Award-winning home gardens attract overseas visitors

Visitors from all over the world throng the beautiful home garden of this couple's Clementi bungalow. -TNP
Valerie Koh

Wed, Jun 27, 2012
The New Paper

Her home is now a must-see attraction for tourists and dignitaries - specifically those with a gardening bent.

Madam Irene Ngoo, 57, and husband Ronnie Lim, 62, have, since 2006, been hosting groups of visitors who wander around their garden looking at flowers, shrubs and trees.

Luxury home gardens in Singapore Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, BT)

Six years ago, they won the Best Home Gardens section of the National Parks Board's (NParks) gardening competition.

They also won the top prize in the Gardens of Singapore competition in 1995.

It's flattering to have visitors clamouring to see their 7,800 sq ft garden, said Madam Ngoo.

The couple, who hold senior positions at Singapore Press Holdings (whose publications include The New Paper), bought the bungalow at Sunset Heights at Clementi in 1990 after falling in love with its garden.

They get both local and foreign visitors, including gardening writers and groups from Britain, Australia and the US.

NParks acts as coordinator and organises the visits for the foreign visitors, she said.

"If these people can come all the way here to visit, I should give them the best welcome I can," Madam Ngoo said of the three to four groups that she hosts every year.

American domestic goddess Martha Stewart had plans to visit her garden last year, she said, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"I was so excited. I kept thinking about what I should say to her."

Unfortunately, Ms Stewart had to call off the visit because of conflicting schedules.

Madam Ngoo's garden is home to many unconventional plants, including the Bat Lily, a sinister bloom with its bat wing-like flower, and the Dark Knight, a leafy shrub with royal purple blossoms.

Also on the must-visit list for plant enthusiasts is Dr Easaw Thomas's home in Wilby Road, off Bukit Timah Road.

Some 200 forest trees fill the 26,000 sq ft compound, lining the driveway leading to the house.

The living quarters have vertical and rooftop gardens surrounding them.

Home

It's almost like a jungle and Dr Thomas, 66, and his family of seven, live in the heart of it.

The anaesthetist was the co-winner of the NPark's gardening competition in 2006, together with Madam Ngoo.

His self-proclaimed equatorial garden attracts about 100 visitors from Indonesia, the US and the UK annually.

Not all of them make specific trips to Singapore to view his jungle-garden and art-deco architecture house.

"Some people hear about it from friends while on holiday here and decide to visit."

The cost of maintaining the garden is manageable, he says.

He likens it to a naturally balanced ecosystem.

Having a common interest in plants allows him to bond easily with his foreign visitors as they share their knowledge.

"I do enjoy talking to them," Dr Thomas said.

"And I find that people relax better when they're here."

Madam Ngoo said her visitors sometimes bring little potted plants to add to her collection.

These newbies join the 400 varieties of plants in her slice of heaven.

Among them are gingers, heliconias and staghorn ferns.

A willowy tea tree frames the driveway. The breeze carries its fragrance through the garden and into the house.

On weekends, the couple enjoys relaxing in the outdoor terrace, basking in the serenity of their private sanctuary.

This article was first published in The New Paper.