1. Horticulturist Project Report
LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT IN AN INTEGRATED RESORT
RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA SINGAPORE
Salleh Nordin
Nature Landscapes Private Limited
2010 – 2015
Report Purpose:
Caring for plants in an urban landscape through Horticultural Management.
Acknowledgements:
First and foremost, my deepest gratitude to Mr. Tan Kok Yeang, Director of the Environment
Services Management Team at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, for his full support during
my assignment from October 2010 – June 2014. With his guidance and encouragement, I
have acquired skills necessary in supervising and maintaining plants set in an urban
landscape. My experience proved fruitful as we were awarded the LIAS Gold Award in
Maintenance for Resorts World Sentosa (Central Zone & Green Roof) in 2013. In 2015, we
were blessed with another LIAS Gold Award for Resorts World Sentosa (West Zone) which I
was given the opportunity to spearhead.
A whole new world opened up for me when Mr. Michael Teh, Managing Director of Nature
Landscapes, appointed me with bigger and meaningful role in landscape practice. I was
tasked to mitigate plant issues for the Defect Liability Period team and in Maintenance
Servicing Department, oversee all aspects of landscapes including green roofs, turf and
weed management located at VivoCity. Years of relentless support, dedication and training
has given me greater depth and understanding in horticultural practices.
A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Ben Tan and Mr. Alson Tan, Managing Directors at Prince’s
Landscape and Construction Pte. Ltd. This report would not have been possible if not for the
opportunity given to me in 2009. It is at Prince's that I took my baby steps in landscaping,
propagation, transplanting, selecting of planting media and fertilising. And in July 2015,
passion has brought me back to Prince's Landscape and Construction Pte. Ltd.
Special thanks to all the professional horticulturists, arborists and trainers at the Centre for
Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board, including trainers and facilitators from
Australia for the andragogy journey in landscape practices.
To Ms Jacqueline Allan and Ms Vicky Artlett, thank you for believing in me and presenting
me with that golden opportunity of venturing out on my journey into a greener world of
landscaping.
Mohd Salleh Bin Mohd Nordin
ISA Certified Arborist / SG-0669A

2. Introduction
RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA INTEGRATING LANDSCAPES WITH BUILT
STRUCTURES
• Resorts World Sentosa had developed the largest landscaped areas on built structures in
Singapore
• The landscapes were established in multi-layers at various levels with concrete planters,
green roofs, and green walls
• 90% landscapes are on concrete built structures
Resorts World Sentosa total area is 49 hectares, total softscape areas is 53,330 square
metres, total of 31 green roofs in 24,090 square metres. Total of plant species - 250 types in
groundcover, shrubs, palms, and trees.
RWS landscapes
How Resorts World Sentosa maintains its landscapes:
1. Divided into 7 maintenance zones by 6 landscape service providers
2. 2/3 of the areas managed by Nature Landscapes Pte. Ltd. including
3. The 31 green roofs managed by Nature Landscapes Pte Ltd.
4. Central and West Zones managed by Nature Landscapes Pte. Ltd.
5. All landscaped areas irrigated by an automated irrigation network with rain sensors
6. Attraction areas are maintained at night so as not to compromise on guest
experience.
What are the issues and challenges encountered?
1.Service providers
2.Planters with poor drainage / soil settlement
3.Ingress of roots into drainage outlets
4.Transplanting trees to make way for building construction
5.Roof dripping issues
6.Termite infestation
7.Plants damaged by guests causes dieback and soil compaction
8.Trees damaging underground services, e.g. water pipes

3. 9.Limited maintenance access eg. damaged by cleaners / rainwater from roof
10. Restrictions on the use of pesticides / fungicides
11. Inferior piping material for portable water and irrigation
12. Time restriction for mitigating plant dieback and maintenance at common area
13. No safety anchorage for work at height
14. Prolong loading of festive décor in planters some may weigh in tons
15. Dieback of shrubs and ground covers due to overhead shade
16. Illegal dumping in the forest choked the drains
17. Cobra, hornets, and poisonous creatures
Here are some of the issues:
1. Service providers making rectification such as electrician installing lightings, signages or new
services needed for bollards
2. Planters with poor drainage / soil settlement due to heavy water collection from roofs and soil
settlement due to compaction of growing media and human traffic
3. Ingress of roots into drainage outlets such as blockage of drains, clog filters and soil compaction

