Garden Voices

Community in Bloom Talk series 09 - Zingiberaceae: The True Gingers Family

demoadmin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:20:33 +0000

Last Saturday at the Botany Centre’s Function Hall, following his talk on the Zingiberales order that was given on March 14, Wilson Wong dived into the family of true gingers - Zingiberaceae.

The well-known plant lover and gardening columnist, who now plies his passion and skills in the Hort Excellence Division, gave an informative and entertaining commentary on the family, which comprises numerous plants that have important economical, ornamental, medicinal and culinary uses.

“Have you seen Tumeric flowers before?”

Starting from the culinary gingers that are used in everyday cooking such as, Zingiber officinale (common ginger) and Alpinia galanga (greater galangal), Wilson continued the discovery journey into the realm of ornamental gingers. He highlighted beautiful ones such as Hedychium coronarium also known as butterfly ginger for its fragrant butterfly-shaped white flowers and the stunning Etlingera elatior or Torch Ginger.

A large and attentive crowd listens to the interesting talk by Wilson

He also shared with his audience on how to grow gingers and problems that are commonly encountered during cultivation.

For the next talk in the series, join Albert Quek who will impart tips and space-maximising techniques on creating your very own D.I.Y home garden. It will be held on 11 July 2009 at the Jurong Regional Library Programme Zone Level 1 from 3pm to 4pm.

Pasir Ris Zone 5 RC Eco Garden celebrates Racial Harmony Day at NorthEast CDC

demoadmin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:27:24 +0000

Pasir Ris Zone ‘5’ RC’s Eco Garden had the opportunity to participate in this year’s ‘Racial Harmony Celebration’ at NorthEast CDC. This event was held at vacant spot next to Tampines 1, Tampines Central.

With the support of Nparks, we promoted community gardening and also showcased our garden to residents.

The highlight was the mix and match game, where the objective was to match plants with their fruits. It was enjoyed by many residents, both young and old.

Participants were thrilled as they were given many CIB souvenirs and gardening brochures on gardening tips. Our Guest-Of-Honour, Mr Mah Bow Tan announced that an Eco Garden would be built at Tampines soon. He had the chance to visit our booth as well.

We had an enjoyable and great day!

Ms Alice Tan

on behalf of Eco Garden

Pasir Ris Zone 5 RC

How many fingers do you have?

demoadmin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:26:51 +0000

“How Many Fingers Do you Have?” is the question driving the kids bananas at the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden as they count the number of bananas on the Musa acuminata x balbisiana c.Commonly known as Musa “1000 Fingers“, this beautiful plant grows up to 12 feet in height. Famed for its spectacular fruiting inflorenscence, the plant produces hundreds of small, sweet finger bananas that are only 1.5 inches long. The “thousand fingers” are borne on a massive stalk over 10 feet long, nearly touching the ground.

This particular specimen in the Children’s Garden was planted in June 2008. Originating from the Eumusa series, Malaysia, the fingers take about 6-7 months to mature. The fruiting of this plant is truly a sight to behold. Come see it now near the Sensory Garden located within the Children’s Garden.

Kids at the Children’s Garden trying to put a finger on the number of fruits on the Musa “1000 Fingers”

The Indian Lettuce

demoadmin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:21:11 +0000

The Indian lettuce is an edible leafy vegetable that is quite prevalent in Singapore’s community gardens. Botanically known as Lactuca indica, the Indian letttuce is a member of the daisy family, Asteraceae and related to the common lettuce (Lactuca sativa).

This vegetable is not available for sale commercially in Singapore and only the more senior gardeners are probably the ones who are familiar with it. They called it the “goose vegetable” (鹅菜) because the greyish green leaves were reportedly harvested and fed to geese several decades back when Singapore still had villages and farms.

Native to warmer parts of China, Taiwan and southern Japan, the Indian lettuce is thought to be introduced to this part of the world by Chinese immigrants. The plant is a perennial which sends up new shoots from the base of the plant. It adopts a rosette growth habit when young and depending on the cultivar, the leaves of this plant can range from simple, undivided to deeply pinnated. The one seen locally produces oblong-lanceoate in shape. There is a cultivar with prominent red mid-ribs.

With time, one will notice the leaf to leaf distance on the stem elongates and the leaves start to get narrower and shorter as well. When the plant attains a height of about 1.5 to 2 m, it will start to send up its inflorescence. The inflorescence is much branched and the daisy-like flowers each resembles a poached egg, complete with a yellow center and white rays. Growth terminates for that particular shoot and the plant spends its energy to produce seed. The plant sometimes sends up new sideshoots from the base.

Seedheads form after the flowers fade. One will be able to find numerous small and black coloured seeds loosely clustered around each seedhead. Each seed is flat, hard, black in colour and has some interesting-looking fluff that is attached to it on one end. With that characteristic, seeds of the Indian lettuce appear to be wind-dispersed. To grow this plant, one has to start from seeds but these are not available commercially as well. It is best to get fresh seeds by approaching a gardener who is growing some Indian lettuce plants in his/her garden.

