Small Space Big Impact Award Winning Gardens 21 Design Tips from WOLRD RENOWNED LANDSCAPERS

Picture this, stunning gardens, each more breathtaking than the last, crafted by award-winning landscapers from around the globe. Designers from the US, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Singapore, Japan, Korea and even Ireland have brought their A-game to this extraordinary event. Welcome to a world where nature meets artistry. Welcome to the Singapore Garden Festival. You will not only see breathtaking gardens, pick up good ideas for your own backyard but also hear directly from the judges. You have to be passionate. I think simplicity of concept, really focus on a simple bold statement. And winning landscapers, great tips when creating your own garden. You plan your garden, so everything is in its place. You plan the You take time with your softscape. So what makes a winning garden design? Leon who had won many garden awards have this to say. It is first and foremost the wow factor because you want to stand out from all the other beautiful gardens around you and that's not always so easy. So there needs to be that spark in your garden and it takes a lot of cappuccinos to think of that spark. Join me on this enchanting tour as we dive into the creme de la creme of garden design. You witness the magic unfold when these global talents team up with local horticulturists to create garden displays that will leave you utterly inspired. And feel free to steal some ideas shamelessly for your own backyard. Now we've got two captivating categories Let's start with landscape gardens. These gardens showcase impressive horticultural design principles and planting skills. I'll say gardens in this category are ones that are more realistic and something you can very well imagine to have in your own home. Then we have the fantasy gardens. Oh boy, so imagine stepping through a fairy tale where every corner bursts with creativity. These gardens are like that dreamy crush you had in high school complete with charming props, mesmerizing stage lightings and enchanting music that sweeps you away. You can practically hear your own heart beating and the orchestra playing as you stroll through. But you know it's just a fantasy, not real. Too much work and kind of like trying to keep that butterfly alive for more than a week after you catch it. So while fantasy gardens may tug at your heartstring and take your breath away, the landscape gardens are where life feels just right. Something that you can come back home to and have a cup of tea with. Envelope in its warm embrace, sit in peace and comfortable silence. So let's dive in, gather some great inspiration to transform our little backyard into a paradise. So as you walk in here you are greeted by this piece of beautiful enormous art filled with all tropical plants and you can see here this is the platycerium, orchids, begonias. This piece is aptly named as the Tropical Oasis put together by the Singapore Botanical Gardens. So let's take a look into the details. Here we see some gardening tools with coffee. You know I think they're trying to create a scene of this is like an active gardener's garden. This piece that says this is the gardener's gathering. But what really piqued my interest is this little house, little door here. The path leads you into this alley and then you can peep into this little hut. It's so gorgeous. It's the size of a shoebox and here this is where the gardener could take their respite. There's a reading corner there, there's a fan. This is where you can hide away from the world. It's a very good idea also when we develop our own garden to create a space where we can not only sit down as we have it right here but also a little nook where you can call your own space. And as you turn this way you are greeted by the joey palm. This is the joey magnifica. It originates from Malaya so just Singapore's neighbour and this is a palm that's really magnificent diamond shape and you can only do it in a garden where you can afford the space because it can grow much much bigger than this. We now look at our first entry. Designed by Alan Rudin from Ireland, the garden is centered around a contemporary pavilion nestled within a lush verdant planting scheme. This garden is a beautiful marriage between architectural structure and plants. The central terrace with the sitting area is just so inviting. Everyone seeing this garden just can't resist sitting down here for a bit. It makes a beautiful backdrop too for family portraits. This garden named the green pavilion won the silver award at the show. My designs are inspired from everything. From what I see, materials I see, colours. I like to pull all these parts together and store them in my in my mind and when the timing is right, I will pick what's needed to develop the design around these elements. Now if you look carefully, mirrors are used below the platform to create the illusion that the platform is floating above water. Then our eyes are drawn to the walls and the ceiling which are adorned with abundant plant life. I love the surprise feature which you can only see when you step into the space. There's a round opening at the top with plants draping down much like nature's chandelier. I'm not sure though how practical this is in a tropical climate when it can be so hot and it rains all the time. I think I still like this feature very much but probably won't place the sitting area just right below it where you are then exposed to the elements. Another very intriguing feature is this wall-mounted sunburst sculpture. It adds depth and mystery to the