Category Archives: Newspaper features

Chinese New Year plants that don’t die on you…

Posted on February 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

To herald the Spring Festival, many Singaporeans flock to local nurseries to buy various festive flowers and plants to decorate their homes. However, many of these plants originate from the temperate climate and do not fare well here. In my contribution to the Straits Times in my official capacity as an NParks staff from the Hort Excellence division, I listed a handful of traditional and new alternative plants that can be used for the same purpose.

The desert rose (Adenium obesum) , tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes species and cultivars), scarlet star (Guzmania lingulata cultivar) and miniature dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium hybrid) are plants that has been marketed for several years as festive plants for the Lunar New Year. The only new and ‘unconventional’ plant in the list is the nerve or snakeskin plant that is botanically classified in the genus Fittonia. Numerous new cultivars with appealing leaf colours, shapes and sizes are now available and some of those with intensely red leaves are highly suitable for the Lunar New Year due to their auspicious colour. There are a handful of cultivars with yellowish green leaves and red veins.

Read the above scanned newspaper article for more info!

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Posted in Contributed Articles, Flowering plants, Newspaper features

Success Story of Community Gardening in a Private Company

Posted on April 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

It is heartening to see a different feature written on community gardening that was published in Straits Times Life! section on 29 Mar 2009. Most of us are well aware that community gardening is an activity that is prevalent in schools and both private and public residential estates.

What was different this time was that article written by Andrew Tan reported an example of a company that has a successful and thriving gardening club. Yokogawa Singapore was the company that was highlighted. It is quite surprising to know that employees of Yokogawa Singapore can actually commit themselves to garden as a group at their workplace. 

This is highly admirable because it is difficult to imagine how a gardening club in a company can actually take off because everyone would be too tired after a long day’s worth of work to find time to do community gardening. Whatever time that is left after office hours and in the weekends are precious to most people as they would want use that time to rest, recharge or be with friends and family members. After work hours and weekends are indeed important to some people who just cannot wait to get out of the office to avoid facing their colleagues and bosses!

Set up two years ago, the efforts put in by Yokogawa Singapore paid off when they won a gold award in last year’s Community in Bloom award. In their factory premises in Bedok South, staff that form the gardening club collective help to tend to the large number of plants that are grown in a xeric garden, two different Japanese themed roof-top gardens and a vegetable and herb garden.

For a community garden at a workplace to work, it is important that the management sees the value of allowing such an activity to take place in its premises. Besides financial support that needs to be given for start-up, the company may also consider granting a short span of a few hours during a week during office hours so that employees can go to work in the garden.

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Posted in Gardening People in Singapore, Newspaper features

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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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Andrew’s Article on the Mondo Grass

Posted on March 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

Andrew wrote yet another insightful article on a plant that I have overlooked for a long time. He wrote on the Mondo grass which is a grassy plant that is botanically known as Ophiopogon jaburan and a member of the lily family, Liliaceae.

The Mondo grass is a common landscape candidate due to its ability to establish quickly and easily, valued for its drought tolerance and is disease- and pest-free. Compared to many other grass-like plants, it does not spread as fast and hence they pose less of a worry to become weedy.

In the garden, it should be grown in a semi-shaded location although it can be adapted to grow in full sun. It should be planted in moist and well-drained soil. The Mondo grass does not tolerate waterlogged conditions. As mentioned by Andrew, this plant is suitable for container culture, hence apartment gardeners with a well-lit spot at home should consider growing the Mondo grass if one desires a grassy plant.

The all green variety can be found on sale in nurseries and seen being planted in some outdoor landscaped gardens. Pictured in Andrew’s article was the more attractive, variegated version of the Mondo grass, O. jaburan ‘Variegata’, which can be used as in the garden as an accent plant to add contrast and color.

Another Ophiopogon species that is well liked by some Singaporeans is the Kyoto grass, which is botanically known as O. japonicus ‘Kyoto Dwarf’. As its cultivar name suggests, this variety is a miniaturised version of the normal mondo grass-like plant. It forms compact tufts consisting of dark green leaves less than 8 cm long. It is a slow-grower and spreads slowly. One has to plant a lot of this plant in a patch of land to ensure it looks ‘filled’!

