Home Grown Chilli

Nothing like plucking fresh vegetables from one's backyard for a meal. In the case of HDB dwellers, very few have the luxury of backyards save the few staying on the ground floor, and even then, it might not always be possible. I was entranced by the idea of a window sill at the kitchen where one could plant one's favourite herb as shown in the Singapore Garden Festival. Ah, my dream could well come true.

With the green fingers of my Indonesian maid (pardon the word maid as this is probably better known), we are having fresh red chillis for our meal. No, it is not at the kitchen, but at the common corridor.

We have yet to reach the "level" of the English flat or even an European house in the alps, but we sure could have our herbs and eat them! (^^)

Plants you can find in HDB flats

Looking at the overflowing greens sprinkled with various colours at the corridors of the HDB flats, especially those with front corridors, from the ground, one might even be able to guess the inhabitants. Plants have been with Singaporeans since their kampong days and so, many brought them along to the HDB flat. Apart from a few modern ones, most of the planting would be almost haphazard, as one would see in a kampong - lemon grass here, chilli there, pomegranate and lime mixed with more exotic ones, possibly from festive seasons.

If there is any common plants of Singaporean HDB dwellers, it must be local herbs, spices and plants that could be used in the kitchen. These could range from Kancheo to Chilli to ginger. To the more "modern" family, one could find sweet basils too.

If you see a pomegranate plant, chances are the owners are Chinese, and possible traditional Taoists. To them, a pomegranate plant is important because the leaves are meant to cleanse oneself, especially after one attends a "white" event, such as a funeral wake. Associating with the pomegranate could be the lime or pomelo (although this one is often too big for a flat corridor), where the leaves also have the same functions.

This does not tell the whole story and so I am going to go corridor walking to look for interesting characteristics of the current garden in the HDB flat. I anticipate that in the near future, garden landscaping may become more popular in the HDB flats, and with it, the wild kampong garden landscape could disappear. (^^)

Plants you can find in HDB flats

Looking at the overflowing greens sprinkled with various colours at the corridors of the HDB flats, especially those with front corridors, from the ground, one might even be able to guess the inhabitants. Plants have been with Singaporeans since their kampong days and so, many brought them along to the HDB flat. Apart from a few modern ones, most of the planting would be almost haphazard, as one would see in a kampong - lemon grass here, chilli there, pomegranate and lime mixed with more exotic ones, possibly from festive seasons.

If there is any common plants of Singaporean HDB dwellers, it must be local herbs, spices and plants that could be used in the kitchen. These could range from Kancheo to Chilli to ginger. To the more "modern" family, one could find sweet basils too.

If you see a pomegranate plant, chances are the owners are Chinese, and possible traditional Taoists. To them, a pomegranate plant is important because the leaves are meant to cleanse oneself, especially after one attends a "white" event, such as a funeral wake. Associating with the pomegranate could be the lime or pomelo (although this one is often too big for a flat corridor), where the leaves also have the same functions.

This does not tell the whole story and so I am going to go corridor walking to look for interesting characteristics of the current garden in the HDB flat. I anticipate that in the near future, garden landscaping may become more popular in the HDB flats, and with it, the wild kampong garden landscape could disappear. (^^)

The Beginning

Inspired by Singapore's inagural Garden Festival, I thought I could do a collection of gardens in the HDB flats. There could be gems waiting to be discovered. With your help, be it your own little garden or your friends, send to me your findings and I would glady publish here. Or with an address, I could pop over to take some pictures and perhaps, have a tete-a-tete with the green fingers who tend the garden.

Space is not a main issue because plants - the right plants - can grow anywhere. Let's green our flats!