Keep Your Coins To Create Your Own Garden

Maybe you think they are just coin. Nothing to do with this. But, when you collect them, you can use them to buy something that you’ve ever imagined. Believe me, the coin is more important for me. They aren’t just a little part of the money, but they saved my life to give me a dream, called it “education”. In this article, I’m not telling you about my life story with these coins, but I’ll show you my own garden which was created by coin

Don’t think my garden is a real garden, guys…I don’t have a garden, even yards! It’s just that little space big enough to create my dream garden. Such as many people who live in Singapore, they live in an apartment, no garden, no yards. How lucky me, we moved into the first floor three months ago. So I do have enough space to grow some plants and flowers. Actually…there’s some space that we use to hang our laundry And my husband built a tent on it. So, I thought it looks like a mini greenhouse for my plant and flower I have a greenhouse!!

But, I got a problem here…it’s not easy to create my own garden. It’s because the price of plants and flowers is quite expensive in Singapore guys…, yeah especially for me. Maybe for other people, it’s cheap, but for me, it’s expensive So it’s not easy as I’ve ever thought! To create a garden, I need to collect many plants and flowers, right? It needs more money, yeah a lot of money. What can I do in this situation??…What will you think about that??.. My solution is….yeah…I had to collect coins!

 

Plant and flowers aren’t cheap (for me especially). For examples, the price of one pot of portulaca is about SGD 5-SGD 6, one pot of Catharanthus flower is about SGD 6, a pot of begonia is about SGD 7 – SGD 9, a pot of anthurium is about SGD 10, a pot of gloxinia is about SGD 9. Another kind of plant and flower would be more expensive, for example, a pot of sunflower is more than SGD 10, big a potted orchid is about SGD 20 or maybe more. And…you won’t believe this, a pot of pineapple plant is more than SGD 50 on Lunar new year! And many other expensive plants! I can’t handle this situation, guys…So that’s why I must find another way to collect plant and flower

In the first step, I have to collect coins. Maybe it just 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, or SGD 1. But…when I keep them for several months or a year…wow! They’d be enough money to make my dream come true! I have to be more patient to do this. Don’t worry if your own garden isn’t growing fast. It’ll worth in another day

I don’t have enough money to buy all of the plants or flowers that I wanted. So I’ve chosen another way. This is it…I bought some flower/ plant seeds. I bought sunflower seed, four o’clock flower seed, dahlia flower seed. In another month, I bought some seeds again, like globe amaranthus flower seed, zinnia flower seed, sweet william flower seed, and any other kind of seed. Yeah…I’m going to do this every month Actually, it’s not really every month I buy some seeds. Seeds are cheaper than buying a pot of flowers/ plants. 1 pack of seed, just about SGD 1,69!!

The second step, to grow my seed, of course, I need a potting soil or garden soil and a pot. So, I must buy them all guys…1 pack (5L) local potting soil is about SGD 2, 5L import potting soil (from Germany) is about SGD 4. Another compost potting soil (5L) is about…SGD 3. One more…I need fertilizers guys…I choose chicken fertilizer…1 pack of chicken fertilizer is about  SGD 2. So, when I got enough coins (about SGD 20), I would go to the garden shop and buy some pots, 1-2 packs of potting soil/ garden soil, and 2-4 packs of chicken fertilizer Sometimes I buy growing plant or flower, a pot or two pots growing flower and plant. That would be like a pot small orchid, or maybe kalanchoe, portulaca, or begonia. Yeah…I’d buy a pot-growing plant/ flower, only if I couldn’t find the seed (the plant/ flower I wanted).

This is it…my garden project which was created with my coins! Isn’t it great?! I’m so happy! I’ve started to create my own garden three months ago. Once a week, I’ve always been gardening. I can grow flowers and plants that I wanted. Even sometimes I failed, many times I failed to grow some flowers and plants. But don’t worry when you got this situation, because it’s learning by doing, am I right??…When I failed to grow flower/ plant by seed (like sweet william flower, dahlia flower, capsicum, and many other), I’ll try, try, and try again to grow them

Look, now I have many pots of portulaca. For the first time, I just had two pots of Portulaca. But now, it’s more than ten pots of Portulaca, maybe 15 or 16 pots!! How much you must pay for 15 or 16 pots of Portulaca if you buy from a garden shop?? Don’t ask me, ‘cause you can grow in your own hand. Growing flower or plant by seed is cheaper, right??…I like this way Now, my portulaca plants are more than 10 pots, maybe 15 pots. Every 3-4 months after blooming, I replant them again. The key is…patient!

