But when they came to see the impact the garden was having on the community, things began to change.
“Most of the time, if we sit in the office, we don’t know what’s happening but when (the officer) came down to hear from the ground – from my neighbours, our visitors – (they saw) what a difference it is making.”
Eventually, Ganesh managed to work with them to keep his growing garden – a prime example of biodiversity in action with the butterflies, bees and other little creatures quickly forming a rich ecosystem.
Today the Woodlands Botanical Garden is a nine-storey 4,000 sq m sanctuary, home to more than 350 plant species and nearly 80 types of butterflies. But beyond its biodiversity, it has also become a place where people come together, connect and find healing.
Among the most heartwarming changes he’s witnessed is how seniors, long isolated in their homes, have found a new gathering spot there. “Marsling is a senior estate, and they needed a reason to get out of the house,” Ganesh explained.
The garden now provides a form of therapy, not just for residents in need of respite from the stresses of modern life but also for ex-offenders and even police officers in training who take part in gardening.
“The beauty of our garden is that these officers and ex-convicts are working in the same space, side by side, talking to each other. You don’t see that anywhere else,” he said.
Still, it’s the deeply personal stories that stay with him the most. He remembers a man’s face wet with tears, thanking him. “He told me that before his mum passed on, she was in the wheelchair and the only thing she asked every day was to come and sit by the garden,” Ganesh recounted.
“At that point, I don’t even think he knew the history of the garden (and how) it was very special to me.”
