THE outside of his fourth-storey flat window is covered with unruly, overgrown bougainvillea plants.

The luxuriant plants are his pride and joy - and, in his words, part of his garden in the sky.

But to his neighbour upstairs, Mr Chow Hon Weng's plants are nothing but a nuisance.

The 55-year-old renovation contractor's penchant for greenery has sparked an ugly feud between the neighbours, both long-time residents of the North Bridge Road housing estate.

His neighbour, Mr Gunasegaran, 44, an odd-job worker, said he has been frustrated with the overgrown plants for more than three years.

He told The New Paper: 'I can't hang my clothes outside to dry.

'They get caught on the thorns and get torn.'

He said he has had to throw away some of his clothes which had been damaged by Mr Chow's plants.

He added he was also put off by the smell of the plants.

'I've told him nicely to cut the plants, but he didn't. I've complained to the authorities. But nothing has been done about it,' he claimed.

So Mr Gunasegaran decided to take matters into his own hands - he borrowed a plant cutter from another neighbour and trimmed Mr Chow's plants from his flat window.

Mr Chow said he was on his way home after buying newspapers last Sunday when he saw his neighbour cutting the plants.

He said in Mandarin: 'Whether I'm inside the house or outside, I always enjoy looking at my plants.

'But I looked up that day and saw my neighbour cutting them without asking me. I was furious.'

He said he had received letters from HDB requesting him to trim the plant.

He said he was also aware that his plants were inconveniencing his neighbour. But his main gripe was the manner in which his neighbour chose to solve the problem.

'I was angry that he had decided to trim the plants without asking my permission. It's just uncivilised.'

On several occasions, the neighbours came close to resolving the issue. He said: '(Mr Gunasegaran) wants me to keep the plant level to the top of my window, and not encroach on his space. I stuck my hand out of the window and pulled the branches down.

'He says he doesn't like plants. How can anybody not like plants?'

BRANCHES FELL DOWNSTAIRS

A second-storey resident of the same block, who declined to be named, said she also had problems whenever Mr Chow trimmed his plants.

About five years ago, her children were playing outside the flat when some loose branches fell from Mr Chow's unit and hit her children.

She said: 'They weren't seriously hurt, but from then onwards, I've not allowed my children to play outside.

'It may be dangerous.'

She added that she doesn't mind her neighbour's overgrown plants, as long as he makes an effort to clear the mess whenever he trims them.

HDB's website lists guidelines for good neighbourly behaviour, which include 'not obstructing common areas'.

And even though he is upset with his neighbour for cutting the plants, Mr Chow says he doesn't plan to pursue the matter.

'I do not want to cause myself any additional emotional distress. It's no point getting worked up over something like this,' he said.

This is not the first time Mr Chow's home decorating efforts have got him into trouble.

Ten years ago, he was made to tear down the extensively renovated interior of his one-room flat, which he had built to resemble a log cabin.

He had been in the newly renovated flat only for four months, which cost him $20,000 at the time to renovate.

He was told then by HDB that the pine panels were a fire hazard.

His 'log cabin' was even featured on the front page of The New Paper that year before he removed it.

Said Mr Chow: 'I like making things, and I like doing anything creative. Most of the furniture here had been thrown away by people, but I saved them for my house.'

It is impossible to miss his flat.

A rustic wooden door - which doubles as a grille - is the entrance to his 'country home'.

When The New Paper went to his flat yesterday evening, Cantonese music was blaring from his flat.

The interior of his house is wood-themed - all recycled wood, Mr Chow explained.

PLANTS AS CURTAINS

He declined to say how much he has spent on his new interiors, saying that '(decorating) is just a hobby - the price doesn't matter'.

He said: 'I believe in living a green lifestyle. That's why I have so many plants.'

Instead of blinds or curtains, Mr Chow uses plants as his window coverings. None of his windows have glass panels.

Asked whether he is bothered when it rains, Mr Chow said the plants are perfectly effective in keeping the rainout.

Even his bathroom is doorless, because Mr Chow likes looking at his plants while taking a shower.

What used to be his loft bed is now an altar. He now sleeps on a thin mattress on the floor.

Pointing to the area under his plant-covered window, Mr Chow said: 'I don't mind sleeping on the floor. I even have a light down here so I can read at night.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on June 13, 2008.