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Pang Hai’ou is used to seeing people stop at her home or slow down to admire her garden. Neighbors often drop by to see what’s new， enjoy the color of the tulips， or count the newly-blossomed clematis.
However， her real name isn’t as well known as her screen name： Turtle Mother.
Community Inspiration
Pang resides in a community of more than 2，000 households in the Chaoyang District of eastern Beijing. She is best known for operating an online gardening forum.
Her first-floor apartment affords her a courtyard of 40 square meters， where she has nurtured dozens of species of flowers，including lilies， geraniums， daisies， and roses， complemented by a small pond of goldfish.
The flowers in the garden are seasonal. Two weeks earlier， the tulip blossoms attracted an endless stream of admirers. Her upstairs neighbor even invites visitors to her balcony for a bird’s-eye view. “Admission is free for all，” grins the neighbor.
As a matter of fact， the second-floor neighbor has also begun gardening on her balcony. “I didn’t used to be a gardening enthusiast，”she reveals， “but when I moved here in 2001， I was inspired by the beautiful flowers downstairs. That’s why I followed her footsteps.”
On the third floor lives a white-collar couple. Turtle Mother helped them purchase seedlings and taught them how to plant. Now even the balcony on the third floor has also become a little garden. More and more neighbors followed suit， and today almost every apartment in her building has its own garden.
Turtle Mother is well known throughout the community， which is seeing greater and greater numbers of gardeners. For those intimidated by the effort required to care for flowers， Pang is always ready to offer advice and help. And rookies usually stop complaining and fall in love with flowers upon witnessing them bloom.
Growing Gardeners
“Many master gardeners have emerged，” remarks Turtle Mother.
Yu Hui， for example， is very skilled at growing vegetables. Known on the internet as “Rural Life”， Yu spent her childhood in rural Daxing District south of Beijing， where she dreamt of city life. “I’ve been working hard on my career，” she explains，“but when I arrived in the city I began longing for the ‘good old days’ back home！” She quickly began growing vegetables in her 40-square-meter courtyard. Unlike Turtle Mother， Yu enjoys the early stages of sowing and pruning. “Those tasks are torturous for me，” grins Turtle Mother. “But for her， she feels a sense of achievement.”
So， neighbors bring their seeds to Rural Life and take seedlings back. Rural Life notifies the gardeners through the community forum when vegetables are ready to harvest.
Turtle Mother seems to have earned the title of “director of the gardening committee” and enjoys a sterling reputation across Beijing. She is one of the most veteran members of online gardening forums in China.
Turtle Mother doesn’t take her duties lightly. She often initi-ates group purchasing in Beijing and other places. She is well informed about the market around the city and shares her information in the forum in a timely fashion. When spring comes， she organizes flower enthusiasts to admire and purchase. She is happy when a group returns with fruitful results， curbing costs by taking one vehicle even though there is not much discount for the flowers. When some have trouble growing， they often give them away. Gardeners also share branches with others when a flower grows well.
This May， Turtle Mother was invited to participate in a family gardening design contest as one part of the China （Beijing） International Garden Expo， and she took First Prize for Dream in Heaven， a collaboration with two other designers.
Turtle Mother is perpetually smiling and her voice is sweet and tender. Her garden is always tidy， clean， and sated with happy and fresh flowers. “She is superb at growing flowers regardless of the conditions，” testifies a neighbor. “What I grow is for everyone，”smiles Turtle Mother.
Every day she repeats the same routine after work： change clothes， work in the garden. “I spend a third of my spare time gardening，” estimates Turtle Mother. “The other two thirds I save for others.”
For her， gardening is much more than a hobby. It helps her sleep better. In three years she will retire from her job. “I can’t wait！” she exclaims. “I have so many plans： travel， and even more gardening.”
However， her real name isn’t as well known as her screen name： Turtle Mother.
Community Inspiration
Pang resides in a community of more than 2，000 households in the Chaoyang District of eastern Beijing. She is best known for operating an online gardening forum.
Her first-floor apartment affords her a courtyard of 40 square meters， where she has nurtured dozens of species of flowers，including lilies， geraniums， daisies， and roses， complemented by a small pond of goldfish.
The flowers in the garden are seasonal. Two weeks earlier， the tulip blossoms attracted an endless stream of admirers. Her upstairs neighbor even invites visitors to her balcony for a bird’s-eye view. “Admission is free for all，” grins the neighbor.
As a matter of fact， the second-floor neighbor has also begun gardening on her balcony. “I didn’t used to be a gardening enthusiast，”she reveals， “but when I moved here in 2001， I was inspired by the beautiful flowers downstairs. That’s why I followed her footsteps.”
On the third floor lives a white-collar couple. Turtle Mother helped them purchase seedlings and taught them how to plant. Now even the balcony on the third floor has also become a little garden. More and more neighbors followed suit， and today almost every apartment in her building has its own garden.
Turtle Mother is well known throughout the community， which is seeing greater and greater numbers of gardeners. For those intimidated by the effort required to care for flowers， Pang is always ready to offer advice and help. And rookies usually stop complaining and fall in love with flowers upon witnessing them bloom.
Growing Gardeners
“Many master gardeners have emerged，” remarks Turtle Mother.
Yu Hui， for example， is very skilled at growing vegetables. Known on the internet as “Rural Life”， Yu spent her childhood in rural Daxing District south of Beijing， where she dreamt of city life. “I’ve been working hard on my career，” she explains，“but when I arrived in the city I began longing for the ‘good old days’ back home！” She quickly began growing vegetables in her 40-square-meter courtyard. Unlike Turtle Mother， Yu enjoys the early stages of sowing and pruning. “Those tasks are torturous for me，” grins Turtle Mother. “But for her， she feels a sense of achievement.”
So， neighbors bring their seeds to Rural Life and take seedlings back. Rural Life notifies the gardeners through the community forum when vegetables are ready to harvest.
Turtle Mother seems to have earned the title of “director of the gardening committee” and enjoys a sterling reputation across Beijing. She is one of the most veteran members of online gardening forums in China.
Turtle Mother doesn’t take her duties lightly. She often initi-ates group purchasing in Beijing and other places. She is well informed about the market around the city and shares her information in the forum in a timely fashion. When spring comes， she organizes flower enthusiasts to admire and purchase. She is happy when a group returns with fruitful results， curbing costs by taking one vehicle even though there is not much discount for the flowers. When some have trouble growing， they often give them away. Gardeners also share branches with others when a flower grows well.
This May， Turtle Mother was invited to participate in a family gardening design contest as one part of the China （Beijing） International Garden Expo， and she took First Prize for Dream in Heaven， a collaboration with two other designers.
Turtle Mother is perpetually smiling and her voice is sweet and tender. Her garden is always tidy， clean， and sated with happy and fresh flowers. “She is superb at growing flowers regardless of the conditions，” testifies a neighbor. “What I grow is for everyone，”smiles Turtle Mother.
Every day she repeats the same routine after work： change clothes， work in the garden. “I spend a third of my spare time gardening，” estimates Turtle Mother. “The other two thirds I save for others.”
For her， gardening is much more than a hobby. It helps her sleep better. In three years she will retire from her job. “I can’t wait！” she exclaims. “I have so many plans： travel， and even more gardening.”