The garden at Jalan Damai has come a long way since its origins of weedy patches amid muddy stepping stones. The weeds have given way to a colourful collection of ornamentals, flourishing in plots bounded neatly by earth bricks. The garden is now adorned with orchids, ornamental bananas, a variety of Coleus species, and a myriad of other botanical eye-candy. These are grown alongside herbs and other edibles such as ‘Ulam Raja’ (wild Cosmos), chives and tapioca.

Led by Ms Maggie Sim and Ms Jennifer Goh, the garden now sees about 30 community gardeners actively taking part in its growth and upkeep, and its membership is set to grow even bigger. Its revamp, say residents, was the result of careful planning and ‘gotong royong’ – Malay for ‘community self-help’. This group of neighbours has been toiling together for weeks, driven by sheer hard work and community spirit to bring the garden to its present state of vibrancy and new life.

In this garden, necessity is indeed the mother of invention. The community gardeners were clearly inspired by recycled materials when redecorating and reviving the garden. The garden features paths made out of discarded drain covers and an entrance archway crafted from abandoned crates. Incredibly enough, the gardeners even constructed wooden doors from a discarded baby-cot.

The efforts of the Jalan Damai gardeners, along with some 320 other community gardening groups throughout Singapore, have brought many benefits. "This used to be an empty piece of land, but now, with everyone's effort, we have made it into a beautiful garden. I'm happy that the residents were able to work together to make our neighbourhood a greener and better place," said Ms Maggie Sim, the community garden's leader. Indeed, these gardens are living proof that the kampong spirit of yesteryear is being kept alive and well.