Do you want to know what are the plants and flowers I have now?? Yeah…the biggest pinky flower plant, it’s Impatiens Balsamina, My flamingo flower called it Anthurium, my unique flower plant, it’s four o’clock flower, my incredible flower, there is Catharanthus flower that blooms much time. Another else, Thai Basil plant, Mint plant, Jasmine flower, some Orchid flowers, Cactus plants, Aloe Vera plants, Money plants, and many others. And of course, I have been growing some gingers and flower seeds ( like Cosmos flower, Sunflower, Capsicum, Tomato). Let see in a few months later…

After three months of planting plants and flowers, my garden has been growing such a nice yard. Even it’s just a small space, but there is a lot of plant and flower. But don’t think it like your big garden guys…, ‘cause it’s impossible for me to have a real garden. But I am happy and love my garden so much. Nothing is impossible, right?? Even if I don’t have a garden, but at least I can create my own garden. And even expensive to create a garden in Singapore, but I can keep my coins then create it

Happy gardening

Note :

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permissions
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permissions

Gardener Trip Story, From Kamisakabe West Park-Japan

I know, it’s too late to write this activity. But, whatever it takes, I must write about gardener activity or gardener trip from Kamisakabe West Park-Japan. Maybe you ask me “why”, I think it’s positive activity and maybe will inspire anyone or somebody to do the same thing. What is that “thing”??…The “thing” is how we save the world, learn about nature around us is that about nature again? Yeah…this article is about nature again

On December 14th 2014, my friend Ryo-san, who is volunteering at Kamisakabe West Park as gardener, gave me a message. Yeah…she told me about gardener trip on November 2014 month.  I was thinking to write it on following day. But, who knows, I got busy time on December month. I don’t have much time to write it soon. Now, I have my time again to write some kind an inspiring activity. This is it, Gardener Trip Story From Kamisakabe West Park!

This is an annual event that would be held on November 22sd 1014. My friend told me, this event was cancelled for two years because of the rain. So, what is the event actually??..It’s gardener business trip, yeah…every single gardener went to trip to the another park in the city. This time, they were travelled to the Motohama Green Track of Land. So, what are they doing in that park?? What is the relation between gardener trip and yearly event??…

This event is for children to enjoy nature.  “What do you mean to enjoy nature?”…Yeah…it’s a simple question that maybe you can ask me. And I will ask you, “what will you do to enjoy nature?”…Can you imagine it and answer my question?? So, if it’s me to answer that question, my answer is…”I’d love to grow plant to enjoy nature”.  Yeah…I will grow some plant or flower at my house, even if I don’t have garden. Really?? Are you serious??…Yeah, I will do it, and that’s what I have done, created my own garden. So, this event too that sponsored by gardener from Kamisakabe West Park They were inviting children to grow tree. Yeah…planting trees are one of the many way to save the world, right??…So, this is a positive activity, right?? It’s one of the activities to enjoy nature.

 

There are few children in the morning, ‘cause any performance (culture festival and concert) in their elementary school. But in the afternoon, many children came, came, and came…When I saw these pictures for the first time, I guess they were so excited to come in this event.

What activities they were doing at the time?? As you can see on these pictures, many children were climbing on the tree, right. Wow! I think it was fun, and I guess many children loves to climb the tree, because I love to climb the tree when I was kid too For this time, when a kid would climb a tree, they must to wear safety belt. Because it’s too dangerous for kid if they don’t wear a safety belt.  Beside, these children were challenged to arrangement freshly plant on the flower pot. Oh, that’s very interesting things to do. So they would to know how to grow plant on a pot.

One things is very interesting (I think ), the goat have shown up on this event. Oh my….is it a real goat??…Yes it is! that’s a real goat, that brought from a zoo. Wow, I can imagine these kids was happy. I believed, many children like animal, including a goat They could feed this goat, or maybe touched it in a direct way, feel the skin of goat or goat fur. And surprise….maybe this goat would be licking your hand Don’t worry Ryo-san, when it’s licked your finger, it means they like you

It’s very interesting and positive activity, right??…To share with many children how to enjoy nature. I believe, by event like this one, gardener trip in another park, it would bring so much benefit. What is it?? What kind of benefit??…Every single gardener trip will always share many things about nature. Like this one, they invited children to enjoy nature, was planting a plant to know how to grow plant and flower, feel the nature by climbing the tree, and feel another nature by animal (a goat). It’s all about to introduce nature to the children at an early age. So they will grow such a nice and kind people who care the nature around them. There is a hope for better world

 

By this article, even it’s too late, “Happy New Year….for all of gardener in the Kamisakabe West Park-Japan”

 

Note :

• Photographed by Ryo Rakusui
• Written by Acik Mdy / Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission