CUGE Naturalised Garden

Starting in January 2017, the 110 m² lawn behind the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) Research Branch building on the edge of the Singapore Botanic Gardens was converted into a naturalised garden. This was done by ceasing regular mowing of the original native grass monoculture, allowing the natural processes of ecological succession to take place, and maintaining the garden lightly over time. In the beginning, 10 selected plant species were transplanted into the garden from existing spontaneous vegetation plots at the Kent Ridge Campus of the National University of Singapore (NUS). This was done to enhance the garden’s aesthetic appeal and provide some framework species with which to start fostering a rich diversity of flora.

Within months, a wide range of other plant species were recruited naturally and grew up spontaneously in the garden without human assistance, quickly transforming it into a multi-layered and structurally diverse vegetation patch that attracts a significantly higher variety of fauna compared to a mowed lawn. After 12 months, over 30 additional species were recorded to be part of the novel plant community, and today, it is known to host at least 50 plant species at any one time. Although many of these plants are non-native or even considered weeds in local gardens, they occupy various ecological niches in the plot and provide resources for an assortment of insects, birds and other fauna. An example is the naturalised White Mulberry (Pipturus argenteus), which provides food to native frugivores like the Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum), Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) and Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) as regular consumers of its fruits. This tree also hosts the caterpillar of the native Malayan Eggfly butterfly (Hypolimnas anomala).

The diverse plant community in the garden is dynamic and constantly changing over time. Fauna that can commonly be encountered in the garden includes various birds, reptiles, butterflies and moths, true bugs, bees and wasps, grasshoppers and crickets, spiders, and dragonflies. This wonderful diversity allows the plot to be used as a living classroom for nature education of the young, which is not normally afforded by a traditional, manicured green space with comparatively limited biodiversity.

Acknowledgements:

This garden was initiated and created with advice and assistance from Associate Professor Hwang Yun Hye from the Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, NUS. You can refer to her blog on ‘Ecological Design and Management towards Urban Resilience’ here.

Development of the Vegetation in the First Year