Click on this link which will bring you to a comprehensive pdf article written about the Mondo grass and its relatives that was published online by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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Posted in Newspaper features, Tropical ornamentals

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Feature on Community in Bloom!

Posted on February 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

Last Saturday, another heartening article about community gardening in Singapore was published. This time, the article revealed the possibility of renting state land that is not slated for immediate development by the public to do community gardening. 

It is great to know that the number of community gardens in Singapore is still on the rise, which is an indication of Singaporean’s deep love for greenery and the interest to be part of this grand greening process. The existence of instances of renting of state land from the Government by the public is an sign of how ardent Singaporeans can be for gardening judging by the extent they are willing to go to have that bit of the great outdoors to grow a plant.

Something that was interesting to note in the article was the participation in community gardening by domestic helpers. Most Singaporeans have grown up in this highly urbanised country and many neither have the chance nor experience of being able to grow their own edible plants. We have much to learn from our domestic helpers who have come all the way from various countries, carrying with them the valuable farming knowledge which we now lack. I am happy in a way that our domestic helpers have now an additional outlet to be near to home, where they can now touch the soil and grow some plants like what they often do back at home. 

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DIY Vegetable Gardening & Compost-making

Posted on February 2, 2009 | 5 Comments

In yesterday’s edition of the Sunday Times, a couple of pages were dedicated to a DIY projects feature and I found two articles in one of the pages that were put under a heading entitled ”DIY Gardening”. One was written on “how to make compost” that was contributed by my colleagues in HortPark while another that was submitted by Mr Rengarajan Premkumar from Far East Flora, focussed on “how to plant vegetables”.

The article by Mr Premkumar on planting vegetables recommended one to plant hybrid vegetable seeds because they are usually of a better quality and have improved growth characteristics than normal ones. The article mainly touched on seed raising only and I thought the reason behind it could be probably due to the lack of print space.

Mr Premkumar suggested that seedlings are best raised in a bright area to prevent them from burning under the heat. Brightness of light can be a difficult concept to grasp for novice. Duration of sunshine is another important aspect that was not mentioned. One may get unhealthy, elongated and etiolated growth instead of strong robust seedlings if light intensity and duration are not sufficient.

In general, edible plants must be grown under direct sunshine that last for at least 4 to 6 hours and under such conditions, they are big drinkers and must be watered at least twice a day. They must also be fed regularly to keep up with the plant’s nutrient needs. Depending on the type of fertiliser, they can be given in the diluted version and more often.

Large containers, such as those similar in size as laundry pails are preferred for growing larger growing edible plants, such as lady’s finger and cucumbers. A larger pot can hold more soil which in turn is able to hold more moisture and allow a more extensive root system to be developed. The lack of water at any one point can cause undue stress and cause plants to abort its flowers and fruits.

The composting method that was introduced in the second article by my colleagues working in HortPark was one that uses aerobic conditions. Aerobic composting is normally faster and produces less odour compared to anaerobic composting. Aerobic composting entails the use of a container with holes or gaps on the side that allow air to permeate into the compost heap.

Anaerobic composting, on the other hand, takes place inside a sealed container. Normally, a container is first charged with compostable waste to its brim and then shut tight to allow breakdown to take place. Fermentation then occurs and rather strong odour can be released from the container. The product that result is usually more acidic and wet to touch.

In contrast, aerobic composting usually results in a drier and more pH neutral product. But it requires ’turning’ (mixing) of the compost heap’s contents on a regular basis to introduce air into the mixture. The usage of a container with holes can be problematic because pests such as ants and other critters would be attracted and have access to the heap’s contents.

To prevent pests from being attracted to the compost heap, individuals who are  high-rise apartment dwllers prefer to use a closed container to do composting at home. Their approach is like a hybrid between the two mentioned above. 

My fellow members from the Green Culture Singapore discussion forum used large ceramic jars for this purpose. They covered the mouth of the jar with a lid that seals it shut. After they added fresh kitchen waste into the heap, they turned the heap to introduce air into it, which also helps to mix its contents evenly.

Because kitchen waste is generated and added to the container everyday, this turning procedure is done on a daily basis. Turning is necessary even after the container is filled to its brim to allow air to get into the heap. Depending on the ratio of green and brown waste in the heap and prevailing environmental conditions, usable compost can be ready for use in one month!

