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City residents grow plants for pleasure
For Gatot Rachmadi, 50, his home garden is his private sanctuary, a daily dose of therapy that helps him escape from daily pressure
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For Gatot Rachmadi, 50, his home garden is his private sanctuary, a daily dose of therapy that helps him escape from daily pressure.
He began to grow plants in the L-shaped yard in front of his house in 1988 when he realized that tending to his garden improved the quality of his life.
“I used to be impatient by nature and easily stressed,” he said recently when The Jakarta Post visited his residence in Manggarai, South Jakarta.
Gatot, who works at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, said he had never bought plants to fill his 44-square-meter garden. Currently, there are over 100 plants in his garden.
“Some of my friends are inspired to grow plants in their own houses after seeing my garden and that makes me happy,” he said.
Every day after returning from work, Gatot says he tends to his plants.
“Preserving nature is equal to preserving the mind,” he said.
Gatot won first prize in the recent park and greenery competition in the city. Along with Matsani from Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, and Santiadji from Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, he edged out hundreds of other home gardeners from all five municipalities.
Matsani, 47, said he began gardening in his bare front yard 15 years ago as an attempt to relive the green scenery he enjoyed when hiking during his youth.
“Every day I cope with heavy traffic. My surrounding environment is dirty and chaotic,” Matsani, who works at the Health Ministry, said.
Together with his flora-loving wife Tiurlan Siagian, now grow 87 kinds of plants in their 93-square-meter garden.
Matsani says he usually buys plants in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, Kalimalang, Bekasi, and Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.
“I often buy trees when I’m on official duty in other provinces. For example, I bought some cocoa tress in Lampung,” said Matsani, who also heads his neighborhood unit.
Every day after returning home from work, Matsani says he spends time watering the plants. On weekends, he tends to them together with his wife. He also makes use of organic garbage to produce fertilizer.
Santiadji, 77, started to work on his home garden in 1990 after retiring from the Jakarta Public Works Agency.
“I really enjoy gardening and can spend the whole day taking care of my garden,” he said.
His efforts to make his house green were not always successful. “In 2007, our neighborhood was flooded. The water was knee-high. Some of my plants died but I later re-planted them,” he said.
He says he has also witnessed some of the plants, such as a dragon fruit tree and some medicinal
plants, die.
Currently, his 50-square-meter garden is home to dozens of decorative plants, including adenium, orchids and medicinal plants such as curcuma and betel.
“For example, I keep dry zodia leaves in my room to repel mosquitoes,” he said.
To keep his garden fertile, Santiadji uses compost he produces himself from household garbage. Apart from watering, he also cleans the pots and roots every day.
“Every morning after prayers I usually touch some of my plants. I believe that’s the way to build an affectionate relationship with them, which in turn makes them fertile,” he said. (lnd)
