GREETINGS VISITOR!!

Welcome to Green Culture Singapore - Singapore's very own gardening website and discussion forum! Green Culture Singapore's (GCS) was set up for the cyber community of plant lovers, by plant lovers. We cater mostly to the Singapore population, but plant-lovers from other parts of South East Asia and the rest of the world are also welcome to join us!

Singapore is known internationally as a Garden City. We are also famous for our orchids. Having stepped into the Information Technology era, it is particularly intriguing to find that there were very few active online forums for plant-lovers who live in this part of the world.

Above: The Green Culture Singapore discussion forum.

The lack of an online channel for plant-lovers to interact acted as an impetus for setting up the Green Culture@SG forum, the predecessor of GCS. The forum first made its debut on 15 Sept 2004. An upgrade was undertaken three months after to the current server to provide better and more reliable, state-of-the-art online features.

Above: The Green Culture Singapore archive of feature articles.

We also publish a handful of feature articles on a variety of gardening topics on a monthly basis where we aim to provide gardeners who live in this part of the world with information that is relevant to the local climate and lifestyle. Our articles have appeared on the Singapore Gardening Society's monthly newsletter, the Grapevine, as well as, AsiaOne.com's gardening portal. Do send us your original article, coupled with a bunch of pictures, if you have some gardening hints to share!

With our discussion forum, which is open 24/7, we hope to provide a convenient platform for one to meet fellow plant-lovers, share and discuss gardening-related issues, regardless of geographical location and time zone.

Above: GCS' very first series of gardening talks - Boon Kiat (left) and Eng Ong (right) sharing their experiences in growing cacti and succulents and African violets, respectively.

To date, GCS, together with Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) and National Library Board have successfully organised a series of gardening talks for beginners across the island in 2006. We have also organised several gatherings and nursery trips (see our article archives for write-ups on these events). The press and media to showcase their gardens and share their interest have also interviewed our members. Near the end of 2006, GCS had been invited to take part in the Singapore Garden Festival, Singapore's first garden show organised at the international level.

GCS is extremely grateful to all the support and faith given by NParks. We must also thank the Singapore Gardening Society, all former forum moderators and members who have previously stepped forward to help spread the word around and your generosity to share with fellow plant-lovers the knowledge and expertise.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER...

My name is Wilson Wong and I had been an avid gardener since young. I cannot really tell you what occasion exactly triggered my gardening interest. The first plant that I grew was perhaps the beansprout, which was featured in the Primary School Science curriculum then. Along the way, I grew and killed a couple houseplants such as various cacti and succulents from Holland and dumbcane (Dieffenbachia).

I found my pet group of plants - herbs and vegetables - when I was a Primary School student. My passion to grow them earned me a "farmer" title from my teachers and classmates. I can still vividly remember my days as a Primary Six student at Bendemeer Primary School where I was put in-charge to take care and grow in my school's Science Garden. That same year, I also represented my school to showcase a simple hydroponics set-up that can be used to grow vegetables on a small scale. My secondary school, junior college and university days were devoid of the company of plants, surprisingly. Besides the heavy workload, one major reason why the interest was given up was due to the lack of good light when I shifted house when I was fifteen years old. During my National Service, gardening was totally out of question due to the fact that I was a stay-in personnel where I spent 5 days a week in camp. Left: The young me explaining to a teacher the hydroponics exhibit.

What made me start Green Culture Singapore? The idea came about when I was resuming my National Service soon after graduation from university in the third quarter of 2004. Perhaps I was too free then but it could also be due to the lack of directions after the sudden release from all school commitments! I felt a strong sense to go back to my gardening roots then. Somewhat, I felt happier and fulfilling to do gardening although there was a plectora of past times which my peers around me would indulge in.

Gardening at my present residence was extremely defeating due to the lack of favourable conditions even to grow the most shade-loving plants such as the Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema). I wanted to meet up with more likeminded friends to ask for advice and to go shopping one nursery to another. The best way to go about doing this was perhaps to set up an online discussion forum, tapping on the power of the World Wide Web.

With the generous hints from fellow forum members, I embarked on growing plants under fluorescent lights. It was also then where I met my first non-vegetable love, which was the Flame violet (Episcia). Through the interaction with more forum members, my interests diversified further and I got to know more about other plants and learn the basics of landscaping and outdoor plants. At an unexpected meeting at Alexandra Hospital early 2005, where I attended a Singapore Gardening Society event, I got to know Mr Ng Cheow Kheng, from NParks, who was heading the Community-In-Bloom programme. We realised that we both had a common goal that is to promote gardening among the masses. Sparks flew and that was when collaboration between NParks and GCS began. In 2006, we organised a series of gardening talks at the community libraries in Singapore, with the support from National Library Board. Right: Harvesting a cucumber from my Japanese cucumber vine.

In late 2006, with the support from the Member of Parliament for my constituency, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, and all the help from Mr Ng's team, Aljunied Town Council and my own Resident's Committee at Serangoon North, my dream to start and lead a community garden near my home was granted. I got the chance to now try my hands on growing plants, especially herbs and vegetables in the great outdoors. It was a gratifying experience for an apartment gardener like me! From the community garden, I was able to meet a group of likeminded friends, from young to those who were much more senior than me. From this, you should be able to know why I am such a keen supporter for NParks' Community-In-Bloom initiative!

Left: The newly open community garden at Serangoon North. Right: The plaque to commemorate the opening of the garden on 5 Nov 06.

I have benefited from the discussion forum and website which I started and I believe that plants should be enjoyed and shared and through this platform, I hope GCS can continue reach out to help more plant-lovers out there. Feedback to improve this humble website and discussion forum is very much welcomed as there is much room for improvement. Likeminded and spirited individuals who want to make a difference to Green Culture Singapore and the gardening scene in Singapore are also WANTED too!