It is important to cut up the organic waste into fine bits before adding them to the heap! When cut up, they break down much easily and faster.

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Posted in Newspaper features, Recycling in the Garden, Vegetables

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Lunar New Year Plant Newspaper Feature

Posted on January 24, 2009 | 1 Comment

There was a feature on Lunar New Year plants that was published on Life! on Tuesday. Some of the plants are relatively new in the festive plant market whereas there are others that received a make-over.

The one plant that was made a Lunar New Year plant this year is the netera (Nertera granadensis). The plant is appreciated for its compact, small size and numerous attractive, orange, bead-like fruits it produces. I have seen it being offerred for sale throughout the year but it is not a commonly seen plant in most nurseries, only a selected few import this plant for sale. It is probably the orange fruits that enable it become a Lunar New Year plant because it is an auspicious colour for the Chinese. 

Citrus are indispensable for the Lunar New Year. This year, ‘bonsai-ed’ specimens are available as they look better and impressive than potted shrub-like plants that are normally put on sale. Because of the time required to form the twists and look, these citrus bonsais are not usually not cheap to get. Like what is written in the article, with good care, the plants can continue to grow and bear some fruits, but not as heavily, if they are well taken care of. They need to be given direct sunshine outdoors for best results.

The Buddha’s hand citron (Citrus medica) is a nice but an easy plant to get locally in the Lunar New Year festive plant market. The curious-looking fruits with finger-like projections are largely pulpless but they are especially fragrant and symbolise good luck, abundant wealth and longevity.

Another plant commonly called the Japanese begonia here is not related to the begonia at all. It is a member of the rose family and related more to apples and haws. It is in fact an ornamental quince (Chaenomeles spp.). Its Chinese common name is really called the “hai tang” (海棠, begonia), but it is a name which referred to the plant’s foreign origins and has nothing to do with the begonia plant. A member on the Green Culture Singapore discussion forum said that her plant had survived the heat of Singapore and had put forth a couple of flowers over the whole of last year.

Pitcher plants are not new Lunar New Year plants as they made their big debut about two years back when it was the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese name of the pitcher plant is called the “Pig Cage Plant” and everyone hope to catch the golden lucky boar back then. This year, plants that are offered for sale after getting a elaborate makeover. The usual ones we get here are those that have pitchers hanging over the side of a pot. Bear in the mind that the plant actually requires filtered sunshine for at least 6 hours daily to grow well and not full shade as mentioned in the article! Pitchers should have water in them so that they do not dry up! For prevention of mosquito breeding, one is advised to drop in a few BTi granules instead. Cut away dried up pitchers and discard them accordingly.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Interesting News, Newspaper features

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Andrew Tan’s Article on Balcony Gardening

Posted on December 29, 2008 | Leave a comment

On the recent Saturday, Andrew Tan wrote a very useful and insightful article that was published on Straits Times Life! on how one can actually decorate a tiny high-rise balcony with plants. As revealed in his article, Andrew is drawing upon his own personal experience where he generously shared with the reader on how he landscaped his balcony on his own that was just seven newspaper broadsheets wide at his new place. I have been to Andrew’s place recently and his balcony garden was a masterpiece that impressed me.

One great tip that Andrew had for apartment gardeners was how one can make the best use of the little precious space in today’s tiny balconies. To maximise space so that one can pack as many plants as he can into a tidy space, Andrew suggested that we do ‘vertical gardening’. In his balcony, he fixed a black aluminium grille akin to those we use for our windows that blended very well with the wall on one side of the balcony. He then hang numerous pots of peperomias and dracaenas onto the frame. The plants he chose were variegated which contrast quite well against the dark back-drop. In effect, one covers a cold-looking wall with plants.

To confer a sense of space to a tidy growing area, one should consider throwing in a couple of  large plant specimens. To do this, Andrew shoved in a dracaena and ficus tree into his balcony. Most of us, including myself, would have imagined that such inclusions would take up whatever available space from the already tidy balcony. The visual effect that was achieved as a result was really astonishing and contrary to our beliefs. Try it to know!

