| On July 6th, a forty foot temperature controlled shipping container left Perth docks bound for Singapore. In it were 1,000 plants and trees to be used to create two Australian Gardens at the Singapore Garden Festival.
The plants were to spend 10 days without any sunlight or water, before being showcased to over 300,000 visitors and dignitaries at the biggest garden show in the tropics.
The Singapore Garden Festival is held every two years at the Suntec Convention Centre. There are two categories of gardens exhibited: Show Gardens & Fantasy Gardens. Garden and Floral Designers from all over the world are selected to exhibit at the show. In the Fantasy category was Australia’s Charlie Evans from Urbaneco. Charlie had won a gold medal for his outdoor exhibit at MIFGS in 2006. I was competing in the Show Garden category. A gold medal in 2006 Singapore garden Festival had secured my return invitation. The show is held indoors, which opens up many possibilities with lighting, and keeps gardens protected from the heavy tropical downpours.
My Show Garden was inspired by the story of Jervis Bay. In the late 1980’s, Jervis Bay was given marine park and national park classification to prevent it from development. This is a great story and environmental message to show case at an international event. However, I knew this year would not be easy. Some of the worlds top garden designers were exhibiting Show Gardens, including: Andy Sturgeon from the U.K (4 gold’s in a row at the Chelsea Flower Show), Kazuyuki Ishihara from Japan (2 Gold medals at Chelsea and winner of the World Garden Competition in Japan in 2004), and Henry Steed from Singapore who won a Gold at the last Singapore show, to name a few. New Zealand, France, and Holland were also represented.
Designers were given ten months to plan their gardens, which were built by local Singaporean contractors. Owing to a shorter duration at sea, I made the trip to Perth last September to select my plants at Benara Nurseries, which were to be nurtured and sea freighted to Singapore. Strict quarantine rules both in Australia and on arrival in Singapore makes freighting live plant material difficult. Drenching and spraying for pests and diseases must be carried out and certification given before they can depart home soil. An anti-transpirant was applied to plant foliage to slow down water loss in the container.
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On arrival in Singapore, about 10% of the plant stock died due to the humid conditions. To help protect them, plants were stored in cold storage on site to preserve them for the show. The nine-day build up phase indoors is done without air conditioning as running costs are very high. The heat, humidity, language barriers and deadline all make for an exciting pressure cooker environment.
The head judge at the Singapore Garden Festival is the convener of judges at the Chelsea Flower Show. Amongst other top international judges, Australia’s John Patrick joined the judging panel for Show Gardens, and Teena Crawford judged in the Fantasy Garden category.
Results were announced on the evening of the Gala Event. In the Fantasy category, the Australian garden designed by Charlie Evans won a Silver Medal. In the Show Garden category, my Jervis Bay garden was awarded a Gold medal. Awards aside, the best part of doing a show like this is the camaraderie and friendships that are made, and the realisation that designers all over the world share the same passion in bringing green life back into the urban environment again.
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