England has a green belt and Singapore has a green building programme

In London we are constantly fighting to protect the Green Belt designed to  protect greenery and prevent urban sprawl.

I met a woman whose job is planning greenery on estates and now up the sides of buildings and on their rooftops in Singapore.

She showed me this tree planted by Lee Kuan Yew. The plaque, inset in a tree trunk, shows an urban building surrounded by the colour green. The text reads:

TANJONG PAGAR TOWN COUNCIL

CLEAN AND GREEN SINGAPORE

This tree

was planted by

MR LEE KUAN YEW

MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC

November 2011

The trees you see planted along streets are not chosen at random.

I was impressed by the fact that I learned to much from this little side trip, walking from the Buena Vista Community Centre (abbreviated to CC). I had forgotten that Lee Kuan Yew actually was a minister with an area constituency, not just bypassing local areas and instantly made into a high-powered minister responsible for the whole country.

My friend is a real enthusiast. In addition to taking three of us on a detour to see this tree, she pointed out assorted buildings as we passed, telling us about the walls of greenery and the trees along the avenues and the trees on rooftops.

I am curious to know how the greenery survives on buildings, especially those walls of greenery. How come they don't destroy the building's fascia, the way ivy destroys the brickwork of buildings in England. She says you have the greenery in front of the wall, growing on a trellis in front. Then you have to spend money on watering systems.

But how do you prevent trees on rooftops putting down roots and destroying the rooftop and growing out of control like the 'seed' planted by Jack in the beanstalk? You place the roots in a container. Like Bonsai. No, she says. I have not understood. Never mind, I am getting the idea. Like all the gardens in Singapore, a great deal of thought, planning and maintenance is required. I recall the famous quotation, that 'gardens are not made by saying,"oh how beautiful" and sitting in the shade'.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.