Sunday, May 30, 2010

Save the world:Grow native plants in the city





http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Native plants do not need much taken care of, they don't need much water, and are excellent plants to grow when you don't have the time for plants that need TLC.

When you visit Singapore, and go out to the west, you will come to the Nanyang Technological University. You will see many manicured gardens. You will also see a patch of green. Depending on who or what are you, you will see it as either a piece of natural paradise, or a piece of eye sore.

This is a legacy left by me after living 16 years there. What started was similar to the allotment in UK. The university didn't like the residents to plant any where, and after lots of negotiation, they gave us this plot. Unfortunately, it was at a slope and under big rain trees whose canopy blocked the sun.

Friends came to plant and left frustrated by the plants failing to grow. I was the only one undeter, I didn't care if people stole my bananas, because I didn't like to eat them or took the leaves, the pandan leaves as I didn't use them. But I did care when they pulled up my clumps of lemon grass. Any way, I had fun getting my fingers dirty.

When I left about four years ago, the plot was abandoned. The native plants and ferns thrived. I revisited last July. Friends told me that it is gone. I thought the university had dug up my plants. To them, gone meant good bye to my manicured garden. To me, it was quite beautiful as it is. It probably houses a lot of insects like praying mantises and butterflies.

12 comments:

khengsiong said...

Here, people complain of hot weather. What they normal do is to counter rising mercury is to switch on the air-con. Few think of growing plants...

Ah Ngao said...

you did great ! i loves to have a "bushy" backyard .especially during the evening,you can smell or breathe in the fresh oxygen from the trees or plants that you have.

Unknown said...

Are ferns considered native plants, i dont know but i love ferns so much but then again i am botanically idiot.... now i am trying to put a lot of plants inside my house, and i prefer different types of ferns more than anything else.

got to google more on fern, the needs for them to survive,,,,

thanks Ann and god bless

nuts said...

i think we all need to take our part to spread the word.. "save the world" this is very interesting post.

Reader Wil said...

You did a great job! A pity that not anybody sees it that way.
Thanks for your visit! I have no lawn either. I had one but every second year I had to replace it and when I was away my neighbour mowed it. He got ill and I decided to have tiles in my garden, bushes in the flowerbeds and lots of pots with geraniums. It's much easier that way.

Life Moto said...

we can change the world and start it from small things. and specialy from ourselves.

Verna Luga said...

This is indeed a perfect post for this meme...

Hi ann... apologies for my Filipino langauage comment, I thought you were a Filipina.... Salamat in Filipino means Thank you in english...

all the best.

Anonymous said...

Cool blog Ann, going to include it in my Blogger's Cafe.
http://avarchives.blogspot.com/
In Nature Blogs. It was difficult to categorise, Green Blog, Nature Blog, Personal Blog...
Hope you enjoy.

AV

Terry said...

that's too bad that they dug your garden up ann.
do you live very near singapore now?
did you mean that what was left of the garden is where butterflies and praying mantises live now?
we have several of the ferns that you have pictured here but alas!.it is not the right climate in southern ontario to grow lemons or bananas!

thanks for all of your visits to my blog.
bernie and i laughed so hard at the sad tale that you told of your hurt finger...not because of the hurt finger but because of the way you got no pity at all and that very same husband doesn't like the smell of basil or parsley!
what a guy..ha!..love terry

Ebie said...

Save the Earth and think green.

nannykim said...

Ah yes, the things that grow well are native things that often come up by themselves! Two of our fastest growing things in our yard are an oak tree that the squirrels planted for us and a tea olive tree!

Oh you asked on one of my blogs about my grandbaby's due date--my daughter is only 5-6 weeks along so not sure about the actual due date!

Ensurai said...

A lovely idea to keep the global warming at bay!!