Gardens of France 22.4.2006

Albert Kahn garden. The Jardin Albert Kahn was created by Albert Kahn – an important banker. After the collapse of his bank in 1932 due to the Wall Street crash his property was seized along with his photography collection.

His photography collection is an incredible collection of early colour photographs that he commissioned, sending photographers out throughout the world.

His garden is in the Boulogne-Billancourt commune of the Western Suburbs of Paris. He bought the property in 1893 and began the garden which covers 4 hectares and includes a range of styles including an ‘English garden’, a ‘French-style garden’, and perhaps most famously a ‘Japanese garden’.

The Japanese garden includes a ‘Japanese village’ created from buildings dismantled and reassembled after a visit to Japan.

Parc de la Vallée aux Loups. Collection of around 2,500 plants in themed areas, including a fruit garden & an English garden.

Singapore Botanic Gardens 7.8.2015

Four nostalgic yard and garden scenes from Finland 8.9.2014

This year, the traditional fall stamps will depict nostalgic Finnish yards and gardens. The stamps are the work of Urpo Martikainen, who many know as an anchorman and whose watercolors are the basis of the stamps. The handy self-adhesive booklet called Autumnal yards and gardens, only the size of a credit card, contains four 1st class stamps.

Urpo Martikainen painted ten drafts, of which two scenes from Mikkeli, one from Helsinki and one from Kristiinankaupunki were selected for the booklet. Martikainen took into account the small size of the stamps by eliminating small details from the paintings and by sharpening the colors.

Urpo Martikainen has painted watercolors since the 1960s. When he retired in May 2010 from his 28-year-long post as an anchorman, there was suddenly more time left for painting. He has had various exhibitions and organized watercolor courses in Finland and Italy, among other places.

On the cover of the stamp booklet, Martikainen painted a small tractor, a traditional milk platform and mailboxes. "The image contains all the distinctive characteristics of countryside life in the 1950s. Many have nostalgic memories about fetching the mail in the countryside."

Thank you Ella for this FDC with the lovely stamps.

Singapore 13.7.2013 - City in a Garden

13 July 2013, Singapore - At the opening of the Festival of Biodiversity at VivoCity President Tony Tan Keng Yam launched a new book showcasing Singapore's development into a City in a Garden, and a special set of biodegradable stamps affixed with seeds to commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore. A new National Parks Board's (NParks) initiative, Greening Schools for Biodiversity, was also launched. This initiative enables schools to assess and enrich the biodiversity in their school compounds. The Festival of Biodiversity, organised jointly by NParks and the Biodiversity Roundtable, is an annual celebration of the community's efforts to conserve Singapore's natural heritage.

President Tony Tan said, "Singapore has come far in balancing biodiversity conservation and urban development. The garden environment and green spaces contribute to an enjoyable and livable environment in which Singaporeans can live, work and play. These are the results of deliberate and sustained efforts that began 50 years ago. I am heartened to see that many Singaporeans are taking ownership of our City in a Garden vision, and helping to conserve Singapore's natural heritage for the benefit of future generations."

For the first time, Singapore Post Limited has released a special set of four biodegradable Commemorative Stamps with seeds. Titled Our City in a Garden, the beautifully illustrated stamps comprising 1st local, S$0.50, S$0.80 and S$1.10, portray Singapore's vibrant urban landscape nestled within a thriving garden.

The 1st local stamp is affixed with the seeds of the Portulaca grandiflora (commonly known as moss-rose) for planting. A small-sized herbaceous creeper, the Portulaca grandiflora is a common sight in Singapore.

120thAnniversary of the Singapore Botanic Gardens 15.12.1979

It is the 153rd Anniversary of The Singapore Botanic Gardens which are a dynamic and living monument to the foresight of the founding fathers of Singapore. Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore and a keen naturalist, established the first botanical and experimental garden on Government Hill (Fort Canning Hill) in 1822, shortly after his arrival in Singapore. He aimed to introduce cultivation of economic crops such as cocoa and nutmeg. However, without a full-time salaried director and sufficient funding, the garden languished and was closed in 1829, after Raffles' death.

The Gardens at its present site was founded in 1859 by an Agri-Horticultural Society. Planned as a leisure garden and ornamental park, the Society organised flower shows and horticultural fetes. In 1874, the Society handed over management and maintenance of the site to the government. The scientific mission of the Gardens evolved when the colonial government assumed management and deployed Kew-trained botanists and horticulturists to administer the Gardens. I had the pleasure of spending many pleasant hours at these wonderful botanical gardens in 2011 and early this year too.

The three lovely stamps on the first day cover were issued by Singapore on 15.12.1979 in order to Commemorate the 120^thAnniversary of the Botanic Gardens.

Garden Plants and Greenhouses 16.4.1982

The stamp was issued to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Aura Trädgårdsvänner i Åbo (the society of "gardening friends" in Turku) on 16th April 1982. Thank you Pia for this lovely cover.
Many vegetables, berries, and fruits would grow better in Finland if the climate was warmer. Climate change may improve the conditions for horticulture in Finland. Nevertheless there is need to prepare for the changes by adapting the current and more southern plant species to suit the future climate, by developing new varieties, and by adopting new means of controlling pests that may be introduced as a result of climate change.
Many root and non-root vegetables, berries, and fruits are also grown outdoors and in greenhouses, albeit that annual crops are limited to tens of millions of kilograms. Of these horticultural products, the most common outdoor-grown vegetable is carrot, followed by onions, white cabbage, swede, and beetroot. Strawberries make up the largest outdoor berry crop, and strawberries are also the only berries produced on the same scale as the most common vegetables. Other berries that are grown in relatively large quantities are currants and raspberries. The only fruit trees to produce substantial harvests in Finland are apple trees. The most commonly cultivated greenhouse plants are tomato and cucumber. In addition to edible plants, greenhouses are also used to grow flowers, such as tulips, roses, and poinsettias.

Gardens by the Bay 29.6.2012

Singapore post issued a set of postage stamps featuring Gardens by the Bay, alongwith a beautiful cover. These were issued on 29^th June, 2012. Gardens by the Bay consists of three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. Spanning 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city. First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay is intended to become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

An international competition for the design of the master plan, held in January 2006, attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively. The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South was completed and opened to the public on 29 June 2012.Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is opened to the public since November 2011, allowing an alternate access to the Marina Barrage. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.

With a unique collection of plants and trees from every continent except  Antarctica, Gardens by the Bay in Bay South, Singapore  takes its visitors into the realm of nature and all its bounty. Boasting two large conservatories, several outdoor gardens, a lake, a skyway and great views of the entire bay area, exploring nature within a city has just gotten all that more interesting.

I was lucky to see it all happening in January 2012, from a vantage point, namely from the top of the Singapore Flyer.