Ragunan Orchid Garden: A mecca for orchid fans

Ragunan Orchid Garden: A mecca for orchid fans

JAKARTA (JP): Where can you find thousands of colorful
blooming orchids? Don't bother going to Puncak, West Java. You
can find them here at Ragunan Orchid Garden on Jl. Harsono R.M.
near the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.

The Ragunan Orchid Garden was developed in 1973, but it has
not yet become popular among Jakartans. Currently, the city's
agriculture agency manages the five-hectare garden.

There, you can buy various kinds of orchid plants, one of the
most beautiful flowers in the world. Or, you can just go there to
enjoy the scenery for free as there is no entrance fee for
visitors.

Most of its visitors are orchid collectors and sellers. The
collectors usually visit the garden on weekends while the vendors
come on weekdays.

Dedi Darmawan, an employee of a private company in Kuningan
area, said that he visits the orchid garden at least three times
a month.

"I love this place. It's green, quiet and I can enjoy the
beauty of various kinds of orchids for free. I don't feel like I
am in Jakarta," he told The Jakarta Post here over the weekend.

He admitted that he was not an orchid or plant collector. But
he bought several pots of orchid plants since he was attracted by
their beauty.

Another visitor, Rita Keanne, an orchid collector who visited
the garden with her children, said that the orchid garden was an
excellent place to get new kinds of orchid plants and a healthy
place for children to visit.

"Here, we can exercise by walking and breathing fresh air,"
she remarked, saying that she did not expect her children to
spend their weekends only going to malls or using computer
playstations.

Rita, who lives in Pondok Indah housing complex, said that as
an orchid collector, she would be contacted by orchid vendors
there to offer her a new species of orchid plant.

"I don't think about the price. I have to get new orchid
plants if possible," she said, adding that she had even bought a
rare orchid for more than Rp 1 million (US$118).

Actually, the prices of orchid plants here varies, depending
on their species and size.

Hundreds of kinds of orchid, from genus such as dendrobium and
orcidium to crossbreed orchids, are sold for between Rp 4,500 to
Rp 40,000 per pot. You can get a lower price if you are a regular
customer.

Exotic and rare orchids are very expensive. Among them are
butterfly orchid (Dendrobium offine) from Timor and Maluku, and
mini orchid (Ascocentium miniatum) from North Sulawesi.

Currently, the garden has 42 lots and each of them has
thousands of pots of orchids. One lot covers an area of about
1,000 square meters.

Around 30 orchid vendors lease the lots from the agriculture
agency. The monthly fee for leasing each lot reaches some Rp
150,000.

According to Samadi, an orchid vendor, the visitors to the
garden include orchid vendors from Semarang and Solo (Central
Java) and Bandung (West Java).

"Every time they come here, they buy up to thousands of pots
of orchids," he said.

However, he favored orchid collectors as his customers since
they would buy a new hybrid or rare genus of orchid at any price.

Samadi said that most orchid vendors in the garden also rented
their orchid plants to hospitals, hotels and buildings around the
city.

The agriculture agency also offers guidance for visitors
wanting to grow orchid plants.

According to Mulyadi, the agriculture agency's representative
to the orchid garden, the agency offers orchid cultivation
training for visitors.

A two-day training for a group of four to five participants
cost Rp 400,000 for each participant. The training cost includes
written materials about orchid plant cultivation, gardening
equipment and practice in cultivating orchids.

"They could bring home some orchid plants after the training,"
he said, adding that anyone could ask for advice on orchid
cultivation from the officers in the garden for free. (04)