Singapore Work Experience and Garden Festival 2014

After spending time in the UK, Europe and also Indonesia I learnt a lot about myself. I had more confidence flying to Singapore, and I knew that I was going to make the most of everything that was thrown at me. 
  
My first day in Singapore was at Ong and Ong Architects –see their webpage at http://www.ong-ong.com/pages/about-us.  This firm incorporates Architecture, Interior design and Landscape Architecture. I got to learn from many different landscape architects about their roles within the firm. It was encouraging to me that the people there all worked like a well-oiled machine, each person doing work that they were good at and specialised in. It made me confident I could work in such an environment. I thought the dynamics of the firm worked well: there was a person who would do initial drawings; a person qualified on CAD or Sketchup and other computer programmes. Another staff member’s role was to meet the clients, bringing in the skills of everyone to make a presentation to sell the idea. As the architects or interior designers involved in the project were close by in the same building, they could speak face to face to their colleagues about the design. Every person had a specific role that played best to their skills and this I thought was just one reason why this company was so successful.

I was lucky to get the chance to go out on to a newly completed site and see the high quality of work of that was done. It was a condo apartment block in the middle of Singapore which had different areas throughout the landscape with different feelings for everyone who was to live there to enjoy. It was a really great day and helped me understand what is involved with a high end Landscape Architecture firm, the type of work that is carried out and what that hard work can do to get to a beautiful final product
John Tan from Esmond Landscapes http://esmond.com.sg/ - who is also a member of Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) helped me throughout my time in Singapore. He organised a designer who was doing a show garden at the Singapore Garden Festival for me to work alongside, he also arranged the work experience at Ong and Ong and also with BNL Landscapes and Nature Landscapes. 


John walked me around Singapore Garden Festival and introduced me to many different Landscape designers that were show casing their designs. I started working with Xanthe White from New Zealand, her design was all about perspective and playing with the way people perceived the space, she used bright coloured walls, closely linked together to get a feeling of the city- you then are intrigued to walk through and get to a space where nature has taken over- an open, lush place of solitude- to escape the ‘city’. On the other end of the area is a bright Yellow wall peeping through a black Xanthe described this as after escaping the city going through solitude and seeing “the light” 



I then helped Kate Hillier and Dan Rutherford both also from New Zealand. Their design “Winter Illusion” is about the juxtaposition of Singapore’s Jungle garden to a winter wonderland of New Zealand’s winters. They achieved this by using mirrors to reflex a landscape covered in snow with a typical Singapore jungle growing over the top to give an illusion that you are in a different space when you look deeper into the garden using the element of surprise. 


I helped Damian Tang a Singapore Designer with his design “A Garden of Hers” the space was cathedral like with tall structures of stain glass windows encapsulated with foliage. Like a hidden and enchanted space with elements of surprise. Damian taught me important elements of design. He spoke about drawing one into the space with excitement from a far, then once the client is there use features to captivate them and draw them in deeper. He then spoke of elements of surprise as one continues into the space something that they would not expect. He then taught me that it is important to leave the viewer having a sense of wonder as well as being able to bring them a peace of mind about the design. He wants to place one through a journey of discovery and I think he achieved this through this design. 


I spent a few days helping James Basson from Monaco France. I loved working with James and Bruno as I felt I could relate to them and their design “Tartartus” This design was all about Greek Mythology. It incorporated different stories to create one of its own. I helped mainly with placing out the plants- they needed to look natural as they sat in an “unruly landscape”. The plants James used were unusual and interesting many also corresponded to the concept of the design, like the Greek story about Chronos who devoured his children this was represented through the use of carnivorous plants. James and his team were great as they were very willing to leave me to put a space together by choosing and laying out plants. They would then give me advice on why it worked or didn’t and how I could change to make it better I found it a great way to learn as I was chucked in the deep end, it made me have a better understanding of the space that I was helping them create.

On my last day I helped Jim Fogarty with laying out and planting plants. It was great to get the opportunity to meet and talk more with an Australian designer about his design and also his involvement with the Australian Garden Show Sydney. Jim’s garden “Australasia” incorporates western and eastern styles. He used beautiful lush plantings native to Singapore, Asia and Australia. Bright colourful walls added structure to the space with the colours representing the bark of Eucalyptus deglupta. A sunken tea room situated in the middle again combining two cultures of Australian outside barbeques and Asian style of sunken gathering areas. I enjoyed working with Jim he was very open to teaching me new things and making me think about why he was using such plants and how they worked with their surroundings. 
Every one that I met at the show were so open, they all took time out of what they were doing to help me and talk to me so I could learn from them. I was so overwhelmed by the generosity that I was shown and would like to thank all that I met. 

