Creating a healing garden amid unhealthy modern living

Creating a healing garden amid unhealthy modern living

Nirwono Joga, Contributor, Jakarta

The "back-to-nature" trend is taking root. It is not only a trend
that goes along with the cosmopolitan lifestyle around the world
but a philosophy that has made its way into our daily lives.

Such an approach to living is evident in the way of designing
houses integrated with the greenery and gardens around them.
Nature-friendly homes have become favored in metropolitan cities
of the United States, Western Europe and Australia.

Major property developers in this country have caught on and
are offering this lifestyle in satellite cities.

The house and its garden form a unified concept, arranged in
such a way that they bring comfort, including in mind and body,
to all occupants.

A healthy house means healthy occupants. And in the present
economic crisis, a house must not only fit the bill in creating
healthy living but also be cost-efficient and environmentally
friendly.

A worsening urban environment, increasingly frustrating
traffic jams and the pressure from heavy workloads at office and
school have caused many city residents to suffer from depression,
stress and a variety of physical and mental ailments amid soaring
costs of medical treatment.

Hospitals and other medical centers, formerly providing only
physical treatment, have begun to realize the need for a
therapeutic garden to help speed the recovery process.

You, too, can have a healing house of your own.

First of all, consider the house's space and your budget, both
of which affect how you can optimize your home.

All occupants of the house must take part in designing the
rooms and the garden in a way that will suit their needs.

The carport, terrace and front yard are usually merged into a
general sitting area, a place to receive guests as well as a
hangout for teenagers to while away their time.

The family sitting room and the dining room will also serve as
a place for under-fives to play. The dining room, kitchen,
terrace and the rear area of homes, which serve to separate the
place where clothes are washed and dried, may also be combined.

When several rooms are combined, there will be a feeling of
security and warmth for family members of all ages as their
different needs for space are accommodated.

This way, everybody in the house gets his or her own favorite
space, from a playground for children in the garden or in the
family room that is combined with the sitting room, a place where
the teenage members of the house may sit around or see their
friends in the terrace of the front garden, and a room where the
parents and grandparents may relax while sipping coffee or
reading a newspaper.

For efficient use of electricity in the home, cut down on
lighting and air conditioning. Construct a good ventilation
system to allow fresh air to flow from the front part of the
house to the back, being sure that precautions are taken to keep
mosquitoes and vermin out.

To ensure that the house is cozy and healthy, smoking must not
be allowed, either inside the house or in the garden.

Trees and plants throughout the garden will provide fresh air
for the house. Use fruit trees and medicinal plants throughout to
emphasize the healing, productive nature of the home. Also plant
climbing plants and leafy trees.

Sunlight must be able to enter through ventilation points,
windows and the doors so that there will be sufficient natural
lighting during daytime.

The dominant color of green from the garden will produce a
peaceful and comfortable atmosphere. The fragrance and colors
from the flowers and leaves of various plants in the garden will
bring cheerfulness and warmth to the entire house. A combination
of the colors of the paint used for the walls -- for example,
turquoise green, soft yellow or light, creamy brown -- will
accentuate the impression of nature.

The natural impression can be enforced through the use of
plants inside the home and a carefully chosen color scheme for
the interior decor.

Also, build fish ponds full of water plants. If space does not
permit a pond, use large water jars, earthenware vessels or an
aquarium for the same effect. Be sure to change the water
regularly to keep it free from mosquito larvae, and also grow
lotus, water hyacinth or citronella to discourage their presence.

As the family room is the most private space, hang family
photos, trophies and certificates amid pleasing photographs and
pictures, particularly those with a nature theme.

These items will provide mental therapy and evoke beautiful
memories, the two factors that will allow the occupants of the
house to renew their motivation in life.

The author is a landscape architect based in Jakarta