Hairstylist donates 30 pots of plants through "Share a Plant"

 Last day for “Share a Plant” initiative at Raffles Place Park from 11am tomorrow

Singapore, 11 May 2014– Inspired by the Singapore Garden Festival’s “Share a Plant” initiative, gardening enthusiast Kenneth Tham, aged 39, potted 30 of his own spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) that he had recently propagated and joined the Festival team this morning in giving them out at HortPark to spread the joy of gardening. “Share a Plant” was launched to mark the return of the premier tropical garden and flower show at its new location in Gardens by the Bay from 16 to 24 August 2014, and encourage the appreciation of plants and gardening amongst Singaporeans. Since the start of the activity on 8 May, “Share a Plant” has met with great public response, with as many as 300 people who formed a queue before the plant distribution started at 8am yesterday at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, and some 70 people who waited at HortPark ahead of the plant giveaway this morning.

Everyone Can Garden

Mr Tham, a hairstylist who started taking an active interest in gardening three years ago,contacted the National Parks Board (NParks) after visiting the “Share a Plant” activity at Bishan- Ang Mo Kio Park yesterday, and offered to donate his own plants to support the initiative.

Mr Tham said, “I was excited when I heard about the initiative as I have been also sharing my plants with people I know. Gardening is not difficult and I think Singaporeans can definitely put a thumb to it and help make our city in a garden greener and more beautiful. There is also a great sense of satisfaction when you see these delicate plants grow over time.”

Mr Tham learnt how to propagate plants by speaking with friends who also garden, as well as looking up the internet. He chose “spider plants” for the giveaway as they are suitable indoor plants and easy to maintain. Mr Tham has also been giving away his spider plants to his clients who have expressed interest in them. He shared excitedly that one of his clients also started propagating his own spider plants.

Share A Plant

The “Share a Plant” initiative will see a total of 5,000 plants distributed across five popular gardens and parks, for the public to pick up and share with someone special. The plants have been handed out at Gardens by the Bay (8 May), Singapore Botanic Gardens (9 May), Bishan – Ang Mo Kio Park (10 May) and HortPark (11 May). It will be made available at Raffles Place Park tomorrow (last day), from 11am.

Queues at Bishan – Ang Mo Kio Park started from 7.30am and the plants were snapped up within an hour and a half. Mr Tomy Chow, a 53 year-old resident staying in Bishan who took back a Fittonia plant yesterday, said:”I really appreciate what NParks is doing by giving out these plants and helping us to learn and share the love of gardening. It takes a lot of effort to organise such activities, but looking at the joy of everyone who collected the plants yesterday, I think it is worth the while. I will definitely be going to the Festival to show off my product of love this coming August.”

Members of the public who receive the plants are encouraged to share their joy by posting an image on social media with the hashtag #shareaplant. They can also bring back their plant to the Festival for others to enjoy and those who do so will each enjoy a 20 per cent discount on their ticket purchase onsite. A mini-competition – Share a Plant Container Garden Competition – will call for people to not just bring back the plant to the Festival, but to decorate or arrange it creatively in a 0.5mL by 0.5mW design of their choice. These mini plant displays will be exhibited throughout the Festival, and a panel of judges will decide the winners. Award ribbons such as “Most Creative Display” and “Best Plant Mix” will be accorded to the winnings displays.

Ticket Details

The Singapore Garden Festival will be held at the Gardens by the Bay from 16 to 24 Aug 14. Ticket sales are available from 8 May 2014 at the following locations:

·         Botany Centre and Visitor Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens

·         HortPark Visitor Centre

·         Gardens by the Bay Ticketing Hub

·         Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre

Tickets to the Singapore Garden Festival will be available online at www.singaporegardenfestival.com from 2 June 2014.

The Festival is jointly organised by NParks and Gardens by the Bay, together with its key partners, Agri-food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), Orchid Society of Southeast Asia (OSSEA), Singapore Gardening Society and Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

For more information, please visit www.singaporegardenfestival.comor Facebook page www.facebook.com/SGGardenFest