'They're all gone now': Man's overgrown garden in Jurong HDB flat trimmed by town council

Singapore has a reputation for being a garden city, but perhaps this isn't quite what the city planners envisioned. 

One particular HDB flat in Jurong West has been an attention-grabbing sight for years, due to the massively overgrown and unruly plants growing out of the unit's windows. 

The owner of the ninth-floor unit, surnamed Jiang, told Shin Min Daily News that he moved into this unit some 30 years ago. This 72-year-old started his plant collection then which slowly evolved into a mini 'forest' over the years. 

As a testament of his dedication towards his garden, the retiree said that he created a self-watering system for his plants, and even had the windows of his balcony removed so they would get more sunlight. 

Unfortunately, his overgrown 'forest' incurred the displeasure of some of his neighbours. 

A 61-year-old housewife, surnamed Chen, told Shin Min: "If he likes gardening, he should do it in his own home. The overgrown plants could also be dangerous if they fall on passers-by."

With such an unruly garden, it was really only a matter of time before the authorities stepped in. 

A man surnamed Su, told Shin Min Daily News on Tuesday (Nov 1) that he spotted some workers on steel cables trimming the overgrown plants of this unit at about 11am that day.

They apparently only got the job completed after some six hours. 

"I was sitting at the coffeeshop opposite the block, and the authorities first cordoned off the area to prevent residents from entering. Two workers were dangling in mid-air as they cut the plants," said the 64-year-old. 

"Because they were pruning the plants manually, it took a very long time. They only finished clearing the plants at about 5pm, and the entire dustbin was filled with leaves and branches." 

A reporter from Shin Min who visited the site after the pruning was done noticed that the exterior walls of the unit were stained, and that some of the paint had peeled off. 

Responding to Shin Min's queries, the Jurong-Clementi Town Council said they were aware of Jiang's garden, and have urged him to remove the overgrown plants. 

As Jiang did not respond to them, the town council said it had no choice but to deploy workers to trim the overgrown plants from outside. 

Jiang later admitted to the reporter that he was heartbroken when the authorities turned up to prune his beloved plants, but he didn't object as he did not want to start a conflict. 

"The plants grew uniformly, and there used to be birds that came to build their nests and lay eggs," said Jiang. "But they're all gone now." 

He revealed that this isn't the first time that his plants were forcibly pruned. They were last trimmed by the authorities two to three years ago, he said.

"I believe someone must have complained," remarked the elderly man. 

Disappointed as he may be, Jiang said: "At least the plants still have their roots, so they'll grow in a week or two. If [the authorities] want to trim them again, then so be it. But they can't enter my home." 

Overgrown 'jungle' in Tampines flat 

Back in September, a Tampines resident, Francis, also took issue with his neighbour's "overgrown jungle". 

Francis told Stomp that his neighbour had a cluster of plants along the second-floor corridor of Block 366 Tampines Street 34.

Describing the situation, Francis said that the plants occupied "almost an entire stretch of the common corridor and balcony", and have attracted ants and flies. 

He added that other residents have written to their MP about the issue, but nothing has been done so far. 

"It’s both an eyesore and an issue of clutter," he complained. 

ALSO READ: Green corridor: Neighbour says Pasir Ris flat owner causing fire hazard with her potted plants

claudiatan@asiaone.com