Look inside the book
Housed within environmentally friendly kraft paper covers, A Gardener’s Log is a testament to a life spent with the earth. A two-time winner of Singapore’s Best Home Garden Awards with his “wifey”, Thien sensitively recaptures a natural heritage that is fast disappearing.
From rediscovering the climbing lily from his grandfather’s garden to watching Australian parakeets and white parrots dropping by, Thien celebrates flora and fauna in all its tropical glory, dispensing handy gardening tips along the way. Journey with him as he discovers a protected species of tree—the tembusu—in his backyard, embarks on planting a vertical garden and marks the passage of time through the flowering Bougainvillea, Datura and tiger orchid. Styled as a “how-to enjoy your garden” book, Thien’s collection of essays, accompanied by his photographs, is best enjoyed by green thumbs and armchair gardeners alike.
“His descriptions of plants and flowers are much like those of a man who tells a friend who his children are and what each child is like in personality, behaviour and temperament. It is almost like an intimate tete-a-tete with the reader.
—www.asiaone.com
“I hope Thien’s book will inspire many more people with green fingers to share their observations about the universe of plants. Thien’s book has shown that in gardening, there is so much to discover, so many moments to cherish and share.”
—Ng Lang, CEO of Singapore Botanic Gardens
“Charming essays, delicately penned, on creating a tropical garden in urban Singapore.”
—Dr Henry Oakley, Chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society Orchid Committee and President of the Orchid Society of Great Britain
“These essays provide a colourful quilt of impressions that traces the changes in the garden and plantscape of Singapore and beyond. Thien reminisces about the bygone times of his grandfather and takes us on intimate floral journeys through his garden.”
—Dr Chin See Chung, Director, Singapore Botanic Gardens
“Leafing through his paradise in words, you can almost hear the snaps of twigs underfoot, the crunch of his harvested sour-sweet belimbing and the occasional crackle of leaves after an uncharacteristically dry season.”
—The Straits Times
When he’s not gardening or thinking of the next exotic plant to add to his collection, Thien is Ronnie Lim, the Energy Editor of The Business Times, a leading financial daily published by Singapore Press Holdings.
