An Eco-friendly Garden

When Mrs. Anne Low called the office and asked if we would like to see her worm farm, we were very excited, as we have been looking into worm composting. Her address is in Semenyih; an area where there are a number of small eco-tourism resorts situated in the foothills of the water catchment areas around the reservoir. I was expecting a nursery and was pleasantly surprised to find a terrace house, a corner lot, probably the only one in the block that was shrouded with plants.

Anne planted her garden with all sorts of plants, trees and creepers, with mainly edible varieties, but the most amazing plant she had was the passiflora. Passion fruits or buah Makisa, locally known to be grown in the highland stations in the country, seldom fruit in the lowlands. Maybe I might have been planting the wrong variety but I have never got mine to ever fruit! I believe it must be due to whatever she has been feeding them with. Worm compost!

How Plants Are Named

In volume 29 of Garden Asia our writer Cik Siti Mariam wrote on the science of naming plants for the benefit of our ardent readers and the layperson. Besides common names, which may refer to the same or different species, scientific names are more specific and are coined based on many factors such as region, habitat, the plant’s morphology or even famous personalities. However the words that are created to make up a scientific name of a plant all has a meaning. To quote a few, they may be Latin or latinized words or sometimes the old Roman name for a particular plant.
As promised previously, we will, from this issue onwards introduce a section known as “How plants are named” and we will begin by introducing four plants namely, Acalypha hispida, Adenium obesum, Aechmea chantinii and Agave sp.

Care of Scented Plants

We have many scented plants in the tropics, ranging from climbers, to shrubs and trees. Practically all are sun loving plants and many have white flowers. These plants are popular as home garden plants and traditionally in Asian countries, it is a must to plant some of these plants as they have functions in culture and traditional practices.

Grow Dill

Dill or Anethum graveolens is an annual of the Mediterranean region. It should actually appear in our plant list for the Mediterranean garden design but we decided to plant it in the kitchen garden! A friend gave me a plant and although she said it was dill I was not very sure, knowing that dill is a temperate plant. Looking up references, it is being cultivated in Asia Minor, northern India and North Africa. Weather in this region would be cool and not tropical.

Johor Bharu International Orchid Show 2007

This year’s show, which opens from 25th May to 3rd June, is dubbed the biggest orchid show in the region. Johore being the second largest exporter of orchids in the world can showcase a wide variety of orchids, as there are 470 hectares of commercial orchid farms in the state. The show however, has brought in participants from more than 20 countries from all over the world.

Participants from as far away as Germany and Switzerland contributed to the more than 800 species on show. There were 80 species of rare orchids on show, to the delight of orchid lovers. Some of the hybrids are registered with the World Orchid society in London.

A Report From The Depths Of Buton Island

Its been a year since I made that long and tiresome journey to Buton Island just off the coast of Sulawesi and as I stepped off the ferry at Bau Bau, I had a sense of nostalgia and a weird feeling of familiarity with the area straight away. This time, however, I was not there as a volunteer, but was actually doing some data collecting for the organisation and also for my third year dissertation project. This article, therefore, is a first hand, unofficial report of my journey and experiences during those amazing 6 weeks in the jungle of Buton.

Pavlova

The sight of a beautifully baked pavlova is mouth watering but most of us are a bit cautious about eating it because of the sugar content. It is after all a meringue. Most recipes would have summer fruits topping this dessert, but a tropical fruit which is slightly sour can tone down the sweetness of the meringue. With the gift from the feature garden owner, Anne, I made the pavlova and the passiflora went very well as the topping.

Recipe

8 large egg whites
pinch of salt
500g castor sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon rosewater
5 passion fruits
500ml double cream
1 baking tray and baking paper

Flowers From Fruit

Betel nuts and betel nut leaves have a place in the Indian and Malay culture and traditionally they are used in occasions such as weddings and engagements. The betel nut leaf with its accompaniments is considered as offerings during negotiations and discussions when asking for the hand of a maiden. In the old days the offerings come as it is but with the sophisticated society now, the offerings come in dressed.