..::Green Culture Singapore 2nd Nursery Tour::..

After the previous success of GCS' first nursery trip held on the 5th of March this year, we decided to organize yet another nursery trip on the 21st of October. The trip allowed new members who missed the first trip to acquaint themselves with most of Singapore's important plant places. It was a chance for everybody to place new faces to familiar onscreen nicknames and also to interact among one another.

Above: Members at their first stop of the trip - World Farm (CW).

That Saturday morning dawned clear and bright, and we left Bugis MRT at about 9:30am in a comfortable air-conditioned coach for our first destination: World Farm!

One of our forum members who happened to be a staff of the farm, Guanster, took us on a tour of the grounds, pointing out various plants of interest as we went along. It was an opportunity for our members to learn more about the numerous Adenium varieties and how to identify them. Indeed, many members left the farm with pots of Adenium, as well as gardening supplies purchased at economical prices.

Above: At the waterlily farm near Farmart (CW).

After lunch at Farmart, we went to visit a water lily and lotus farm just across the road. There were many varieties of tropical and hardy water lilies available, and the flowering miniature lotus caught the attention of some of the participants on the trip.

Above: Members at Woon Leng Nursery (WW).

Our founder, Wilson, joined us in front of Woon Leng Nursery, and we proceeded to visit Song Orchids' nursery plot. There were orchids of every imaginable colour and variety, some emitting spicy, seductive scents, while others possessing otherworldly shapes and forms. Some orchids that particularly captivated the members were the tricky Paphiopedilum spicerianum, and the refreshingly fragrant Phalaenopsis bellina. Many of our members purchased Dendrobium hybrids from Woon Leng Nursery. Csbear even made off with a Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor)!


Above: Various stages of dragon fruit development - from flower bud to the final red juicy fruits - all witnessed at the dragon fruit farm (WW)!

The next destination, which was the dragon fruit and Adenium farm, was a real learning experience for us. The boss of the farm, Mr. Lee Kai Nam, personally taught the members all about the growing methods and conditions of the red-fleshed dragon fruit. The flowers of the dragon fruit are huge, and they open for only a short period of time at night, when they are insect-pollinated. The fruit then takes another three months to grow and ripen before they are harvested. After the lesson, many members proceeded to buy freshly picked dragon fruit, while some of us drank cans of dragon fruit juice to cool ourselves down in the sweltering heat.


Left: A sprawling passion fruit vine in the dragon fruit farm (WW). Middle: An unripe passion fruit (WW). Right: An almost ripened fruit (WW)!

It was not long before we came to the final destination for the day: Koon Lee Nursery. Even though many of us were getting tired by then, the beautiful yellow inflorescence of a hardy water lily, Nymphaea marliacea 'Chromatella' did not fail to capture our attention, especially for water lily enthusiasts like Elgin (and now me). The flowering Hoya 'Shooting Stars' were also very attractive when clustered en masse.

I believe that all of us share similar sentiments that the trip was a great success, as everybody had something to bring home. There were even free gifts for everybody in the form of Earth Stars, Episcia and also a tropical water lily plantlet! Most importantly, though, many of us made new friends sharing similar interests, and we hope that the trip has served to forge stronger bonds among members. Let us eagerly anticipate the next forum outing!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Green Culture Singapore is grateful and would like to thank the following whose efforts are indispensable in making our nursery tour a success:

· GCS members, for supporting by turning up for this nursery trip.

· Chong Ren for penning this article to share with us his experience.

· Clare and Elgin, who helped to book and arrange for the spacious and comfortable tour bus, plan the itinerary and correspond with the various farms.

· Guanster and Mr. Lee for his warm welcome at World Farm and the Dragon Fruit & Adenium Farm, respectively.