Add color to life with a flower garden

Add color to life with a flower garden

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When well-planned and properly-maintained, flower gardens can
provide an attractive profusion of colors that has never been out
of fashion.

The beauty of flower garden often invites beautiful creatures
like birds an butterflies to visit and has been a source of
inspiration for painters and poets alike.

For many fans of flower gardens the relaxing views are also
considered as a wonderful setting for a sip of coffee or tea in
the morning or afternoon.

And though such a garden have flourished in European
countries, flower gardens do have their fans in tropical
countries like Indonesia.

"The concept may be adopted but the types of flowers have to
be carefully selected to ensure that they can thrive after the
planting," said landscape designer Muzia Evalisa, director of PT
Bougenvillea Cipta.

She added that it is important to know what kinds of flower
garden to be established, soil condition and the house's exposure
to the sun.

"Most flowering plants requires full or partial sun. This is
why people whose garden receives partial or limited sun exposure,
may have to combine other plants to create a desirable effect,"
Muzia explained.

After analyzing the location, it is also important to improve
the soil condition to make it more favorable for the plants to
grow.

Usually, soil in Jakarta needs to be mixed with compost not
only to enable penetration of the plants' roots but also to give
them the nutrients they need.

House owners also need to carefully choose the flowering
plants for their gardens.

Muzia differentiated the plants into tall plants or trees
(Largerstroemia speciosa, bauhinia, casia) medium-height plants
(pagoda flower, hibiscus, gardenia, bougenville, kumis kucing or
Orthosiphon Singapore, roses, orange jasmine, oleander, canna,
heliconia), shrubs (vinca, rhododendron, phlox, begonia, lantana,
plumbago, ixora, pentas) and ground cover (protulaca). The types
of herbaceous flowering plants is further divided into perennials
(that has a life cycle of more than two years) and annuals (that
provide bright colored flowers which will die out shortly after
the first bloom).

"High altitude areas, like in Puncak has a favorable climate
for flowering plants to grow, while low altitude areas like
Jakarta, is better for perennials flowers," she added.

This is why, flower lovers who are attracted to the intense-
colored, bigger-blossomed flowers that grow in Puncak, should not
be tempted to bring the plants to their Jakarta homes as the
plants would not grow as they would in Puncak.

Same flowering plants can be planted in an individual cluster
that can be shaped into a neat form but they can be arranged in
layers of different heights to expose their colorful blossoms.

"Family with children are not advised to plant oleander as it
is poisonous and piercing plants like agave as accompanying
plants," Muzia said.

There are also flowering water plants, like lotus, nymphea,
water poppy and water jasmine, that can provide an interesting
touch to the garden landscape.

As for maintenance, flowering plants like other plants need
daily watering and monthly fertilizing.

Some plants, like rose, need to be pruned regularly,
especially after flowering period. This is done to maintain its
desirable shapes and to enable it to blossom again.

Periodic cutting is also required for plants that are planted
in cluster to keep the cluster in a neat shape.

Muzia said that you can also establish a quick flower garden
for special occasions. All you have to do is arrange several
groups of flowering plants, in polybags and put them in huge
decorative pots or containers in the garden.

You can also arrange the plants on the floor and cover the
polybags with grass or natural stones. With proper maintenance,
these kinds of arrangements can last for up to a week.