When it comes to gingers, most of us would think of edible gingers such as the ginger used in cooking and the greater galangal (also known as lengkuas). What we use in the kitchen, and sometimes in medicine, are actually the aromatic underground stems of these plants.

With more than 100 species of herbal plants growing in the sunny plot looked after by the Tampines Starlight Harmony Gardeners, it is no wonder people from other districts have been visiting the garden. Starlight Harmony Garden at Tampines Street 72 boasts more than 50 genera of Malay herbs.

Cacti are often considered easy plants to grow. So, why don't they always grow well?

Most gardeners would toss out pruning residues from their garden or add them to the compost heap. However, pseudostems (false stems formed of rolled leaf bases that surround the growing point) from spiral gingers and heliconias cut from existing clumps in the garden, or leftover stalks after the flowering stalks had been cut to the desired length can be given a second lease of life.

Popular tropical cut-flowers use a lot of inflorescences produced by plants belonging to the Zingiberales order. The Zingiberales order consists of plants from eight families. Six families are known for their flamboyant inflorescences and they include Zingiberaceae (true gingers), Costaceae (spiral gingers), Heliconiaceae (heliconias), Musaceae (bananas), Marantaceae (prayer plants), Strelitziaceae (bird-of-paradise).