4. 4. Transplanting trees to make way for pedestrian shelter and concrete bridges
5. Roof dripping issues can be damaging to plants when severe waterlogging caused
by heavy rainfall
6. Termite infestation to Livistonia chinensis and other plant species
7. Trampling – causing dieback & soil compaction

5. 8. Trees damaging underground services lines and pipes
9. Limited maintenance access damaging plants by window cleaner / rainwater dripping from roof
(replacement done with hardscapeing such as laying red volcanic rock for maintenance path and
cushioning dripline.
10. Restrictions on the use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides
11. Irrigation pipe damaged

6. 12. Time restriction for mitigating plant dieback and maintenance at common area
13. Safe Work Procedure needed for working at height
14. Heavy loading of festive decoration materials during festive season to planters, some may weigh
in tons at World Square and the Spanish Steps
15. Dieback of shrubs due to low light and dieback of tree species due to incompatible environment

7. 16. Illegal dumping by building construction contractors in West Zone forest – choking the drainage
system causing other damages
17. Landscape maintenance challenges - poisonous creatures such as snakes, wasps and
hornets when doing maintenance in thich undergrowth or forested area
Resorts World Sentosa is geographically located at latitude (1.2574 degrees)
1º 15’ 26” north of the Equator, and longitude (103.8208 degrees) 103º 49’ 14” east
of the Prime Meridian on the Map of Singapore.
Note: All information on Singapore geographical location taken from Wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore for educational purposes)

8. Sentosa Island illustrated map taken from Travel ViVi.com for educational purposes
Resorts World Sentosa is a mere 10 minutes drive from Singapore’s Business
District, and is easily accessible via reliable, convenient and extremely affordable
modes of public transportation.
What was the main issue at World Square?
Most of the plants were in bad shape, anaerobic soils, ameliorated, fertigated and
irrigation system being mitigated accordingly but most of the plants remain sick and
others from dieback?
Cyrtostachys renda & Cratoxylum cochinchinense dieback
Canna hybrids & Tabernaemontana divaricata dieback due to contaminated and compaction of soil

9. Soil at field capacity & formation of clumps to sandy clay loam soil due to bad watering methods and
other maintenance issues
Common issue to Ficus lyrata with mildew and mealybug under shaded and high humidity area
Musa spp leaf with spotted & dried edges
Dieback of Plumbago auriculata & Dieback of Tabernaemontana spp
Dieback of Canna & Nephrolepis / Dieback of Neomarica longifolia

10. Heavy metal container in planter & Festive icon placed on planter soil
Festive icon in steps planter & Dieback of Cyathea latebrosa
AFTER A SIX-MONTH MITIGATION
Soil had been ameliorated, diseased stricken plants removed and replaced soil and
plants based on suitability of sites and maintenance regime.
Plumbago auriculata at Spanish Steps and Lantana camara at Waterfront
Keeping a natural growth practices at RWS and introducing colourful plants such as
Bougainvillea spp

11. Healthy Russelia equiseltiformis and Orthosiphon aristatus ‘Purple’ with Integrated Pest Management
and Organic Nutrients practices at RWS
Giant plants like Alocasia macrorrhizos and Scaevola taccada is the best species for wet and coastal
area, good maintenance practices needed for their adventurous growth
Here’s how we started the landscape rejuvenation:
Survey on existing soil: The structure of topsoil and subsoil must be carefully
located and planned according to plant species. Drainage tests are done before
planting. Plants are monitored according to schedule.

12. Main cause of plant-dieback was due to sodic soil or over ameliorated with lime or
sulphur leading to inconsistency in pH level. Proper mitigation done by rectifying
what can be saved and what needs to be replaced.
Lighting meter checked on each planter on trees and shrubs hourly, 3 days a week
over a period 3 months. This will be done before and after replanting work.
Removal of clumpy clayee soil.

13. Specially mixed subsoil and topsoil to replace the damaged soil.
Topsoil mixed with high organic nutrients compost.
Utilising the lighting meter, shade-loving-plants are selected according to lighting.

14. Alpinias and Garcianas spp
Heliconias and Tabernaemontana spp
All shade plants and out-door looking great after 3 months …

15. … every inch of the planters and plants being carefully taken care – no easy ‘short-
cuts’, no chemical practices unless needed and strictly controlled.
You must know each plant like you know your loved ones.
Prepared by: Salleh Nordin – the ‘plant-care’ gardener
Saturday, May 14, 2016