I also spent a day with BNL Landscape and Nature coast Landscapes. Bala from BNL Landscape took me through Fort Canning Park a national park in the heart of Singapore. BNL is a maintenance company that hold the contract for many parks around the city. It was great to get an insight on how a good maintenance business is run. I saw first-hand at Fort Canning how pristine their work is on ensuring that the park is in a respectable state for visitors to come and enjoy. 

I then spent the rest of the day with Jacqueline from Nature Landscapes. We explored Santosa Island, where Nature Landscape carries out the maintenance work. Jacqueline is the head horticulturist for the company, her main role is to ensure that all the plants are in good health and she also gives advice to clients of plants and after care of the landscape design. While at Santosa Island I was privileged to get to go onto the roof top to see how the gardens were growing up there, I spoke with the gardener in charge of these gardens and learnt about the duties that he does to keep the plants in good health. I was also talked through how a garden like this is initially put together and the requirements that are needed. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with both BNL and Nature. It was great to see how maintenance companies operate and work with designers and landscape architects to get a space that will last well after completion. 

Singapore was a highlight for me. I loved that I was not only introduced to industry experts from the UK and Europe but this scholarship also took me to Singapore where I could get another insight in the world of Horticulture. 
It was a great stepping stone for me to deeper my understanding of show gardens as I was now only weeks away from setting up and organising my own at the Australian Garden show Sydney. I again would like to thank everyone I met at Singapore including the Students that were helping at the show also. 
I flew out of Singapore and on my way back home I was thinking my trip is over- but little did I know that really it has only just began.  

Australian Garden Show Sydney 2014.

A whole year has gone by and I have found myself where it all started, The Australian Garden Show Sydney. This time I have a platform to showcase everything I have learnt: I have gathered all my inspirations and put them into a garden to show in my own country. An honour.

The concept stage started while Mick and I drove around the UK looking at gardens there. We were living out of the back of a car and this car was our bed room, our kitchen and now my office and study. I had dead-lines to get the plans in on time that I managed to do on our last day in London. I then heard that my plans were accepted while heading to Edinburgh to start my work experience at their Botanic Gardens.

I would be wrong to say that all this was easy and that I knew exactly what I was doing because...well I didn't- I guess that’s what I thought at the time. The pressure to design and organise a show garden with suppliers and event organisers was hard. I was very lucky to have Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Rod Stoller’s advice to help me through and reassure me that my design will work.

While we were in Portugal I had to make a very hard decision. We were rapidly running out of funds and not having a stable place to stay was starting to take its toll on me. As we were now living out of a car again as it was the most affordable way to travel for us. So we decided to leave Europe and head for Indonesia. But in doing this I lost an opportunity to meet with James Hitchmough, someone who had inspired me to apply for the scholarship in the first place. I spoke with James and explained my situation and he understood.  A lost opportunity... yes, but one I hope to be able to take another time soon.
I spoke with my Mum, Ros, again and explained to her the thinking behind my change of plans. She suggested I talk to Annette Irish from AIH and see if she could help with organising Singapore. So I did, and to my amazement the Singapore Garden Festival was on and I could get in to help a designer. A found opportunity, Yes.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason- maybe this is the reason that bad timing had come with meeting Hitchmough, though I will met him one day I’m sure.

So we had 3 weeks in Indonesia on a small island Sumbawa in an even smaller village called Lakeys. It was perfect to have time to reflect, time for myself, but most importantly time to work on my show garden with no feeling of where we were going to sleep tomorrow night…

The planning stage was starting to come together. So I also enrolled back into University for Semester 2 that was to start the week I was in Singapore- I was already playing catch up!
August 15th I flew into Sydney at 5:30am. I gave my parents a massive hug and we were off to the nursery and to meet with James from Greenwall Australia.

Back at home, four hours south in my beautiful home town of Moruya I was on a one track mind- Show garden, show garden, show garden! With a bit of university thrown in there too. No time to relax, glad I had already done that in Indo!

The 29th of August and I was back in Sydney with two cars full to brim with plants, supplies, Ros, Judy and Jeff. Mick flew in at 5:30am we picked him up and went straight to the show to start the build. We also met up with Jim our friend who was helping Mick with the carpentry.

Rain, rain go away! The show had turned into tarp city and work continued on as we had only 5 days to complete the garden.
I was very lucky to have two fabulous carpenters to construct my design for me. Mick and Jim weren't only carpenters but they were also filled with marvellous ideas that helped the design to evolve.

I was also fortunate to have a wonderful strong family who took time out of their schedules to help too, whether it was advice for the build, physically heading to Sydney with me, helping with the pamphlets, help edit my drafts and get the words for my concept right, and letting us take over your house! I wouldn't have been able to have finished without this support and drive from my family.

I found myself stepping back at this stage of the design, I needed to have trust that Mick, Jim, Ros Judy and Jeff understood what I wanted. I realised that this is important to have respect for my tradesmen and their work. I also made sure that they had the right materials, so I had a very familiar track to the hardware store!

