The Malaysian garden in Kuching

The Kambatik garden in Kuching in 2013

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-kambatik-garden.html

The Malaysian garden defined = Laman Kambatik (Malay) or the Kambatik Garden.

On this visit to Kuching I have a fair bit of time to compile my blog postings on the Malaysian garden as I have created it in Kuching.  Over many years I have written about the issue of the Malaysian garden with no name.  But it need not necessarily be so.  Over a period of about more than 10 years I have researched and actually built gardens and park based on the Kambatik concept.  I have taken up the challenge to develop a name for the Malaysian garden which is called the 'Kambatik garden' or Laman Kambatik in Malay.  In this posting I have gathered some relevant posts and pictures on the Malaysian garden in Kuching.  My effort to create the Malaysian garden is very much inspired  by nationalism, aesthetics, healthy life-style, green living, love of nature and wildlife,  recreational needs and creativity.  Please go the the links below the pictures to have a closer understanding of the Kambatik garden.   

Exotic palms

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2014/08/tropical-and-lush-greenery-at-front.html

Early beginnings of the Kambatik garden in Kuching

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-years-have-gone-by.html

Pinks blossoms of the Tabebuia rosea

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2014/08/outside-looking-in.html

Lush greenery of a perpetual summer and autumn

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2014/11/of-foliage-plants-in-garden.html

Shade in tropical climate - important for recreation and wildlife

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2014/11/looking-beyond-kambatik-garden.html

A maturing Kambatik gardenApril, 2015

http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-malaysian-garden-defined.html

The Drunken Sailor crawls up the ceiling

View of my Kuching garden looking south, today.

Ahoy! Who's up there? ... Oh, my darling Drunken Sailor has been a little naughty recently. He's seen hugging tight to the front garden's porch ceiling ( see inset). Good gracious what's he up to next?

It was a Dutchman who gave the name 'Quisqualis' to our adventurous climber. Rumphius came across a native who called the plant " Udani" which sounded like " Hoedanig" to the Dutchman's ears. "Hoedanig" in Dutch means " What is it ?" and when translated into scientific Latin became ' Quisqualis'. Not bad for a notorious drunken personality who is now well-known the world over.

Above: The Drunken Sailor seen a year ago creeping over the front garden fence.

The Drunken Sailor is also referred to as the Rangoon Creeper. It likes the full sun and for this reason I have provided it with the best location facing the west in order for it to enjoy more hours of daylight. He starts the day early with a whitish pink face but turns crimson or red towards the evening hours. For the Malaysian Kambatik Garden I strongly recommend that you open your heart to the Drunken Sailor. He's after all a harmless guy. You'll be handsomely rewarded by its bunchy flowers which are fragrant and blooms throughout the year.

Look ! there were no buildings over the south fence more than a year ago.

Picture taken : 15 July '09

The Drunken Sailor has noticed from a commanding view of the changes at the south area of our garden . Compare this picture to the above top picture and the difference is obvious says the Sailor. There are now 43 additional units of terraced single-storey housing nearly completed nearby. Soon I'll be not alone. Many people will occupy these houses, probably towards the end of this year. Indeed two years is a fleeting moment especially in this age of the Internet. Think of the Drunken Sailor if you have not done so. A minute , a day ... has just passed....... but "I'm patient " so says the Drunken Sailor..." Just guide me and I'll trail wherever you want me to."

Have a Hibiscus?

The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in Sarawak has a vernacular name pronounced as 'Bunga Raya' in Malay ( see inset) . Why is this plant so prominent in Malaysia? A short walk back in time will bring us to 1960 , just three years after the release of Malaya from the colonial regime of the British.

The newly elected Prime Minister ( Tunku Abdul Rahman) declared on 28 July 1960 the Bunga Raya as the national flower. Of course, as history would have it the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya formed the new federation of Malaysia on the 16th of September, 1963 and thereby continued to accept the Bunga Raya as the national flower of Malaysia.

The Bunga Raya in my 'Laman Kambatik' garden in Kuching this morning.

The species that was accepted as the national flower is the scarlet or red variety that is commonly seen in rural villages throughout Malaysia. That factor has been one of the many deciding ones that made it the preferred choice. Besides, according the the selection panel, red suggests bravery. Not bad colour for a young nation. Further, it is a very hardy plant that requires minimum attention or care. Unless of course you decide to plant the many new hibiscus hybrids that may look more appealing in modern and varying colours and sizes but alas are easy prey to insects and other pests. When in secondary schooling (1967-1968) I always remember how my biology teacher so often bring it to class. It was such a typical local plant and being easy to obtain ended up as the main target for the dissection table. But before cutting them to pieces our curiosity was drawn to its external reproductive parts. The Bunga Raya showed it all - calyx, sepal, petal, style, stigma, stamen,anther and pollen in plain sight.

