DESMOND HO is simply bowled over by the affection shown by Thai gardeners towards their plants.

“PEGANG pensil, sojah pokok getah”. (Hold a pencil, bow to the rubber tree.)

Strange words indeed that my Baba grandfather used to throw at me as a child. While I’m no linguist or sociologist, I understood exactly what he meant; the pencil in lieu of a knife or chisel, and sojah is Baba-speak for bowing.

What my grandfather was trying to say was this: when one taps a rubber tree, one’s repeated motion appears as if one is continuously bowing in silent prayer.

His message was clear and simple: be respectful to Mother Nature.
Those pearls of wisdom came to mind recently when I was holidaying with my family in Koh Samui, Thailand.

The resort we chose was nice but naturally, my interest veered towards the landscape. I was struck by the gardener’s meticulous attention to detail, tending to the plants under his care with respect, love and tenderness.

Of course, cynics will say I’m seeing all these through the rose-tinted glasses of someone on holiday, but I assure you the tender, loving care I saw was not imagined.

I also imagined millions of other Thai gardeners and farmers applying the same level of love and respect in gardens and orchards up and down the country.

And I thought, is it any wonder that back home in Malaysia, consumers end up paying more for durians, lychees, rice and other bounties harvested from the orchards of our northern neighbour?

These bounties may be the product of advanced farming methods adopted in Thailand, but I’m pretty sure respect and TLC have a lot to do with it, too.

Thankfully, in Malaysia, we too are headed in the same direction, with the government doing its best to change our mindset on agriculture and farming.

For those who do it right, farming can indeed be lucrative. And there’s no better way to instil this message than among the young.

I’m often invited to give talks in schools and am encouraged by the amount of interest in botany among the students I meet. But I recall a particular incident, when a teacher referred to members of the school’s botany club as the “Dewan Bandaraya” group.

I’m sure the teacher meant no offence and there is indeed nothing wrong with our City Hall, but comments like that reveal a deep-seated prejudice against botany and agriculture.

If you’re a child harbouring more than just a passing interest in this field, a remark like that can certainly put a damper on your dreams.

So kudos to the government for trying to change this mindset and revolutionise farming in this country.

And it’s well-worth for all of us to ponder the words of English poet and humourist, Paul Chatfield, aka Horace Smith, who wrote: “Agriculture is the noblest of all alchemy; for it turns earth, even manure, into gold, conferring upon its cultivator the additional reward of health”.

So watch out teachers: that the “Dewan Bandaraya” group may well one day be the captains of our agricultural industry.

Okay, last week I promised a great recipe to re-use that old pair of boots.

Here’s my “Bootylicious recipe”:



Ingredients

a pair of much-loved but worn-out leather boots

a pair of worn-out socks, hole(s) optional

2 small potted plants

2 extra empty pots (without drainage holes)

aluminium foil

a dash of TLC



Method of preparation

Place one potted plant in the extra pot and wrap the base of the double-potted plant with aluminium foil to keep it watertight. Roll worn-out sock over the double pot and place entire ensemble in the worn-out boot. Repeat with the other potted plant.



Serving suggestion

Place your new plant-sprouting boots by the front door or on the front steps as a reminder of just how well they’ve served you in the past. Sprinkle regularly with some tender loving care.

Of course, it’s not just old boots that can be given the makeover; old pots, mugs and even tin cans make wonderful receptacles for your plants.

That’s the thing with nature, its beauty can never be diminished. In fact, it has the power to enhance just about anything it touches.

And if you’re resourceful, it’ll cost you next to nothing. My grandmother often asked for clippings of plants to propagate.

A word of caution though: do seek the tree owner’s permission first and avoid cutting plants in strange places at dusk or you may just end up taking more than just the clippings home!

Finally, since everyone is still in a Merdeka mood, it’ll be fun to find out just how Malaysian your garden is. Let’s call it the patriotic garden test. That’s coming up in my next article. Till then, Selamat Berpuasa to all my Muslim friends.

DESMOND Ho has a vision: to forge a truly distinctive and instantly recognisable Malaysian garden identity. His company, Terra Garden Sdn. Bhd., has transformed many generic gardens into a slice of Malaysian paradise. And he’s coined a term for them: Neo Nusantara.

His quest to forge this Malaysian identity goes beyond borders. Terra Garden has taken its Neo Nusantara vision abroad, to Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.

For more information, log on to www.terragarden.com.my or email info@terragarden.com.my.