Inside Singapore's AWARD-WINNING Tropical Home Garden🌴| Min's Garden with 15 Design Tips 🦋

the wispy tea tree Dancing In The Wind inviting you to step into this breathtaking Paradise nestled in the heart of [Music] Singapore welcome to min's Garden a multiple award-winning private home Garden if you love to DIY and are looking for landscaping tips and great ideas to make your own tropical Retreat stay tuned for tons of [Music] Inspirations you you know you're in the presence of some amazing Garden when you walk along the street and there is no need for the address it's the house that is bursting with trees and plants spilling out all over to the curb side as you can see here their home is totally enveloped with greens allowing them to sometimes forget that they have neighbors this jungly masterpiece is the work of a lovely couple both are writers and dreamers meet Irene and Ronnie and I'll have to say Irene takes the lead here she is the Visionary and chief Paradise maker gardening has become a a second nature to me a way of life I can't live without plants wow while Ronnie has been every bit the darling husband getting his hands dirty in the soil and supporting Irene in making her dream Nam come true and Ronnie had even gone a step further written a book on the garden it's a delightful literary giving intimate insights into their gardening journey and as Ronnie suggests it's meant to be leisurely read preferably with a glass of wine you can now win a sign copy of the book which is now out of print and no longer for sale by counting the number of butterflies in the entire video like this one more details in the description [Music] section together they have built this Wally romantic garden over the past 30 OD years Irene claims that her garden is so dense it's impossible to find any more holes to add any more plants still do no no no I you know been restraining myself look at this I can't find a ho to oh yeah but she still finds and we can see she is indeed very good at utilizing spaces Irene truly embodies the Singapore and mindset the use of every bit of land is planned to Perfection there is incredibly dense planting here it mimics the jungle perfectly with the beautiful chaos and layers of plants with Little Treasures tucked away here and there giving you a real sense of wonder at every turn for example this Leaf giving shade to this precious ponia which does not like to be too hot and a bright patch of variegated costers here to brighten up the spot from the sea of greens and this monstrous philad B planted next to a palm in a bright spot so that it has something to latch on climb and grow to its full potential I actually got a a small cutting of about a foot long it cost me less than $10 yeah and and behold it just grew and it has since Bor so many babies yeah including this Clum here and earlier one you saw and lots of other babies it's just such a robust and and vigorous grower I think I recall that you had one which won an award didn't win an award CU it was too big so they disqualified me oh my it's just too nice and too big what can they do I know some people were rather indignant for me they say this is definitely a winning plan yeah yeah they see I it didn't meet the the specs of the you were overqualified for the competition okay yeah so but it hasn't stopped growing it's such an easy plant to grow yeah yeah there are so many species here that it would put some botanical gardens to shame and under this seemingly random plantings there are actually thoughts behind it so each plant has been given a spot where they could Thrive to be their best and even the neighboring plants are carefully selected so that they help each other and that they can look good [Music] together hi I'm Irene and welcome to my channel leing around where we look at the most beautiful garden in the world so that we can be inspired to make our own little Paradise now I've seen many beautiful gardens but this one has been the most meaningful for me me because it has inspired me the most when it came to making my own Paradise why because it is a DIY garden by a plant lover then out of sheer passion and overtime not something that's put together instantly by any landscape designer and so if she can do it so can I and the fact that my name is also Irene so we share the same name I think I'm off to a good start I had studyed this Garden intensively through its Facebook and Instagram page mins Garden it's been a real source of inspiration for garden designs and information on plant IDs and how to care for them and to finally be here is kind of surreal today I'm paying hom much to a very special garden and Gardener when we started um creating our own tropical garden in the early years uh we drew inspiration from the verden and exotic beauty of Bali you know it is a great source of inspiration for my own Bali Retreat organized chaos oh everything all mixed up and people could think that's chaotic but it's actually so beautiful when they put it together this is a medelina and look at the beautiful flowers and here we have a nice anthurium next to the B and then down here we have glorious Z and then this is caladium Bonas and this is the Lemon line fendron and you know surprisingly the leaves are all in pretty good condition for a garden that is outdoor and expose the elements and this homina here I think it's h pomal it is gorgeous look at the Silvery and grayish leaves and then right next to it pops this colocasia and and alocasia and then as you wander and look inside come inside here have a look you