The leaves of the Indian lettuce are not particularly nice to eat and are rather coarse in texture. When injured, the wound exudes a white latex. In my community garden, the Indian lettuce is grown like a cut-and-come-again vegetable where the leaves located lower down on the stems are harvested while leaving the plant to continue to grow. We do not uproot the entire plant for food. Besides being edible raw, steamed and boiled, Indian lettuce leaves have medicinal uses too. According to Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA), they are believed to possess tonic, digestive and depurative properties.

Wilson Wong

The Tigers Roams Again…

demoadmin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:06:53 +0000

Grammatophyllum speciosum, the world’s largest orchid is now in bloom in the Gardens (on the Callophyllum tree next to Function Hall and on the green roof at Botany Centre and near the Lady on Hammock sculpture at Tanglin Core). It is also commonly known as the “tiger orchid” because the markings on the flowers resemble those on a tiger.

The tiger orchid in its blooming glory

Native to the region, this spectacular orchid can weigh as much as two tonnes. In the wild, it usually grows as an epiphyte in forks of sturdy trees, where its roots form basket-like structures that capture leaves and other sources of nutrients. The massive flower spikes that emerge from the base of the plant reach over 2 metres tall. Each prodigious spike may produce more than 30 large, waxy flowers, 10 cm in diameter.

Come and catch this rare show-stopping beauty in blossom today. It flowers rather infrequently needing time to store up energy to produce the massive blooms, so do not miss this auspicious occasion. The flowering of the tiger orchid on the Callophylum tree is very special as the last sighting of a blooming tiger orchid on the tree was more than 15 years ago. Please refer to map below for locations.

Exotic fruits (I) - Tomato, Egg Plant or Melon ???

demoadmin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:50:38 +0000

I took a short break in Cameron Highlands with some friends recently, and every one of us came home with bags filled to the brim with lots of foodstuff for our family and friends. Apart from the ‘must-buys’ such as flavored teas (which we could not get locally), fresh flowers, I also picked up a rather exotic looking fruit.

As with all shop keepers, the Indonesian lady tending the stall was full of praises for this tomato like fruit which, according to her, was a ‘Cameronian Apple” and that it was a sweet and flavorful fruit. Having being sold a Tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) the same way many years ago, I wasn’t going to trust any shopkeeper when it came to exotic looking fruits! To cut the long story short, let’s just say that I succumbed to buying this strange looking tomato like fruit due to ‘peer pressure’ from 2 very well meaning friends. And I was also quite sure that I would have a number of volunteers who would be eager to try out the fruit back in my office, so why not? (haha)

Photo courtesy of Lily Chen

After returning to office, the rather unassuming fruit sat on one of the side tables at the office pantry for almost 2 weeks before it started to ripen. Apart from the purplish brown streaks running down the length of the fruit, one could very well assume that this was another tomato cultivar except that it smells like a honeydew melon! Anyway, with much ‘anticipation’, everyone (even our picky Chongz) got to sample the strange looking fruit. The texture and taste of the yellow flesh was just like tomato, but it was sweet and a little on the ‘raw’ side. We weren’t accustomed to the ‘raw’ taste, so if I were to try this again, I would probably use it as a salad ingredient, throw this in syrup and serve it as a fruit cocktail, use it to make jam, or serve with vanilla ice cream topped with lots of fresh cream!

Photo courtesy of Lily Chen

Ok, ok, back to the fruit – so is it a tomato, an eggplant, or a melon? Well, apparently, it is neither, but it is close relative of the Tomato and eggplant. The Pepino dulce (also known as Pepino/ Melon pear) or Solanum muricatum is thought to be a native of the South American Andes and the fruit is commonly sold in markets in Peru and Chile. Away from its native range, this shrub is also grown commercially in subtropical areas such as New Zealand and Western Australia, and of course, in the Malayan Highlands. Several cultivars are also available, including seedless varieties, those that are able to set fruit without pollination (i.e. self-fertile), as well as those with better flavor and aroma (minus the ‘raw’ taste).
While the fruit does have a long shelf life, it does not seem to be sold in Singapore, which is one of the largest consumers of fresh produce from Cameron Highlands. Some possible reasons would be perhaps due to the fact that the ripe fruits bruise easily and do not transport well. On the other hand, if the fruits are harvested too early, development of flavor and sweetness can be hampered due to insufficient ripening.

Pepino planting in the highlands – ripening Pepinos appear as yellow ‘spots’ in the photo (Photo courtesy of P.E. Lim and P. Teng)

Pepinos grown in a display garden (Photo courtesy of P.E. Lim and P. Teng)

All things being said, I would still try this again the next time I’m in Camerons!