backdrop. I have to say at first I thought it was meant to be a giant eyeball which tracks your move but yeah that would be a little creepy. Next we take a look at the plants. The planting selection here is deliberately restrained featuring predominantly green foliage. There's generous use of ferns which I feel is a great fit. The ferns gentle lush and lazy fronds complements this minimalist polished concrete wall material very well. The ambience is further enriched by the sound of flowing water and finally the artful use of lighting plays a key role in creating atmosphere and depth transforming a compact space into a sanctuary for rest and contemplation. We come to the most dazzling garden in the show. This garden won best of show in the fantasy garden category along with best lighting and also bag a gold award. The designer is Leon from South Africa and here he tells the story of the garden. So this garden is called between two worlds okay and those two worlds are when you are almost just falling asleep going into your slumber and then just that moment when you start to wake up. It's that moment when you fall asleep where everything is a little bit blurry and fantasy comes to play. I was inspired by the mangroves that's around Singapore. It was so beautiful and I saw the sanctuary here where the crabs are well they felt safe so I thought how beautiful is it to create that feeling of Singaporean landscape but create it in a fantasy matter. I did that nest you can see the nest goes up and down. Yeah like something is breathing. It's like something is breathing but what is it? That's up to you. Yes it could be yourself. It could be a little creature living in there starting to go into slumber. The dream is starting now with the fireflies. Yeah. The pathway is lit up by these paper flowers that we created all the way to the nest and then also the mood of garden changes with my big paper lamps that's at the back. It's made out of banana paper. Wait where is the paper lamp? So these huge structures that you see there those are my lamps and they change in colour and that depicts the mood. Okay. So it becomes more dark or it becomes more happy and light and then after the slumber this is now in the middle of the dream he starts to wake up and it becomes daytime early morning but the wood that we did so everything is organic. Okay. So they were pruning some trees at Changi airport and I saw that I thought that's wonderful so we used the branches that's been pruned. So when you were just getting out of the airport and then. Not quite. We've been here a couple of days wondering what to use. Okay. And that was so beautiful because it's something that was discarded. Yeah. That we can reuse. Yeah. Into a creative way so we turned them upside down. Wow. It took a while. Yeah. To fit all the pieces together so it creates this fantasy mangrove look. So I hope I hope the public comes to the garden especially the kids too. Yeah. And just look at it and let their own imagination go and tell their own story. The music is there, the special effects is there, the movement and the sound and the plants is now up to the public to tell their own story. My biggest takeaway from the design of the garden the use of leading lines. Here Leon had used these branches to lead our eyes up to the nest. So likewise in your garden you could think about using like footpath perhaps or something else that leads your eye towards a feature plant or a sculpture that's in your garden. From the best fantasy garden we now head to the best landscape garden and even from a distance just from the outside you can see easily how this is truly stunning. The first thing that gripped my attention is simply this enormous rusty steel structure coupled with delicate plants flowing and dangling around it and clever lightings bring up the beautiful juxtaposition of this hard metal structure and the soft foliage. This is a garden but it would this would also in my eyes be one of the most beautiful like streetscape lightings. Ah yes. It's just a kind of intrigue and hopefully encourage minds to find and push the levels and boundaries of design to create some some unique individual things with that harmony between crease the construction of cities and homes that we also find a way to really incorporate in unique aspects the plantings and plants how they can interact. Note that the choice of plants here is deliberately graceful. There's the spanish moss which is actually an air plant and dysgydia which hangs down playfully. You almost can't tell them apart because they are the same color so it's a beautiful pairing. And you might be wondering what is this plant with the literate pretty flowers and fern-like leaves. Well this is the ponchiana regia or better known as flame of the forest and it's actually a tree. Here it has been severely trimmed down to mimic a bush. Now let's check out the rest of the garden. Stone slates invites you walk in and I feel instantly transported into a tropical wonderland that's peaceful and inviting. Plants have all sorts of textures, forms, envelopes you. Notice the planting in multiple layers starting with a moss covered floor to the dancing ferns some sprouting from the ground some perching on trees especially the bird nest ferns and we also have splatterings of palms around to inject more tropical vibes. A closer look reveals the clever use of materials. Mark Cook the designer of the garden points out this horizontal floating structure is actually custom-made lightweight cement that has vermiculite and cocopeat added making it the perfect pairing with plants. It mimics nature