Most of balcony gardeners have the tendency to line their plants along the window ledge in a boring and monotonous row to catch the available light for one’s plants. I still vividly remember the terms that one of my gardening friends once used to call such gardens - ”farm” and “nursery”. Andrew’s balcony garden was a true garden. There is this element of aesthetics as you can see landscaping being done in the small space as shown by the thoughtful layering of healthy plants with different colours, leaf textures and heights.

I learnt alot from the earlier visit to Andrew’s place as well as from this recent article and the information gathered proved to be tremendously useful for me now as I have just moved into my new house where, for the first time in my life, I have a decent balcony to do gardening.

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Article on Straits Times Life! on Houseplant Tips

Posted on December 1, 2008 | 1 Comment

On the same day that my interview was published on Straits Times Life! last Saturday, there was another article that was published that focussed much on the use of so-called indoor plants for interior decor, which contained bits of my input. People who love the company of plants would want to have them inside their homes. Plants help to brighten and liven up a living space. There are reports that mentioned plants can help to cleanse the indoor atmosphere.

Cover Page of the Feature Article on Straits Times Life!

Larger version –
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v139/kuehlapis/?action=view&current=houseplant29nov081.jpg

I believe a large number of members of the public in Singapore who are novices have a misconception of about what are called indoor plants. Because the common name used to describe them is called ‘indoor plant’, individuals may have regarded these plants are those that are able to thrive indoors, away from the balcony or corridor.

This belief is tragically wrong as indoor plants being green plants that contain chlorophyll, need sunshine to grow. Many plants sold as indoor plants are those that have been found to be more forgiving towards low-light growing conditions. It is important to note that the light intensity inside most homes (not at the balcony or corridor) is too dim and it is insufficient for the growing of these indoor plants on the long term.

In fact, the lighting conditions inside the home are classified as ‘shade’ and if plants are required to be put there for decor, they can only be put there on a temporary basis. After being displayed for a week or two, these plants should be moved to a brighter area to recuperate and rejuvenate. New plants can be moved into the area to take the place of those taken away.

First Page of the Feature Article on Straits Times Life!

Larger version –
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v139/kuehlapis/?action=view&current=houseplant29nov082.jpg

This plant rotation practice is carried out by commercial nursery contractors in public areas like hotels and various commercial buildings that have engaged their services. Because the changing of plants is often not done during hours with high human traffic, people may not be aware of it being practised. It is important to realise that these plants that are on display look good all the time because they have been changed regularly and not because they love and thrive under the low light conditions there.

Second Page of the Feature Article on Straits Times Life! that contains a plant list.

Larger version –
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v139/kuehlapis/?action=view&current=houseplant29nov083.jpg

(Note – The first eight plants were contributed by myself).

Last but not least, as mentioned in the article, it is alright to have plants in the bedroom. There is this fear that plants will compete with us for oxygen during the night but the amount plants take in is generally been regarded as negigible enough to not cause any harm.

So far, we have not heard of any reports of anyone dying during sleep at night with the company of plants. On hindsight, if plants can really compete with us for oxygen at night and cause harm, then the inhabitants, as well as, our National Servicemen (army personnel) who are doing their training in the forests and jungles would have largely perished by now due to the lack of oxygen?

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Posted in Contributed Articles, High-rise Gardening, Houseplants, Newspaper features

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I am Thankful…

Posted on November 30, 2008 | 2 Comments

An interview done by Mr Andrew Tan was published on Straits Times Life! section yesterday. As I flipped the papers yesterday and arrived at the page where the article was published, I was quite taken aback to see the article being spread over two facing pages, with my blown up personal picture staring at me right into my face! Before I go on, I would like to send my heartfelt thanks to those of my friends who have sent me their congratulations as well as Mr Andrew Tan for the interview.

The article essentially reported about the Community in Bloom (CIB) Ambassador Award which I was conferred in early November and my involvement and benefits that I have derived with the community gardening project which I started in Serangoon North. Besides that, there are also some small bits about me, my Gardening With Wilson garden blog and the Green Culture Singapore gardening website.

