Trees, seeds bloom in the heart of Tebet

Hidden from the hustle and bustle of housing and business premises in Tebet Barat Dalam, South Jakarta, a city-owned nursery garden maintains its role as a supplier of trees and plant seeds to gardens across Jakarta.

Garden administrator Wadi, 51, told The Jakarta Post the 4.8-hectare garden had dozens of varieties of trees and hundreds of decorative plants, including some considered natural heritage.

"Jakarta's original trees are mahogany *Swietenia macrophylla* and angsana *Pterocarpus indicus*. These are what we germinate most of," Wadi said last Friday.

In its decorative plant collection, Tebet garden has spider lily (Chlorophytum comosum), maranta (Maranta leuconeura erythroneuro), akalifa (Maranta leuconeura erythroneuro) and walisongo (Schefflera arbicola).

"Those *decorative plants* are just a small sample of our collection," Wadi said, adding that seeds of these plants are sourced from both the garden and elsewhere.

"Sometimes the city administration brings us seeds."

Wadi added that the three botanical gardens had been around since at least 1970. "I don't know exactly when they were established, but they were here when I joined the civil service back in 1973."

Each month, Tebet gardens provides up to 400 trees and seeds to gardeners throughout Jakarta.

"The sales figures are pretty random. Sometimes there are quite a few. Sometimes not."

Tebet garden is not all about planting seeds and preserving green areas, but also has jogging facilities and a public space for spending free time.

On Friday the Post observed several students enjoying them-selves with jokes and laughter, while a lone jogger took advantage of the mild weather under shade of large trees. - JP