The Asian Gardener

01/06/2026

Today’s harvest: jambu air and guava.
One is sweet, one is healthy.
Like me and my husband 😂 you guess who’s who. 🤭

26/05/2026

People say buah bidara wards off evil spirits.
Meanwhile me? I just think they taste nicest plucked fresh from the tree 😋🍃🍏
RT refuses to eat them because ‘later got extra passengers attached’ 👻
So more for me lah 😌🌿

22/05/2026

🌿💦 This morning, we instructed the team to remove the night-blooming waterlilies from the pond. Beautiful as they are, pond management sometimes means making difficult decisions about space and balance. One quick way to identify certain species? Look at the leaves.

Many day-blooming viviparous varieties like the MBS-infamous-purple-Tina produces tiny plantlets right in the middle of the lily pad — almost like the leaf is “pregnant” with a baby plant 😄🌱 You’ll notice a small bud forming in the centre, eventually becoming a whole new plant. Night bloomers, however, generally do not produce these viviparous leaves.

The funny thing is, waterlily people like us spend so much time staring at lily pads that eventually we identify plants more by leaves than flowers. Shape, markings, colour tones, even where the split sits on the pad. Pond people, my people 💦😅

14/05/2026

14/05/2026

Some people lead loudly.
Others lead by quietly kneeling beside the pond at 8am, sleeves rolled up, showing you exactly what needs to be done. 🌷 🌿

Another Thursday morning assisting with the waterlily ponds… and once again, I’m reminded how good leadership is often very simple:
clear instructions, calm guidance, consistency and leading by example🍃

No complicated jargon.
No shouting.
No ego.

Just patience, observation and the willingness to teach until everyone understands the task and the purpose behind it.

In gardening, as in life, healthy growth rarely comes from chaos. It comes from steady hands, clear direction and that guru who is willing to step into the water first. 🪷

10/05/2026

One bee 🐝 was up early at subuh to check on the carambola flowers.
Even the bees know… rezeki doesn’t come to those who sleep through fajr 😌✨

The flowers are finally flushing nicely 🌸 soft pink, delicate, and full of promise. The pollination looks good too. Tiny starfruits are already forming, with proper fruits developing over the next 4–8 weeks ⭐️✨

This tree loves fruiting low along the trunk and inner branches, almost hiding its treasures close to the stem. Had to clear away the weeds around the base this morning just so the little fruits could breathe, get sunlight, and not disappear into the jungle 😂🌿 🌟

25/04/2026

At first glance, it is effortless beauty 💜🍃 a sea of waterlilies floating gently against the Marina Bay skyline. But beneath every calm surface lies quiet, constant work.

Water levels adjusted. Leaves trimmed before they decay. Algae kept in check. Fertilisers prescribed. Roots managed so they do not overtake one another.

This serenity is not accidental.
It is curated, daily, by hands you do not see.

It’s a privilege for me as part of team to contribute in our small way, to this living canvas at Marina Bay Sands. What looks like ease is often the result of discipline, care and devotion

18/04/2026

We had such a successful colour party this afternoon. Eeryone turned up in their chosen colours and brought food to match their OOTD. It was joyful, chaotic, colourful and somehow exactly us.

Primary school friendships hit differently. There is something so comforting about being with people who have known you since you were 7 ; before titles, before responsibilities, before life became so complicated.

With them, you do not have to explain yourself or try too hard. You can simply be exactly who you are. They knew your awkward phases, your childish dreams, your favourite snacks and silly habits and somehow still chose to stay. I know you’ll agree with me… there is a quiet kind of magic in friendships that have grown up with you 🤗 Alhamdullilah ❤️

15/04/2026