"behind the success of the Mandai Orchid Garden... Amy Ede, 84... suffered a stroke 21/2 weeks ago and died in hospital...
Her adoptive father, the late... John Laycock, started the Mandai garden in 1951 and she helped in the early efforts to grow and export orchids in the 1950s. After he died in 1960, she and her husband... John Ede, took over the business and became known for their books and love of orchids and gardening. 'She was one of the pioneers to put Singapore on the map of the orchid world and their Mandai Orchid Garden set the standard for cut orchids...' said Dr Tan Wee Kiat, former head of National Parks Board... and current adviser and project director for its Gardens By The Bay project. Mrs Ede was born in 1923 in Singapore to Chinese parents... later adopted by... Laycock, an Englishman. ... in the mid-1950s, she quit politics to help her father run the orchid garden. The latter.. had bought five acres (2ha) of land in Mandai in 1951. His aim was to grow rare orchids obtained during his treks through South-east Asia. The arrival of the jet age in 1957 paved the way for the export of cut orchids. Mrs Ede's husband retired as general manager of Cathay Organisation in 1962 and focused on the orchid business. The couple... wrote books... like Living With Orchids and Living With Plants, in the 1980s. ... She had three hybrids - Aerides Amy, Vanda Amy and Dendrobium Amy Ede - named after her." URL : http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Singapore/STIStory_175222.html *************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
