Container Gardening in Singapore & Green Living

If you have a balcony or other outside patio area attached to your living space in Singapore you can quickly surround yourself with green plants & colorful flowers. This can be accomplished by purchasing various sized containers from a local plant shop. Plant the bigger containers with some larger plant specimens mixed in with a variety of smaller blooming plants to add color. And voilà! You have created “un beau Jardin!”

Far East Flora, located near Holland Village is a great place to start your search for plants & pots. Their selection of containers is almost overwhelming! Most of their pots look like heavy clay pots but are made of lightweight extruded plastic. Their lighter weight makes bringing them home or moving them around in your space much easier. Far East Flora’s educated staff is always willing to give advice on which plants will do well and even thrive in container gardens.

Plant Choices for Successful Container Gardens

Those of you who are itching to get your green thumbs into dirt here in Singapore may be surprised to know that many plants that grow well in regular gardens will thrive in containers! The Bougainvilleas in their wonderful array of bright colors & the varied green and interestingly textured Podocarpus, the Traveler Palm & the other soft leafed Palms all do well year round in containers. The Frangipani and Plumeria and even some outdoor Orchids are good choices as well. Succulents and cacti also are year round plant favorites in our humid climate. These plant choices grow quickly and enjoy having their roots bound tightly together inside a container.

Varieties of plantings for smaller containers will include the Pittosporum (locally called the Money Plant because of its voluminous growth pattern) and the Dieffenbachia with its upward growth pattern. Pick some plants for their colorful blooms and plan to replant those pots with another blooming plant when the blooms fall off or patiently wait for the return of their bloom cycle. Dianthus, Petunias, Kalenchoes, Lantana and even African Violets are good choices.

Healthy Plants are Happy Plants

Container soil preparation is an absolute must. Be sure to mix any bagged potting soil with the locally burnt sandy soil to assist in drainage. The sandy soil additive keeps the soil light and prevents moldy roots. You will find this soil in bags on the shelf of any plant shop. Nutrients need to be constantly replenished back into your container soil as you water your containers. Be sure to add fertilizer (either pellets or granules or liquid fertilizer) on a regular basis.

Make sure to put your containers on stands so that excess water drains away. This will prevent mosquito breeding in the standing water of a plant dish. If you do need to place your pot in a dish be sure you add mosquito deterrent pellets to any standing water. A healthy plant is a strong plant.

Regular fertilizing will help keep your plants healthy and disease free. For those specimens which occasionally need insect or fungal treatment consider a liquid insecticide rubbed directly on the leaves with a cloth instead of over spraying the plant with a chemical. The object of insecticide treatment is to treat the infected area (most often on the underside of the leaf) instead of the whole plant or container garden area. The least amount of chemicals is actually better for the plant, for you and your loved ones. Sometimes a heavy pruning to a larger plant taking away the diseased branches can be just as beneficial as treating with chemicals.

Over watering is the worst issue facing ornamental container gardeners especially when using plastic pots. In our hot and humid climate in Singapore when in doubt, don't water your container garden. There are gadgets out there to stick into the soil to let you know when to water. There is also no reason why you can’t just use that green thumb of yours to test for moisture as well. Damp means wet! Wait to water! If you decide to try to grow a few tomatoes or other vegetables keep in mind that their water needs will be higher than ornamental or decorative gardening needs.

Container gardening can be as creative as you want it to be. By layering plants with different textures and colorful blooms you can build a link to nature that transcends the concrete surroundings we live in. Enjoy the experience of gardening in containers and create a living landscape to be enjoyed year round.