to take part in the guided tour of the Lifestyle Corner!

I would like to express my deep appreciation for the support and time that were given to me by my audience. From what I can remember, more than half of the group of about 10 persons that participated my guided tour were from the earlier crowd at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Although I was all exhausted and my throat all parched from almost 3 hours of non-stop talking, I guess it was worth it, especially when I saw how the participants benefited from the sharing sessions that took place.

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Community in Bloom’s Partners’ & Volunteers’ Appreciation Night

Posted on March 13, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Community in Bloom (CIB) successfully organised their Partners’ and Volunteers’ Night yesterday evening at HortPark where I now work. The guest of honour for the event was my CEO, Mr Ng Lang. The CIB initiative was a highly successful one and this could be seen by the number of cheerful participants that made it a point to rush to the event after work on a weekday evening. 

 Mr Ng Lang giving his opening address.

As with all CIB events, I was there to give my support and I was there as a guest also, although I donned the NParks t-shirt. Later in the evening, I had to go up the stage to receive a certificate of appreciation for the work that had been put in in the past year via the collaboration with Green Culture Singapore, the gardening website and discussion forum which I have set up almost 5 years ago.

It was a reunion gathering of sorts and a happy occasion where we get to meet many of our fellow gardening friends in the community while we enjoy the sumptuous meal that was prepared for all of us. I treasure such moments as in today’s society, many of us are so caught up with our work and such a lifestyle makes it difficult for all of us to meet up.

I am glad to be able to be part of it as my team at HortPark helped to prepare some red lady finger seeds with growing instructions that were given out in the goodie bags together with various other CIB collaterals. 

Guests to the CIB event taking down notes and pictures around the perfumery plants showcase.

Earlier in that evening, I was heartened to be able to witness several guests that were invited to the event roaming around the timber deck outside the Lifestyle Corner at HortPark. I saw a couple of them posing for pictures, taking down notes and pictures of the plants that featured in the showcase of perfumery plants that were put up by my team in conjunction with the Garden Treats article that I wrote for the Home Concepts magazine this month. 

I hope the showcase was a useful one and will help to spread the awareness to the public about the use of plants in perfumery. Many of these plants can grow very well in Singapore and they produce very fragrant flowers that can be enjoyed. All one needs is a sunlit location in the home with at least 6 hours of direct sunshine daily and plants are grown in well draining, fertile soil.

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The fruits of the “Four-angled Vine”

Posted on March 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

There is a plant that one can find growing in the medicinal plant section of some community gardens. It is commonly called the “four-angled vine” due to the distinctive square-shaped stems that the plant possesses. It is botanically known as Cissus quadrangularis and even the specific name indicated the plant’s squarish stems! Interestingly, it is a member of the grape family, Vitaceae. The plant produces tendrils that help it to grasp onto any support it come in close contact with to help it climb.

During my recent visit to Oh Chin Huat Hydroponic Farm at Bah Soon Pah Road, I saw their rather mature C. quadrangularis vine fruiting. The fruits that are borne on a bunch are tiny and red in colour. They are said to turn black when they mature and ripen later on. I did not managed to catch a glimpse of any opened flowers on the vine though. Many that I saw have passed the  anthesis stage and have faded. Flowers of C. quadrangularis are said to be  sweetly-scented.

Only gardeners who know the uses for this plant grow  it. In Singapore, C. quadrangularis is grown mainly for its use for the treatment of haemorrhoids where elderly males are reported to cut a segment of the stem into small bits and then swallowing them. I am not sure how safe and effective this treatment would be. Please countercheck with a qualified practitioner before attempting to self-medicate!

From PROSEA, it was documented that in Java, the leaves or young stems are applied for maturation of boils, and to cure wounds and burns, also for saddle sores on horses. The crushed leaves or the juice from the stem are applied for rheumatism and to broken bones, to ease the pain.

In India, the pulped stem is given in asthma, and the powdered root is considered to be a specific in the treatment of fractured bones. The powdered dry roots are used for indigestion.

The plant also has food uses in southern India and Sri Lanka where the green stems are fried or curried before consumption. The ash of the plant is used as a substitute for baking powder. 

For those of us who do not know or want to use C. quadrangularis as a medicinal or food plant, you can still grow it as an interesting houseplant at home due to its squarish stems. It is quite an easy plant to grow as it is relatively fuss-free, free from pests and diseases and slow-growing.

All this plant needs is a location where it can receive some sunshine for 6 hours daily and grown inside well draining soil. Keep it on the drier side as the plant can rot away if overwatered. It is easily propagated from stem-cuttings.

It can be difficult to find this plant on sale in local nurseries. One can proceed to Oh Chin Huat Hydroponic Farm to buy a cutting if one is in the vicinty. Otherwise, if one spots a vine growing in a community garden, do try to ask for a cutting or pay the community gardener a nominal sum to get one. Please do not cut a segment without permission!

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Posted in Herbs, Houseplants

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