Green Culture Singapore Feature Articles Archive 2008
Visit
to the Chelsea Flower Show 2006
It was an unforgettable journey and experience for Ling Ong who
visited the Chelsea Flower Show in 2006. Read this mainly pictorial
feature article contributed by her where she shared some of the
interesting exhibits present at the Show. (Jan 08)
Growing
the Rose Myrtle for the Lunar New Year
Not a plant that everybody is familiar with, the rose myrtle is
a delightful plant that produces peach blossom lookalike flowers
that can potentially be used as a peach or plum blossom substitute
for heralding the Lunar New Year in the tropics. Besides having
ornamental value, this woody shrub also has medicinal properties.
Read this article written by Wilson to find out more! (Jan 08)
Plant
Candidates for a Xeric Garden
The recent hot and dry weather in Singapore has caused many plants
to sulk under the sweltering heat and prolonged lack of water.
Read this article written by Wilson where he introduces a selection
of drought-tolerant plants found in a recently refurbished xeric-themed
garden in his university's campus that can be incorporated into
our outdoor landscapes. (Feb 08)
Getting
to know the Society Garlic
The Society Garlic, which bears attractive, Agapanthus-like
violet flowers, is not a commonly grown plant in Singapore. It
is definitely an interesting plant that deserves more attention
which can be grown as a border in a herb or an ornamental garden.
It looks like the common Chinese Chives plant and this similarity
can be a cause for confusion. Read this article written by Wilson
to learn how you can distinguish Society Garlic from the Chinese
Chives as well as tips as to how you can grow it in your garden!
(Feb 08)
The
Tulip Dream- Keukenhof Gardens, Holland
Keukenhof Gardens, located in Holland, is the world's largest
flower garden and the most beautiful Springtime Park. In spring,
millions of tulips and other bulb flowers burst in bloom in a
fairy-tale like setting. With fantastic flower shows, theme gardens
and more, it claims to be the most photographed place in the world.
(Mar 08)
Flora,
Food and Friendship
The Green Culture Singapore members' gathering held on 22 March
2008 at Guilin View served as an occasion for senior members to
catch up with one another and provided a good opportunity for
the much junior members to get to know other members. Read this
article to find out what happened if you could not attend the
gathering!
(Mar 08)
Green Culture
Singapore, A HitWise Online Performance Award Winner 2007
Green
Culture Singapore (GCS) was announced as the #1 website in the
Lifestyle - House and Garden category for 2007, in the latest
Hitwise Online Performance Awards program. The annual Hitwise
Online Performance Awards recognises excellence in online performance
through public popularity, awarding websites in a variety of industries.
Read on to find out more! (Apr 08)
Plants
with Bladders!
Carnivorous plant growers refer to the Utricularia genus
of carnivorous plants affectionately as 'pond scum'. While 'pond
scum' rightly refers to filamentous algae, some Utricularia
species, especially aquatic ones, when not in flower, do resemble
'pond scum'. However, these 'pond scum' do produce flowers that
are disproportionately beautiful from their vegetative self and
here lies their attraction. Read this article written by S. H.
Tan (a.k.a. guqin on the GCS discussion forum) to find out more!
(Apr 08)
The
Neglected Mock Strawberry
The mock strawberry plant is an attractive, miniaturised version
of the edible strawberry plant. It exudes some charm but seems
that it is not commonly grown or popular amongst gardeners due
to the belief that it can be an invasive plant. In this article,
Wilson shares some tips on how one can appreciate this dainty
plant whilst still able to exert some control to confine the wandering
stolons of this plant. (Apr
08)
Light
up your Garden with a Torch Ginger
The torch ginger is an indispensable plant for an ornamental tropical-themed
garden or a herb and spice garden.The plant itself makes a great
garden landscape plant, its flowers have immense ornamental value
and its young flowering shoots are an important spice. Various
parts of the torch ginger plant also have folk medicinal uses.
It even has a place in an eco-garden especially as its flowers
can attract sunbirds. With so many uses, it is difficult to give
an excuse of not growing a torch ginger plant. Read this article
to learn more about this high versatile ginger! (May 08)
Book
Review on "Grow It. Eat It."
“Grow It, Eat It?is a new hardcover book by the Royal Horticultural
Society (RHS) that combines two intimate subjects, the gardening
of edible plants and cookery. The target audience of the book
is children, ages from five to eight years old. It is a lavishly
illustrated book with colourful pictures and its contents are
simple and concise. There is no technical jargon in sight. All
the projects, presented in a step-by-step manner, can be done
at home or school where most of the materials are readily available.
Read the thoughts Wilson has after reading this book. (May 08)
Growing
the Cockle-shell Orchid
The epiphytic cockle-shell orchid's unique floral morphology is
the main reason why collectors have found this plant to be attractive.
Depending on your imagination, parts of the flower can look like
the shell of a cockle or the tentacles of an octopus. Read this
feature article written by Xuan Hong where shares with the reader
the tips on how one can grow this orchid successfully. (Jun 08)
Understanding
the Drinking Needs of Your Container-grown Plant
In a highrise environment, the most practical way to grow plants
is inside containers of soil. Gardeners who are not aware of the
drinking needs of their container-grown plants kill them either
by not providing sufficient water or by giving too much of it.
In order to avoid killing more plants due to the lack of knowledge
of one's plant's water requirement, all gardening beginners are
encouraged to read this article written by Wilson which is aimed
to provide a better understanding of the various factors that
affect the frequency of watering of plants grown in containers.
(Jun 08)
Green
Culture Singapore @ Singapore Garden Festival 2008
The Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) returned for its second season
at the Suntec Convention Center from 25 July to 1 August 2008
and Green Culture Singapore (GCS) was part of the Festival. Read
this article to find out how GCS was involved in this international
floral and garden show. (Jul 08)
Melastoma
malabathricum:
Too beautiful to be called a weed
Melastoma malabathricum is a flowering shrub that can be
found growing locally in wastelands. It is regarded by most Singaporeans
as a weed and seldom considered as a candidate for landscaping.
Read this article written by Wilson to find out why you should
include this beautiful shrub in your garden. (Jul 08)