see this gorgeous Bonia Exotica this for me has been a very difficult Bonia to take care of and it's quite happy here like stuff in between plants this dress is really something reminds me of something that's from outer space from the Galaxy and it's a beautiful beautiful pattern that really Pops in the garden and here we see the Bonia makata a very popular Bonia that was older AG I think in 2019 2020 and here Irene I see she has planted them on the ground I used to think that they were real Divas but here I see that it's outdoor on theground so I think they're a lot more robust but let's see though what they are surrounded by they are really enclosed by a lot of plants above and around it so I think that's where the Bonia thrives in Irene's Garden too you can see a lot of sculptures like this one is almost disguise as a plant it's a really nice way to break up the plantings and still not overshadow any of the plants here [Music] the hands of Irene had lovingly cultivated this Garden for more than three decades her husband Ronnie claims credit to have started the gardening Journey with her and was very involved in the earlier years but now that the garden is mature he has been banned from interfering with the garden and so having been relieved of his gardening Duty he now tends to his life of leisure [Music] back in the 80s Irene and Ronnie lived in a condo with their two little girls and about a 100 plants so Ronnie actually wrote a book about their gardening Journey it's called Gardener lck and I'll just read you a little chapter here it's called a patch of green in the sky every Saturday was moving day at our previous condo to catch the morning sunshine we lock our plants including those in the darkest indoor Corner out to the sunr balcony from with a weekly RNR there they got a ding wash off the weak STS from the leaves and on serious gardening weekends we gave them extra TLC of Insecticide Fungicide sprays and fertilizers occasionally we even spray Leaf Shine for that spiffy party look I what kind of gardener are you um I would describe myself as a obessive compulsive acquisitive a plant IC and the harder why am I such an obsessive Gardener I've been gardening for more than four decades actually I love getting you know down and dirty digging into the Earth smelling the Earth gardening you know helps me to to lose my thoughts and worries it it's a great way to connect with with nature and see things grow and and be rewarded you know when the plants respond well [Music] yeah soon the condominium was just not enough for their plants anymore and then they stumbled upon this perfect house and fell in love with the piece of land we started this Garden from a blank canvas this used to be a lawn but they saw the potential in it I came to skillfully artfully transform that Barren piece of land into this Retreat today now let's dive into the creation process both Ronnie and Irene are tree livers and had foresight to plant them right away after they moved into their house I think I planted like 10 MCAT probably only one or two are left because because the squirrels came and they always attack the the crown of the the yeah we had six Majestic Travelers palm and this is truly an iconic palm tree or technically it's not a palm it belongs more to the ginger banana family you can see it lining up the iconic Raffles hotel but eventually they chopped it due to worries about it helping to breed mosquitoes here I like to pause and talk a little bit about palms I think Palms are an essential thing you must have for a tropical garden it gives it the height and if you grow them in a cluster they can even be like a privacy screening for you at the very beginning I planted a row of Palms because I wanted screening however do bear in mind the height of the Palm that you selected because the Palm typically cannot be pruned if you do they will die so select carefully understand about the height going to get to and then make sure you're happy with that there are some gorgeous Palms here liala grandies there many others that I don't know the name Thea Ram [Music] gorgeous at the entrance of min's garden one is greeted by a weeping tea tree it filters out the harsh light of the sun into soft shade with its feathery leaves and it sways and dances in the breeze and when crushed in hand the leaves admits a very nice aromatic fresh scent Irene loves it and in the evening when lit with fairy lights it transforms the garden into a most romantic place now this may look like the whipping Willow but it's not quite a different species the whipping willow also known as Alex babylonica originates from China and you will often find landscape paintings of these trees by the lake by the river and for good reasons they are thirsty this means you need to think twice about having them in your garden The Roots can be really invasive and it often zaps water from its neighbors the plants around it and avoid planting it next to drainage or sewerage systems The Roots will be attracted to them and can cause damage Irene also planted seedlings of trees without fully knowing what they were some grew up to be very special one of these is the tusu tree it is a handsome tree with deeply featured dark brown bar and produces creamy yellow flowers with a sweet fragrance which perfumes her garden when they are in bloom later did she realize that this tree is actually a protected species in Singapore and so she's actually not allowed to cut it and fun fact this tree is actually featured on Singapore's $5 note and please appreciate the