Kampung folk know quite a bit about living outdoors, and a Malaysian outdoor designer reckons there are ways to fit it into the modern setting. RIDZWAN A. RAHIM gets an insight.

Ho's influence was his childhood in a Baba Nyonya village in Malacca.

OUTDOOR living? In hot and humid Malaysia?

That was one of the first questions I asked when I spoke to outdoor designer Desmond Ho, founder of Terra Garden Sdn Bhd, a company that specialises in outdoor living.

"You shouldn't have barriers, physical or mental barriers. We in Malaysia are fortunate. We have 365 days of fine weather. We should harness this," answered Ho.

In essence, outdoor living involves doing every day activities in your garden or patio, like eating, reading the newspaper, napping or even showering!
This is an idea that originates from kampung living. But the idea is not to transform your garden into a replica of a traditional village. Far from it.

"The way to do it is by modifying your garden or patio into an outdoor living space by harmonising the comforts of nature and stimulating the five senses," said Ho.

To begin with, sight. Only beautiful places will attract people. When they come near, they must be rewarded by touch and the interpretation here is that they can sit down and relax, or take some cushions and lie down.

"Imagine lying down in your garden at night, and you hear the soothing sound of water and the fragrant smell from your plants. With a few friends, you can sit down for a cup of tea during full moon or starry night, sunrise or sunset. This is what being in harmony with nature is about," said Ho.

Ho's relationship with Mother Nature started with terrariums in 1998 and in 1992, he began retailing indoor plants like cactus in shopping centres.

1998 saw his first garden centre, located between Carrefour and Subang Parade in Subang Jaya, Selangor. "Like a sundry shop that becomes a mini market, we'd turned a nursery into a garden centre," he said.

In 2000, he mooted the idea of Neo Nusantara.

What is Neo Nusantara? Literally, "New Malay Archipelago", it is a result of Ho's study of the local culture and craft and giving it his interpretation.

It is far from complete and will only evolve in the years and decades to come. But one thing for sure, it is different from English, Japanese, Balinese and Thai gardens.

A distinctive feature of a Terra Garden garden is the lattices. "Japanese lattices consist of uniformed square, while English ones are diamond shaped. Our lattice work is based on kain pelikat design," said Ho.

"For the sitting area or garden benches, we use the concept of pangkin instead of those with rod iron like in Victorian garden benches."

Another contraption is kuda-kuda, a zig-zag bench meant for two where one can also sit and use a laptop. "The idea was derived from seeing makcik sitting down grating coconut."

Dayang bunting is the garden's water feature which is different from the Thai and Balinese types, but they also use a lot of pots.

"The Balinese fill the pot to the brim and let the water overflow to the sides. The Thais like to pour from one pot to another.

"Ours feature ukiran tebuk with flora and fauna motives, so when light escapes through the holes with the water coming down, it creates a shimmering effect like a living pot," explained Ho, adding that the company works with a group of people from Chemor, Ipoh for the dayang bunting.

These contraptions were a result of eight years of working with a team of people. Ho, himself is trained in architecture while the others in the group included landscape artist, street artist, graphics designer and fine arts graduates.

Team member Zaini Ahmad is prepared to work hard to give the Neo Nusantara idea a strong international footing. Formerly a presenter with ntv7, Zaini now helms a travel show for Star World.

"We have to prove ourselves on the international front, and I hope to provide a boost from the insight I had gained from the places I have been to," said Zaini, who has lived in Australia and England.

"The company has made some headways. We have exhibited at international garden events and have overseas showrooms in Zurich, Ireland, Birmingham, Melbourne and New Zealand," said Ho.

On top of that, Terra Garden has built a client base of 4,000 customers who have accepted the Malaysian garden concept.

"It is not just a concept or a garden. It is not about the style or furniture or pergola, nor is it just a garden made of wood. It is the lifestyle that we promote in order to make it Malaysian," said Ho.

This lifestyle harks back all the way to his childhood. A Baba Chinese from Malacca, Ho lived in a Malay kampung and with Hindu temple nearby.

Baba families maintain their Taoist religion but their food, they way they dress and their language is very Malay.

And anything outside the house was garden — the paddy field, the waterways, rubber plantation, durian orchard, secondary forest.

"When we went far away to play, we didn't go back home straight but went to the nearest house and asked the makcik for some water," said the 57-year-old.

This lifestyle is lost on the present generation. Once, Ho invited his friends from Kuala Lumpur to his hometown. "We were sitting around in the garden having tea when suddenly, a little girl ran to her mother saying: 'Mummy, I saw a feather duster running!' That 'feather duster' turned out to be a chicken. The girl had never seen a live chicken!" Ho chuckled.



* This article is an introduction to a fortnightly column by Terra Garden and in the coming instalments, the company will be inviting NST readers to contribute their own interesting or humorous short stories related to gardens.

The stories should be about 200 words and those published will get surprise gifts and be eligible for a grand prize at the end of the year — a garden makeover worth RM20,000.

For more information on the Malaysian garden, visit www.terragarden.com.my.