Kallang Riverside

A Perfect Union

“The Green Retreat” was a collaborative effort between Ireland’s Paul Martin Designs and Earthscape that was awarded Gold at the Singapore Garden Festival 2018. The 9x9m creation features local plants surrounding an outdoor retreat to form a hidden oasis.

With only 10 days to bring Paul’s design to life, the team worked tirelessly, overcoming one challenge after another, which has evidently paid off. It is now more than just a project, it is a testament to our ability to brush off adversity and deliver award-winning pieces.

CHOOSE WISELY

With the main component of the garden being its plants, we must choose the right ones for each spot. For this, we carefully considered the space required as well as the condition of the site, including accessibility, light requirements, etc. The Green Retreat cleverly uses local plants in layered planters to create a vibrant yet soothing sight.

Some of the plants chosen for the show were pre-nurtured for months, making sure they acclimatise in time for the show. We used plants from no less than six different nurseries in both Singapore and Malaysia to strike the perfect balance between quantity, quality, and variety.

"Timber!"

What is life without a little excitement and surprises? This project brought plenty of that throughout the process of implementation. For one, the slopped bend of the allocated spot for the project took some time to level. As the project is like jigsaw pieces that should fit perfectly together, levelling the ground was essential.

Sweet SuccesS

Despite the challenges that may have hindered us, the exhibit was not only completed but a great success. Receiving the Gold award for this display was a cherry on top. Paul Martin’s ingenious design that integrates volume, light, and sound from the water feature was truly a sight to be seen.

We absolutely look forward to throwing our hat in the ring again for the next Landscape Design category at the coming Singapore Garden Festival.