fact that I ran to the Botanical Garden in the hot to capture this this specific Tree on the note is a portrait of the tusu tree that is in the Singapore Botanical Garden today there's also a Malayan dwarf golden coconut tree one of the first trees they planted 33 years ago and it produced bumper crops of golden coconuts Irene had insisted on having a coconut tree as it evolves images of holidays on the tropical island all together the Towering palms and trees provide the backdrop and shap for Irene and Ronnie to start planting a diverse range of plants below for example the trunk of this coconut tree provides the structure for climbing aroids and hanging stack horn Ferns and orchids and give Shades to the plants below so this coconut tree is actually made to work really hard do you get to to eat them no the no it's too first of all it's too tall this the squirrels come just like the the the T fruit tree that we have never get to we get a lot of white katus and and parakeet sorry there's an an on your nose yeah something now let's take a peep inside their home we're greeted by the warm embrace of the red brick wall the living room is bath in soft warm glow of this huge ran pandon lamb you can see clearly their affection for the green world and nature manifested indoor too the rten sofa sets adorned with cushions very motives of lash foliage be consisted to take a seat as though inviting us to immerse ourselves in the Embrace of Nature's arms and here hear a magnificent lamp with blooms and vibrant colors of the foliage as if it was plucked from a tropical rainforest and suspended here casting an enchanting glow that radiates life but this cozy living room is not where Irene and Ronnie choose to linger instead their hearts strove them further Beyond these walls Beyond this white french glass sliding door into their Paradise outside they are more often found in this outdoor living room this tranquil patio that overlooks the pictur is strip of the pond and their Garden so I think a tip when you're building your own garden always consider to create a space where you can sit now this one is a gorgeous generous space here and because you know after all your effort in building a gorgeous beautiful garden you do want to have sometime to sit back and admire and appreciate what you've done so as we continue our exploration through this remarkable Home and Garden we are left with a profound understanding that for Irene and Ronnie their true Century lies not Within These Walls but in the boundless Beauty and ever evolving landscape that had lovingly cultivated outside [Music] Ronnie and Irene started out with the L of trees and Palms but they quickly expanded their love to many other species I'm a promiscuous plant lover with many favorites like these orchids these ones are the tiger orchids and there was a phase where she was obsessed with bonias and had them growing in different parts of the garden [Music] then came The aoid Craze where she was madly sucked into anthuriums fend and alocasia like the rest of [Music] us so this scene here is something I have seen a thousand times on Facebook and I tried to replicate it so this year used to have a huge clump of uh alakia ca ca and it's so lovely this ribs here reminds of ABS so then I went out to buy two big pots myself um and Irene used to have like a dozen leaves here it was so Lush uh me too when I first bought mine but I'm down to maybe two leaves now I see Irene kind of has only one or two leaves left too so the thing about this it's quite finicky it's quite Diva but don't worry it's not completely dead it can come back alive and uh we pray that it will come back in A Lash lashful manner there is an amazing part party of plants Happening Here we have the anthurium maybe it's a Regal or a hybrid then we have the caladium this pink is just so delicate and beautiful looking and then we have the costers and then we have caginas I like the use of caginas as ground covers cuz um they can be very very bushy and so quite ideal for ground covers and also they look like ferns Plus they're very easy to take care of let's see what other gems there are inside this is the Cadian red beret quite a sort after caladium for its nice blotches this is a tiny one oh gorgeous beautiful color and then this here is a fern tree and creeping up on this tree here is I think a rodora of sort not very sure but every single inch here is utilized a tree does not just remain a tree here there are lots of creepers and even some B Nest that's growing on it tall dark and handsome it bends to the wind but never breaks bamboo they are a great addition to Gardens they make good privacy screen and it's a favorite for those trying to inject some Zenus into a more minimalist kind of garden fil toi neger or the black bamboos are highly ornamental they transition from green to abony Black by the third year of growth the black bamboo that they have is said to be one of the least aggressive of the running bamboos and they're really proud of these SMY black beauties today now it's true bamboos can be invasive and there are more than a thousand species of bamboos they're categorized into two types running versus clumping varieties clumping bamboos behave just like their name suggest they grow tightly in clumps and so they are kind of growing out in a circular shape over time and it's easier to keep them contained but they're usually topheavy narrow at the bottom wide at the top so they are much more appropriate as a feature plant that's planted in the midst of the garden but not so great if you want the bamboo to serve as greens because they well leave gaps in between if you're looking for bamboos to function more as hges a screen running bamboos are more suitable and they work well even in narrow planting sides the black bamboo which Irene and Ronnie has here is one of the least aggressive of the running bamboos but they're not easy to come by the next feature plan is this golden screw Pine or very gated pandanus Baptist SII towering nearly TW story high this striking PL makes a distinctive sculptural feature from top to bottom as we bring our gaze down we see the Stout trunk which then branches out into many thick still Roots near the base these roots themselves are a sight to behold I love the Ste Roots yeah it's so beautiful yeah now that you mention the Ste roots and then the golden color yes it's almost like a bust of fireworks actually at night because there's a up light so it looks quite beautiful but for like $15 I think I spent less than that wow long time ago how how old is this this one is at least 25 years old this vated beauty is great as a feature plant but will need room to accommodate it sproutling habit at night when lit the plant Sparkles like firewood displays Against The Dark Night simply magical we also find in intriguing sculptures and ornaments dotting the garden this range from the functional practical ones like benches and jars do seemingly frivolous [Music] ones this chai wood swing here plac strategically at the corner of the garden provides a good focal point and adds depth it also invites you to rest your wey feet sit and appreciate the beauty that you are enveloped in and this jar with four geckos makes an impressive daytime feature by itself breaking up the vast green Pate while at night it transforms into a lighting jar with a hidden Spotlight Illuminating the garden note the careful placements of ornaments too frogs and turtles creatures that are font of water they stay near the water features while the birds are chilling around the trees now this lady was locked all the way from a brisban nursery and years later when the pond was built the perfect spot was found she became the pensive girl looking at her reflection in the water then there is this powerstone statue from Bali which Irene had lovingly named Aang he's covered in Moss and then appropriately there is a cripper running around his head looking as though he's wearing a Crown so in terms of the hearts scaping apart from the bigger items like the swings and the jars there are so many other Little Treasures too dotting around the garden rewarding those who take the time to slow down to enjoy the little Delights hidden in the midst of [Music] planting there is nothing more coming than the sound of running water so I feel like in any tropical garden or any Garden that you have a very good tip to really engage all your senses cuz it's not just for the plants the sides or sometimes even the smell if you have fragrant plants but also the audio the sound makes a real difference to help you relax in the garden and what could be better than water so this is one water feature that Irene has got here and there's another one over there the pond is my husband's gift to him oh when he when he reached 50 he said I I want a pawn as a birthday gift I said okay but he had to negotiate hard with Irene on the sides of the pond for she was getting pretty Territorial and found it really hard to give up the garden space for his pond then we bargain he wanted a big pond I said no I want yeah so in the end I settled I said no more than 5 ft the rest all mine wow looks like you did a great job I mean the rest of the garden is already yours so we were actually planning to have a a pond that goes all the way right there I say no no no Ronnie shared that Irene had taken a ruler to ground daily to make sure the construction of the pond is well within the space limit that she had issued approval for the simple Pawn is now so much part of their Garden that they can't imagine not having it there are other smaller features dotted around the garden like this bin water fountain made with parist stone it weighs a ton it has a large shallow Basin and it's the wild bird's favorite watering Hall I was also strongly influenced by the late well-renowned Australian landscape Garden Designer Michael White Michael died about 8 years ago he was more famously known as M Raya Gone Too Soon we wanted a large jungle likee G Garden spilling with B plants palms and Frip peny trees wooded carvings water and lighting features and exotic uh decorative balines elements amidst the organized chaos it's the two-time winner of what of the best private Garden in Singapore 10 years W I am in the best private Garden in Singapore twice twice twice hoping to do a hatrick because I think the garden has since grown so much better but there was no more contest they stopped it for a lended property because she just keeps winning it so they know we now go up step by step on these weather briak stairs and a wooden table and bench come into view poised like a rustic outdoor dining room here beneath the Open Sky I ir and Ronnie often convene for a meal or for a drink and this my dear viewers is their Garden Room a natural extension of their AB boat where the boundary between indoor and Outdoors seems to dissolve such an enchanting place the ambient sounds of the bird song the wrestling leaves and the soft murmur of the trickling water serve as an orchestra for our senses in this secluded real and the green that envelopes us it creates an oasis of Serenity towering plums reach skywards and their FRS swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze casting dled Shadows upon the ground below as we lower our gaze we see other exciting species this is the eona Wana a handsome dwarf Palm that originates from Peninsula Malay and it's a slow grower this one this particular plant has been in Irene's Garden for more than 25 years now here we have the ctto Sperma John steni it looks like a reptile with pink brown and blood red Vining it loves the water and here it's planted in a granite pot with no drainage holes as we explore further we discover an intricate tapestry of plant life life the garden has been thoughtfully designed with layers of planting that creates depth and texture aroids with their impressive size and striking foliage this is the philad dendra and glism with its handsome white veins spr right next to this ever classic Monera deliciosa what we see here in the design of the garden is also a very important principle if you have the luxury of space you can create little gardens within your garden so this is what's happening here here we see a little corner and there's a place for you to sit down and pause and here again a little corner that's bigger where Irene says that this is where they invite their friends over and entertain and then surrounded by this gorgeous gorgeous plants the reason why I am suggesting that you have little gardens instead of one huge one is that a huge Garden you just walk in and then you see everything and that's it but if you create little corners and little sub Gardens it forces you to walk around and the place just feels never ending because you don't actually see the edges of the garden like here although we're nearing uh a corner and a fence but you actually don't see the fence and you don't see the neighbors [Music] gu pie tea or top hat is a beautiful nonia Delight it's like salad but bursting with flavors in a crispy cup Irene is a great cook and when not in her garden she is here in the kitchen and what a view Jers big doors and windows in the kitchen opening up to the Garden outside truly inviting and allows you to breathe in nature when prepping meals some PL they are just right in your face so what a pleasure to be doing dishes here Irene spends a lot of time in the kitchen and the key takeaway for us I feel is this find the spot in the house that you are spending the most time on and then find ways to create the view and enjoy the beautiful garden or collection of plants that you have from that spot and then what's more exciting beyond the kitchen is the potting shed this to me it's like the man cave you know for a gardener where you keep everything you need and oh her propagation are all here let's see H what else is here oh my [Music] God one can usually find Irene spending hours in the party shed on weekends tending to have plant babies I like to create things and watch them grow from Tiny seeds to beautiful big plants producing fruits and um flowers it's very you know I just enjoy nourishing and nurturing yeah it's so rewarding the whole whole process yeah so when you are designing your garden do you allocate an area where this magic and also the m can happen where you could do your potting where you could do your propagation or even a specific area for the sick plants that you can bring in and segregate them from the uh other healthy plants so a potting somewhere you know backstage for your garden which is really the stage now a garden like this is high maintenance Irene is a daily Gardener there is always something to do gardening is a constant job there's always something to do as they say a garden is never done every plant big or small needs tender loving care some are more fussy and temperamental than others and need higher maintenance like humans they fall sick or when they die it can be very heartbreaking and you can see the extent that Irene goes out to care for her plants covering them with newspapers to Shield them from the sun when it gets too harsh and even protecting them from the rain with an umbrella to make This Magnificent white taka Bloom lasts longer do you talk to your plants um when my plants are doing well I I give them praise you know and a little pet on the not on the back but on the leaf plants are actually very responsive so when I'm potting or propagating them I try to use uh encouraging words and ask them to do well um but if they just sell or go into a fun I go and threaten them if they don't back up what aspects of gardening do you like most buying new plant sh don't tell my husband and I like starting uh a new project I mean to do that I have to rip out whole section yeah as you can see my garden is very very packed that there's no more room you know I can't find a ho to oh yeah but she's still fine to Sho any more plants and because of that I now have to declutter with a Vengeance yeah and I think Marie condo will be proud of me and give me the thumbs up [Music] as the sun sets over this Tropical Paradise the garden transforms into a magical Wonderland twinkling lights illuminates this Botanical Masterpiece and makes it a truly romantic spot as Irene and her husband sits down for an intimate dinner in their backyard we bid farewell to them if you've enjoyed this episode please subscribe and share it with others thank you [Music]

Channel: Leafing Around

Views: 96,211

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Id: AkHxdqXriyI

Length: 36min 45sec (2205 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 13 2024