Inspiration
December, 2019
Wild billowy gardens were the vision, and Great Dixter House Gardening internships were where my googling started.
To name a few heroes of mine - Jinny Bloom, Tom Stuart Smith, Isabella Tree, Piet Oudolf. Looking to landscapers like them breaking through, and creating gardens that resonate, are functional and impactful. Inspired by London florists that were breaking out into the countryside, farming small patches of land where they can, changing the rule of thumb for the global supply chains, and bringing out flowers to a more local level. This made me think, "why not do this in Singapore?"
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Home Testing
September, 2020
I had to prove to myself that it could be done in Singapore. Starting from the beginning - simply with seeds, light and water.
Having never grown anything in my life, I needed to actually understand how this little miracle worked. With a little time, a little talking to them, and a little more late night plotting, we were off.
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Laying the Groundwork
April, 2021
After many months, I finally found a contractor to supply us with materials. Mainly soil, lots and lots of soil.
Seeds were ordered from the US (JohnnySeeds) so that we have interesting colours, and I tried to choose wisely so they do not wilt and die in our subtle blend of tropical climate. Starting with confidence-boosting flowers, for this first-timer - marigolds, cosmos and our stars Zinnias.
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First Harvest
June, 2021
I can’t believe how long it took! The waiting!
Flowers. Grasses. Slowly our first crop actually shows itself!
What I have learnt, not all flower beds are born equal. Some plants thrive, and others do not even get close to what I had hoped. Understanding how much light is needed and getting just the right spot was a big lesson at this point.
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Trials and Tribulations
September, 2021
Our first hiccups, okay not our first, but one that hurt.
All the tree roots were climbing up under the flower beds, so time to lay down the geotextile, no small job! Ants, ants, and more ants were also in the way of our progress, due to all the rain this month. This was really testing our zero chemicals resolve, realising that acceptance of the environment we are in is everything. We have timid seasons, but a strong vibrant insect population instead of Jack Frost.
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Educating Ourselves and Hurrah, Bala!
November, 2021
I needed help, the realisation of undertaking the cutting garden was here. We wade through many forms and finally score with Bala joining the team, our full-time landscape gardener.
We also took some classes, along with Ben, our ex-NParks expert, updating us and drilling us all about the importance of soil and compost working in harmony. Get this right and all will be well…
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Harvest Thus Far
November, 2022
We have flowers!
Now the challenge is transporting the flowers, setting up good communication between the studio and garden, and getting all our flower friends there safely.
This phase was all about buckets and finding the right type of buckets. Zinnias in all their colours come and spill down. With the rain upon the studio, I felt it was all worth it… until the crickets came into town.
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Hopes and Aspirations
2023/2024
This is just the beginning, there are endless stops and starts, and phases to go through.
Our key goal is to have 15% of our flowers grown in our flower beds by the end of 2023. Setting up a system between the studio and cutting garden, of give and take - the leaves and waste from the studio are composted, the buckets of flowers delivered. The cycle goes on, we continue to learn what is possible and what is not…
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