I am very honoured to be featured on Straits Times Life! section and I hope that the article will inspire more flat-dwelling individuals who are keen in gardening to take up community gardening like I did. Like what was being mentioned in the article, a high-rise flat dweller like me would not have any access near our homes to do outdoor gardening if the community gardening initiative was non-existent. Currently, gardening along common corridors and stair-wells is actually not encouraged because of obstructions that are created that will hinder fire escape.

Many of our modern high-rise flats do not have areas inside the home that are conducive for gardening. Direct sunshine lasting up to 6 hours which is essential for growing many flowering and edible plants that Singaporeans love to grow is very scarce nowadays because our windows are designed to face away from the sun so as to keep our homes cool.

Hence, I am also very thankful to the National Parks Board (NParks) for encouraging Singaporeans to take up community gardening. Now, with a community garden, we have access to proper garden plots near our homes where we can adopt to plant our favourite plants. In the past, we are not allowed even to dig the ground surrounding our high-rise flats to grow our plants! I still remember how lucky I was when my Science teacher gave me some plots in my primary school’s Science Garden to do some gardening.

Today, it is not unusual to see many community gardens scattered around the Singapore island that are teeming with mostly edible plants such as vegetables and medicinal herbs. Many of the participants in such gardens are the elderly and home-makers who prefer to have a functional garden. I can sort of understand why they do this because by growing vegetables they can take the opportunity to revive the good old days back in the rural villages. Some others want to grow their own vegetables because they know what goes into the growing of these plants and they get a chance to harvest their own organic produce. They grow various medicinal herbs which they use to treat various ailments as many of them are not available commercially.

A reason why many community gardeners do not really want to grow ornamental plants is probably due to the fact that these plants cannot be harvested and eaten. Perhaps some of them also think that why should they bother to grow non-edible, ornamental stuff when one can actually see them being grown in a big way in our Garden City? Being able to grow something edible may be perceived as the excellent way to make the best use of the small land area in the community garden. In addition, the growing edible plants is a great way to show and educate our younger generation how food is produced and proximity of most community gardens to our homes offers much convenience and saves one the trouble of having to go to far-fetched farming areas in Singapore and Malaysia.

Like fellow aunties and uncles in other community gardens, I also started community gardening with the growing of edible plants. Many of my friends know this quite well that Wilson Wong is one person who was initially keen only in vegetables and herbs and nothing else. But my interest started to change as I got introduced to ornamental plants by fellow members and friends from the Green Culture Singapore discussion forum. I realised my community garden can look even better with some perennial flowering plants around it as a pure vegetable and herb garden tend to look like a farm and is not aesthetically appealling. This has helped to set the stage that started the ornamental strip outside the main community garden and my ginger garden located nearby.

If community gardening was not allowed, I would not have the chance to grow various large ornamental plants like heliconias and various other gingers like I have done so now around my community garden. I chose to grow these plants because I wanted to bring these beautiful and often exotic tropical plants that can only be seen in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, HortPark, Jurong Bird Park and many private homes to the door-step of the Serangoon North neighbourhood. In the process of doing this, I get to learn more about the growing habits and requirements of these plants, as well as, picked up some skills in landscaping.

Besides NParks, I must thank Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, the Member of Parliament of Serangoon constituency, my Town Council and my Residents’ Committee (RC) for being so supportive with the community garden project since it started two years ago. A successful community garden actually needs a tremendous amount of support and understanding from the Town Council and RC.

My Town Council, the Serangoon North branch of the Aljunied Town Council, has been very helpful all this while in providing us with the dried leaves for use as mulch, an ingredient which we use for compost-making and soil texture improver and various forms of support for the physical infrastructure of the community garden. They are always there for the community garden when we needed help. Many thanks to Mr Joseph Wee and his team!

My Residents’ Committee has also shown much support and has helped on many occasions to explain to fellow Serangoon North residents about the projects that we are undertaking in the community garden. Many of our small projects take much longer to complete than usual and may have created some inconvenience to the residents. Our manpower is limited due to the small number of community gardneners present and we do not hire contractors to help us out. My RC has also helped financially whenever it can to fund some our supplies such as plants, fertilisers and compost. My heartfelt thanks go to my immediate past Chairman, Mr Lee Song Heng and the current Chairperson, Mdm Claire Ng.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Media Appearances, My Thoughts..., Newspaper features, Tropical ornamentals, Vegetables

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