beautifully, it's porous, allows plants to root in and moss to grow over it. Mark had used it in his actual landscaping project and shares that it also ages beautifully. So another piece of the garden is through this cool little entrance here and it walks into a very calm serene space. It's got a gigantic frangipani which shows age and depth. This frangipani, okay I have to ask did you ask for a leafless frangipani tree? No we kind of chose one that was more leafless because we're looking for the structure. So that trunk and that structure you're looking for. Yeah so we wanted to express the age and the scale of the tree and kind of incorporate the concept of the structure of a garden that was built around a tree that had already been in place so that it wasn't a planted product it was something that that was in an environment that we were able to work the garden around is what the expression was. Okay and then to make the structure really stand out you gave it the space and the room. It's not like cluttered with other things. No it's a very and this is a very clean space for clarity. It's got on the as you enter in we did a vertical wall that's all moss covered that is an expression of the calm peaceful peace of the nature aspect so you can imagine coming in something or your morning for a tea or a coffee just to really be able to relax and it's a very individual private type of space it's not necessarily a community garden space in there. I can imagine this sort of space that's more a bit more on the minimalistic side could be more peaceful because I have a garden that's really cluttered and jungly and I can never relax when I sit down I see the amount of gardening work that needs to be done. Right yeah having lots of materials it can sometimes become overwhelming but it's kind of it's interesting to be able to take if you do find something that's a very full garden with lots of plantings and layers to then also have the ability to have an escape into like something that's much more calm yeah gives you that escape because yeah it's peaceful and then it's like it's really nice to be able to look backwards from the minimalist landscape concept into a more complex landscape as well. Yeah so sometimes not always more is more sometimes less is more. Yes. Next Marc shows me how this garden plays peekaboo. This is one of those pieces where the architecture of the garden and the structures they allow you to see in through as like a soft visualization and as that allows you to look across the garden and find those little places you're like well I want to go see something so it helps lead and guide the visitor through and around the garden. Peeking and then intriguing you to want to explore more. Correct and it's like this seems very this this side seems very closed it's very like wow what happened to everything it's it's it's closed off visually but you can see through the garden in an earlier moment and you want to continue your journey so as you continue your journey through the garden you can hear the sounds of the of the running water the softness and then the garden reveals and as you as you come along you get this beautiful serene minimalist with the moss wall with this light cascading dripping of the water down the face of the moss it's really you know I just had goosebumps like uh because with that that effect of the fog that's coming down and then this structure of this tree is just beautiful now that I can see it from this angle how the light falls in it right yeah that was a really big part of like this specific garden was to create those moments as you move through it it energizes you yeah and one of the other goals was that when you do one time around one lap that yeah it was so much fun that maybe you'd go for a second ride around it and it's again it's like as you journey through this garden it just it continues to open and reveal itself I think there's something to be said about looking through something through a frame versus if it's just totally exposed correct because now I feel like I'm looking at a piece of art because it's framed correct yeah and to see to see the landscape as art to see structures of trees not just as something that may be unappreciated it helps find appreciation and detail and the age of a tree helps you find a connection to the engaging aspect is really important for us we're working on creating taking a green wall and building it as a more organic aspect so this is the back side of where we were earlier inside the garden it was like it was like a little like nest very calm cool place and this instead of being a rigid structure that's just heavy yeah it creates this beautiful soft sensation here and this is this is the the back of the exhibit which is yeah still still very nice yeah it keeps you it keeps you engaged with the whole garden yeah I think that's the thing I love about your garden it's just not at one angle or the front that looks good but you can do it from all angles and it's beautiful so Pascal these show gardens are really fantastic but for the everyday gardener could you give us some tips what we should watch out for or some good tips when we do our own backyard oh this is the best this is a very important question the first things the first tips yeah you should love your garden if you don't like something modern avoid this kind of garden if you love like me this kind of gardens this is for you so you need the gardens have to be like your personality because sometimes people pay for garden designer to have a nice garden or they try to see something on the paper and they try to replicate on the on their