Welcome back to my friend’s Garden Tour.

In Part 1, I mentioned that the inner garden boasts a stunning waterfall and a koi pond over which semi-shade vandas are strategically hung. I would like to share a few tips about hanging orchids or plants over a fish pond:

• Do not fertilise or treat with chemicals (insecticide/fungicide/mitecide) while orchids or plants are hanging over the pond as the chemicals will kill the fishes.

• Do relocate orchids or plants to a designated area far away from pond.

• Do follow instructions regarding the proportions to be diluted in water.

• Do wear the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) — for eye protection, fitted goggles; hand protection chemical/nitrile gloves; for respiratory protection a respirator with appropriate cartridge)

• Do not use a dust or surgical mask when applying chemicals.

• Do wait at least one week after fertilising/treating orchids or plants and remember to water them as usual to flush excess chemical before returning them over the pond.

• Do rotate the orchids or plants if you have enough.

As you are aware, succulents are trending because they are low-maintenance plants, have a long lifespan and do not like a lot of water. Succulents store water in their leaves and therefore can stand long in the sun. Even though they are drought-resistant plants and are easy to maintain, they still have preferences. There are indoor and outdoor; those that take a little more water than the others and less sun. Have you been gifted with a succulent arrangement and some thrive while the others struggle? Then you ask yourself “what did I do wrong?” or conclude that you don’t have a green thumb. There goes your answer! The succulents in the arrangement were not compatible! Some people do succulent arrangements merely on aesthetics (how beautiful they look) and not based on compatibility of the succulents.

If you live in an area which gets a lot of rain, you should build or improvise a covering for your succulents. Be creative when planting your succulents! Just make sure the container has good drainage.

In designing my friend’s succulent garden, I used a terracotta finished fountain (which complements the bronze water feature nearby) to plant most of her succulents and maximise her small space, displaying her favourite succulents in decorative Mexican pottery and resin planters throughout the succulent garden. Her collection of succulents includes a variety of sedums, echeverias, aloes, agave, jade, cotyledons, kalanchoes, hens and chicks, just to name a few. Her succulent garden also has a dry stream bed and a large piece of driftwood showcasing a variety of bromeliads.

At my friend’s poolside, her growing collection of sun vandas are strategically placed on either side of a large terracotta planter from which a false agave radiates in all its glory. The sun vandas get the east-facing sunlight in the morning. The sun vandas are also flanked by two spindle palms in cobalt blue ceramic planters that leave a silhouette on the pool at night. There is also a large red bench that beckons you to sit and enjoy the sun vandas nearby during cocktails.

I hope you enjoyed my friend’s garden tour.

Remember, get started. Just plant something and watch it grow!