Lily Chen

It’s Gardening Time at Raffles Building every Thursday!

demoadmin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:16:33 +0000

The gardening patch outside Raffles Building at National Parks Board (NParks) was all abuzz with activity last Thursday evening as some 40 staff members from “Gardening @ Raffles” gathered to work on their plots as part of NParks’ Active Hour at 5pm.

For many of the participants, it was the first time they got to try their hands at digging and preparing their own planting beds. While it was sheer hard work, the staff enjoyed themselves tremendously and remained in high spirits as they looked forward to reaping a bountiful harvest of fruits and colourful flowers in due time.

So if you love plants, or just would just like find out more about that NParks staff is growing at their garden, keep a lookout for our next update!

SPICE up your life!

demoadmin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:02:18 +0000

For the month of June, visitors to the Lifestyle Corner at HortPark had the chance to savour the sight and smell of more than 30 types of common and exotic dried spices in a special showcase of spices. They were also able to view various live spice plants, such as the pepper vine, clove, candlenut and asam gelugor trees on the Timber Deck.

Spice showcase at HortPark Lifestyle Corner.

In conjunction with the showcase, a talk-cum-demo entitled “SPICE up your life!” was conducted on Saturday (13 Jun 09). More than 30 participants turned up and learned interesting facts about spice trees and how to set up a simple spice garden. Spices such as clove, nutmeg and candlenut and leaves from their respective trees were passed around during the interactive session for the audience to take a closer look.

Wilson sharing facts on spice gardens with the audience.

Leaves and fruits from spice trees were passed around in the audience.

Students from Teck Whye Secondary School’s Art Club also gave a demonstration that taught participants how to make attractive spice gifts using spices. At the end of the session, each participant received a spice magnet as a parting gift and was then brought on a guided tour of the Lifestyle Corner.

Students from Teck Whye Secondary School Art Club showing the making of spice pouch magnets to the audience.

Fragrant spice ornaments you can display in your house.

You can still view the spices showcase at HortPark even after the month of June as the entire collection will be relocated permanently in the kitchen section of the Lifestyle Corner. So come down to HortPark and ‘SPICE up your life’ with us! Spices will never be the same again!

Wilson Wong

Tree ‘Skeleton’ in Berlin

demoadmin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:39:18 +0000

I had the opportunity to visit Berlin in Mar 2009. It was early spring and a pleasant experience to be in the 6‘C environment, with warm clothes on that is.

The largest tree along this street.

Walking along the streets near the Berlin Zoo, my attention was on the trees that were standing along the roads. The new leaves for the new season had yet to sprout. There was a tree that had about a 1.8m girth at 1m height, which was comparatively the largest tree along this stretch. Somehow, I wanted to take a closer look at this tree perhaps because it appeared larger than the rest. I was also wondering what species it was and from the old dried up leaves on the ground around the tree, they appeared to be oak leaves.

Gaping tree hollow along the entire trunk.

Four metal bars across hollow trunk.

Interestingly, when I looked on the other side of the trunk, the tree actually had a huge gaping hollow for most of the trunk, from top to bottom like a hollow rod. The tree hollow was about 6m high, which was the most part of the trunk since the entire tree with the extended main branches was about 12m tall. The tree was probably still alive and the local tree care personnel had installed metal bars across the hollow trunk at various heights to create structural strength for the weakened trunk. It appeared that the tree had a metal skeleton installed to help keep it from breaking. Please take a look at the pictures. I counted nine horizontal bars across the hollow from top to bottom.

Five metal bars can be seen.

Tree branching at the top of hollow trunk.

Six metal bars can be seen.

In observing how the metal bars were attached to the tree, I marvelled that this was an example on tree preservation with a good dose of German engineering.

Brendon Phuah



Bear Fruit (B.F.) Series 2009: Turning Passion into Reality

demoadmin — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:03:57 +0000

NParks and National Library Board (NLB) have been working together to present the Bear Fruit (B.F.) series 2009, a process oriented programme that provides a suitable platform for amateurs and enthusiasts to be inspired and gain the aspirations and avenues to turn their gardening passion and interests into a reality. Stretching from June to July, this unique programme also bridges participants to subject experts and resources to help them fully achieve their aspirations.

A staff from NLB getting the participants to warm up at the start of session no. 1

In the first part of 4 outcome driven sessions, a melting pot of 25 participants ranging from CEOs, lecturers to retirees gathered at HortPark last Saturday. Participants were thrilled as they were equipped with knowledge on plants, gardening and terrarium making, as they were brought on a guided walk around HortPark, followed by a lecture session in the classroom led by Mr Wilson Wong from Hort. Excellence.

A guided tour around the Terrarium exhibits at HortPark by Wilson

The highlight of the series would be when the participants make use of their newly found skills to design and build their very own terrariums. The completed works of the participants will be showcased in an exhibition at the Central Lending Library, followed by them being placed permanently in the Terrarium Corner at HortPark.

As we outreach the love for greenery and gardening across a broad spectrum of cultures and lifestyles, stay tuned for more updates!

Lim Chong Han