own gardens this is the first thing the second things and this is one of my subject to have a use a garden useful with edible plants you can just pick some flower yes something from not just looking good but actually useful and this is and the third thing is not about the garden but about gardening in general okay you have to be passionate passionate welcome to a truly special place a garden that whispers peace and invites reflection this is a garden designed by the legendary kayuzuki ishihara congratulations for winning a man who has been called the green magician by her majesty queen elizabeth herself born in nagasaki japan ishihara's work is deeply shaped by his experiences as a second generation atomic bomb survivor his desire to create gardens is motivated by his mission to bring peace true nature so being born in nagasaki has undoubtedly shaped me he has said i felt that it was my mission to become a gardener and to create gardens of peace around the world details are important to ishihara he had studied ikebana the japanese art of floral arrangement and through the delicate and refined art form of ikebana ishihara had honed his keen sense of balance proportion and the intimate relationship between the plant and its surrounding he would later channel this sensitivity into his garden designs always striving to create spaces that reflect nature's subtle yet profound beauty his use of lighting here is a prime example of his careful attention to every detail in the real world as the sun sets the subtle glow from the pond creates a magical atmosphere and here he has replicated it with artful use of lights he has made the pond here the brightest spot shimmering with lights and gradually the surrounding area gets softly brighter from the surface of the water ishihara aims for the garden to give one the overall feeling of being in the forest he explains that this is a biophilic garden this is one way to express the feeling of being in the forest even though you're inside the house and you can hear the waters through the windows one of the striking features of the garden are these two frangipani trees they're branches draped with spanish moss the frangipani is a bold choice but it works here perfectly anchoring the garden with its structure and elegance notice also the cycate and the dracaena plants do strong forms creating a visual rhythm each one thoughtfully placed to complement the other here we see how ishihara had cleverly leveraged on local tropical plants here to create a japanese garden moss plays a central role in ishihara's design philosophy he says i'm just making this garden for the show here that was last week but looks like it has been here for decades centuries how by using a lot of moss moss gives the garden an established and ancient feel the tea room here it is an invitation to pause and drink in the beauty of the garden the space opens up to the pond drawing your attention to the water and rustling leaves it's a biophilic space designed to foster a deep connection between humans and nature ishihara's vision is clear through gardens like these he says i hope to create a society with more flowers more greenery and through that more smiling faces part of the world peace greenery and smiling hi we are at one of the fantasy garden here done by jules moore of new zealand and she has won a gold award for it her concept of the garden is called portals to paradise stepping in i do feel like i'm transported to another realm nestled within a stunning white cave structure this unique design features holes inviting curious peeps from the outside and creating a sense of wonder as we enter we're enveloped in an enchanting glow thanks to the purple blue and pink lighting creating a surreal ambience throughout the space it's like stepping into a dream well i want to create something special and unique for the festival this year it's almost like i've reached out to the next level of an avatar experience when you walk through my garden you'll feel something so it's a sensory kind of feeling and emotion that you'll take with you and at the heart of this garden is a cosmic portal here and it is made of recycled wood so this is a sustainably made but what is awesome about it it just looks really surreal out of space like a portal that will transport you to another world and if you see at different angle you could appreciate it in different ways and most of all this multi-color light that's going on it's just really spectacular one thing to note here also is as you lift your eyes up there is a lot of plantings also above our heads giving that additional feel of being enclosed in space being hugged by nature in a cozy little cave now let's talk about the plant choices here cascading down from above are beautiful ferns spanish moss and huperzias all creating a whimsical rapunzel rapunzel let down your hair vibe and then we have this cascading beautiful water sound complementing the sound of frogs and birds and there's a lot of free food and ferns going on so making it feel really like a natural space even in this small oasis the well-defined footpath guides our journey through the space you can easily create one with pebbles which i prefer much nicer when going on barefoot on it or as seen here aggregates this is a much more budget friendly alternative in any case a clear path is crucial it invites exploration and connection with the garden and don't forget about the sound the gentle trickle of water from a small feature enhances the atmosphere making this garden feel alive and serene water not only draws the eye but also soothes the spirit so this is Seth