The final day and it was time for me to get back and stuck in, planting the plants for the Greenwall to get the flow of colours along the wall to tie in with the plantings in the garden bed. I had inspiration from my time at Chelsea flower show with the use of spiral and ball Buxus topiaries. I have inspirations from UK gardens with swifts of colour flowing through the space. I incorporated inspiration from Singapore with the use of the hanging unusual details to add interest to the space with Moss balls in the window. Then incorporating this with my own design details, and fitting it all in to the brief and concept of the garden that was "Effortless Balance"

Judging day was very nerve racking but exciting too, I also talked more with Graham Ross, after meeting with him at Chelsea. He encouraged me that I had been a great ambassador for the industry on my trip, which was so lovely to hear. He asked if I would like to do another radio interview with him, which aired on the last morning of the show. That night we attended the awards ceremony. Mick and I were very privileged to learn that we had been awarded GOLD for our efforts and all the hard work had paid off! We were ecstatic!

While the show was on I was asked by Jim Fogarty and Don Burke if I would like to get involved with a show garden that Jim had designed that they were putting together while the show was on. I met some more wonderful people while I helped for a short while.

I spent most of my time at my show garden explaining and talking to visitors about the design, which I just loved! It was great to be able to give the visitors ideas about what they can achieve in their own gardens and what you can do in a small space like a balcony. Many happy faces, despite the rain.
One day to pack up and do the 4 hour drive home, as I had University class to get to in Canberra the next day.


I’ll never forget our time at the Australian Garden show Sydney, and it was such a pleasure to get to know all the designers that we met while there, they made our time just that much more fun. Mick and I are looking forward to AGSS 2015.

Kew Gardens Work experience.

The time I spent at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew was unbelievable.

I decided to ask Kew if they had any work placements available because it was an area of horticulture that I was unfamiliar with and wanted to learn more.

I worked in their tropical nursery glass house.

The first morning I was given an overview tour of the entire glass house by Chris head of the Orchid zone. He explained that the nursery is made up of 4 zones, each to their own; arid, temperate, moist tropical and orchids.

I was only at Kew for a short period though in that time it opened my eyes up to how a botanic garden operates and some of the general techniques they use.

My first day was with Paul in the arid zone. Here we spent the day taking propagation cuttings of a variety of different succulents including specimens from the Crassulaceae family, also various different Genus of other families Delosperma, Ruschia and many more. The process was very structured and every plant and prop was taken with lots of care, one to ensure the mother plant would stay alive and two, to ensure a good cutting was taken. We were carrying this job as some of the mother plants were getting to 'leggy' and to also keep at least 3 of the same accession if possible. We finished the day off by controlling some mealy bug that was on some plants.

Some of the cuttings we took.....

They were placed into a sand bed with heated base.

Day two- I was in the temperate house with Rebecca, this day was spent potting up different species of Ericia into air pots. We used a specific peat free potting mix that Rebecca has mixed up prior. I was taught the technique to correctly pot-up these plants as using air pots is quite different from standard pots, and Ericas' can be very fussy plants when handling them.

Erica- Before

Erica- After

Day three- this day was spent with Chris in the orchid house. this was a short day as the staff had meetings they needed to attend, so I took the opportunity to explore the rest of the garden- which was great. I started the day off with watering, always more to watering then you first think. I then helped the rest of the team to change the orchid display at the Princess of Wales Conservatory, and the rest of my time was spent changing the moss around the small orchids in the nursery. 

One of the beautiful slipper orchids in flower. 

Small orchid collection.

Final day and I was in the moist tropical nursery. the morning was spent controlling the infestation of mealy bug that was on a few plants. I then helped to propagate by taking stem cuttings.

Over all I really enjoyed my experience at the Royal Kew Botanic Gardens. It was great to get hands on with a side of horticulture that I have an interest in, and see all the  wonderful plants that are being conserved so carefully.

On day three as I mentioned I was able to take the time to wonder around the gardens. I met up with Mick and together we explored. My favourite thing about Kew Gardens is all the grand old tree that dominate throughout the garden. They give such a magical feeling and a sense of history as some are hundreds of years old. They would of seen a lot !
It was a warm and sunny day and people were out enjoying themselves. Children running around and playing using the gardens in different ways to Mick and myself,though this is what Kew Gardens is just the place for. My time exploring with Mick very special- being able to share with him a garden that inspires me was such a joy and that is what I think gardens are also about, spending time in a beautiful space with people you care about.

Thank you to everyone I meet at Kew for taking the time to teach me about your work place. I am discovering more and more about all the different aspects of horticulture and the different branches you can take. One thing that runs through all the different areas is people openness and willingness to share and teach.