he is the other judge so when you're judging a garden what would be the key things that you're looking for what makes it the winner oh i love this question so each of the gardens are judged by criteria right so there's literally a sheet and there's several different sections things like creative use of plant material the design brief the presentation the finish how well was the garden built a number of these different categories and there's little sub subgroups within these categories and you're going through with the other judges and you're assigning point values you're really looking at everything with a fine tooth comb you might check the finish you might check the plant material you're looking to see the quality of the plants you know points and half a point matter i think this year was one of the closest closest collection of scores ever right so let's say you have a light that's a little bit too high and the guest has to look and see and they see truss and other built aspects of the ceiling okay that might get a point deducted and that could be the difference between a gold silver or a bronze so you know it's really about plant quality execution quality of build and then kind of overall expression of your concept so Seth many of us are gonna be putting up show gardens so for the everyday gardener what would be your some of your tips when we're trying to figure out what to do with the backyard i love this question i think there's a few different things okay i think don't be afraid of simplicity right i don't think you have to do it all at once right away i think a lot of initial designers are really enthusiastic yeah maybe you'll buy everything all at once and try to really sort of do it in one weekend yeah that's fun but i think take a little bit of time let the space tell you what it wants to do maybe it's not as sunny or maybe it's too sunny for what you want to do and without taking a little bit of time and just kind of letting the space sit you might not know that okay i think also you know kind of going back to simplicity yeah you know i think a lot of amateur gardeners or diy gardeners you know there's oftentimes too many single instances of a plant right repetition in a garden is really really important and i think less is more so you know when you're when you're buying plants or you're putting something together i don't think it's um one of this one of that one of that one of that right i think it's better to think of these strong bold statements yeah because as your garden ages as these things grow it's just going to look that much more cohesive right yeah i think less is more don't be afraid of simplicity at the beginning okay and take a little bit of time to just understand how you actually use the space versus how you think you'll use the space oh okay okay i was kind of sniggling when you say simplicity and not one instances of each flood because as a flood collector and a hoarder that's what i tend to have i will say plant collectors can violate that rule but that tends to be not diyers so i think a plant collector like let's kind of give yourself permission to have one two one one one however if you're just doing a backyard space i think the onesies really sort of break up yeah break up a planting palette so if you're a if you're a if you're a collector yeah feel free to flout that okay good but if you're uh just putting together your space i think uh simplicity and less is more yeah and you're right about um the envision initial plan for it versus the actual because i did think that i would sit in my backyard to appreciate the garden you find out you're like i'm never back here right it's too hot or it's too shady or too wet yeah or whenever i sit there i see the amount of gardening work that needs to be done it kind of stressed me out it's good yeah i think also you know the tendency to do a lot right yeah gardens are living gardens are not static so the more you put in at the beginning yeah the more work it is yes and if these things are growing the maintenance might be overwhelming so if you just start with a couple of pieces and just sort of work your way up it's a little bit easier than two weekends later and this thing needs so much weeding and trimming so i would say again back to simplicity okay and not maybe not the big bang approach but the eventual and gradual building i think for diy gardeners that's probably the best path to success yeah before because we might end up killing a lot at the beginning or you know three weeks later when you realize the absolute maintenance monster you've created yeah unless you're really prepared for it you can look and think oh my god what have i done what have i done yeah what have i done here good thank you very much thank you very much and now i want to quickly introduce this is inch limb and the actual person is here so inch limb is an award-winning garden designer landscaping and from my home country malaysia and then i'll grab this mic for you and then wait a minute let would you mind to take this as well hi inch yes harry fancy seeing you here yes i've been promoting so inch i know you have won multiple awards also in garden shows i'd like to hear from you what would be your tip for the everyday gardener yeah i i think that i heard your little conversation which says i think it's absolutely right you know don't try to do everything in one you plan your garden okay so everything is in its place you plan the hardscape you plan the paths and ponds or whatever you do yeah the walls you know how you're going to go from one space to another and then you take time with your softscape that's that's my advice because then you have the structure you've got the bone garden is all about human intervention in nature so what you want is a little bit of both you want the human intervention but you also want the nature okay you do the all the uh you the formal side then you do the informal side okay so the hardscapes like the skeleton then you follow the meat later exactly the meat okay great thank you so much thank you and uh inch's book i don't know where can people buy this from me i'll leave his contact number here so you can contact me from my office actually okay all right all right thank you thank you next we come to the most photographed and fun fantasy garden named nature's dance work of erin yup and glaserio galak jr from singapore as it was socially unacceptable to shoot everyone out of my filming i came extra early the next day to get this beautiful footage dress the garden so you can appreciate it better and also to get the much desired photos of me looking enchanted and enchanting in this dreamy garden i feel this to be the most inviting garden enticing you with its spectacular lights movement and ushering you into its belly as you walk in you are greeted by a curtain of mysterious little blue lights intertwined with spanish moss at the center stage as a chandelier spinning like a disco ball and i thought this would be such an awesome space for clubbing actually giving avatar vibes here every plant and every leaf sways in rhythm to the music of the earth so there's a lot going on giving us that immersive experience now let's take a closer look at some details and how some ideas can be applicable in our own space first is the extensive use of lianas that seems to construct the arch gazebo lianas are these woody vines and in nature that are rooted in the ground and climb up trees to reach the top of canopies lianas are also those rope thingies that you see tarzan in movies used to swing from trees to trees they're wonderfully twisty and if you have an outdoor garden big enough having lianas will certainly give your jungle garden a real enchanting vibe choice of plants i feel is really varied with larger plants like alacasia fern trees aroids palms on the outer rim almost enveloping and protecting what's in the middle planting inside is very much varied including orchids ferns bromeliads begonias i find the last two a little bit of a strange mix because in nature they live in different habitats bromeliads love trees mountains and can actually thrive in the desert but begonias love high humidity in general often found in the forest floors of rainforests or hanging on cliffs near some water sources okay so there are no hard rules in garden design but first do they look good together second i find that it makes more sense to group together plants which have the same needs so it'll be easier to care for them and also better for their long-term well-being because as we've seen here the needs of a bromeliad is quite different from the begonia and to find a spot that they can both thrive in could be a bit of a compromise i also don't think they're harmonized that well aesthetically this garden was awarded bronze this is a gold award landscape garden by ellium and andy ang from nifu flower garden a landscape architecture company that's been around in seattle for more than a hundred years i find this to be a pretty modern and clean garden evoking a sense of serenity as we enter the garden we're greeted by a striking modern sculpture two figures facing each other perhaps it symbolizes the love and connection that the garden owners have with the space setting a now let's take a look at the design elements notice the flooring and the pavilion crafter from warm pine colored materials this color choice not only complements the tree trunks but also creates a seamless blend between the structures and its natural environment when selecting materials for your garden aim for those that echo nature as this fosters a sense of unity and peace the pavilion itself is large but not overwhelming it demonstrates a key design principle scale it provides shelter without dominating the landscape allowing the garden's natural beauty to shine through as we stroll further we see a thoughtfully curated planting scheme there is no single standout feature plant here instead the plants work together to create an ambience of tranquility this is a perfect example of how subtlety can be powerful in a garden design in the center a majestic tree adorned with platyceriums catches our eye these staghorn ferns add a unique touch showcasing the importance of incorporating vertical elements into your designs and at its base a large bitterness fern sits proudly notice how the designer left ample space around it allowing its distinctive form to take center stage this is a crucial tip always consider the space your plant needs to really express their full beauty now let's appreciate this organic looking seat it may be man-made but it perfectly mimics the natural stones around it this is a wonderful reminder that garden furniture can enhance the overall experience of the space finally as we turn around we discover a secluded area with a bench inviting us to sit and absorb the serenity of the garden this thoughtful placement encourages moments of reflection and connection with nature so there you have it a modern garden that beautifully combines structure and tranquility i hope you've enjoyed this episode please share and subscribe to this channel leaving around so that you'll be notified for more garden inspirations it'll also motivate me to make more videos happy gardening