Today I decided to do a water colour rendition of the Bunga Raya as shown above. The painting was done in less than an hour. To all Malaysians- let's celebrate today's Jubilee Year of the Bunga Raya by planting a Bunga Raya in our garden. Have a hibiscus ? I do.

Colour the garden

Colourful foliage of the Crotons ( Codaeium variegatum) and Coleus (Solenostemon scutelariodes).



The Side Garden - partial view facing the lawn.

This is a partial view of the side garden that is nearby the car porch. The plants specified here are illustrative of colourful foliage and flowers. On the the lower storey are the coleus ( Solenostemon scutellariodes ) and Crotons ( Codiaeum variegatum) and are mixed with heliconias. However at the location above ( foreground) the hot Red Button Ginger ( Costus woodsonii) salutes the garden space . Other species planted around it are the frangipani, ixora and hibiscus. As part of the Malaysian garden concept ( Laman Kambatik) my attempts at the side garden are beautifully rewarded as shown below.

The Blood Banana ( Musa zebrina) grows easily in tropical gardens and being small in size are selected for house gardens. Note the deep red stains on the long oblong leaves resembling blood. The banana is a winner when suggesting the tropical look and in Sarawak there are ubiquitously typical of subsistence garden farms.

The Parrot Flower ( Heliconia pssitacorum )

Heliconia latispatha

Heliconias are a staple for the Laman Kambatik garden. In aesthetic terms, they provide surprises of colour in parrot-like fashion. Their strong palette tones in combinations of rich yellow to pink, orange to red, light green to dark purple are intense blots of exciting colours compared to green wash of leaves. A welcome respite indeed. Secondly, heliconias are targets for sun birds and many other tiny birds that devour its honey thereby beckoning the arrival of wildlife to the garden. Thirdly, heliconias are splendid materials for the floral arrangement.

As time goes by

The making of a Garden Oasis

Sunset view from the main door.

A view on any day . Note the Drunken Sailor's ability to climb over and creep along the front porch's ceiling.



When we decided to move to Kuching about three years ago I was intent on making the house garden an example of my concept of the Malaysian Garden called " Laman Kambatik". In this post I would like to share how I achieved it at the front porch garden space. In later posts I shall talk about other sections of the house garden .

Over time one or two plants that did not do well were replaced with alternatives but to a large extent the original choice of plants proved suitable. To help me explain the job I have prepared a sketch below that could act as guide in recapitulating the making of the front garden. The front garden will hopefully mature in about a year's time from now when other garden features ( hard landscaping) will be added. At this point of time the focus is on soft landscaping i.e. the cultivation of plants and turves. On this note I would add that the latest feature is the Yellow Bamboo ( shown inset) that took the place of the Murraya paniculata after I noticed it was unable to fend itself from diseases that attack its roots.

In the beginning - date of photo 25 Nov' 2007

The above shows how the site looked like in late 2007. The plant worth noticing is the Carpentaria Palm ( Carpentaria alexanderae) which was just less than a meter high when planted. The broad-leaved Calathea lutea is an important plant in the design for the shape of its leaves. The soil is hard and not fertile and I only managed to top-up the whole area with good topsoil later when I decided to turf the space. All these plants were brought from my garden in Bintulu. I did this to save me time to scout for plants in Kuching besides I can load plenty of plants at the back of my pick-up every time I drive to Kuching.

Progress dated : 7 June 2008.

The above is view of the site in slightly less than a year. The tiny lawn has been turved. The Ixora coccinea is flowering beautifully with orangish blooms. The Blood Banana in the far background is seen higher than the Carpentaria Palm. The Sea Cycas ( Cycas rumphii) and Calathea are doing well evidenced by the dark green colour of their leaves.

Progress dated : 14 June 2008.

The Sea Cycas was also brought from Bintulu. Around the base of the Cycas tree are variegated rhoe plants. The lawn is planted with " Pearl Grass". A line of 'Mother-in-law's tongue' ( Sanseivera trifaciata) is seen planted along the concrete edge.

Progress dated : 4 December 2008.

In a year's time the Carpentaria Palm has risen 5 feet tall. To the left of the picture is Murraya paniculata which produces tiny white flowers that are strongly scented.

Unfortunately the Murraya plant did not perform well and last month I replaced it with the Yellow Bamboo.
In the design of the front garden the role of scented plants is emphasised. Another species included is the " Sepenuh" -Proiphys amboinensis

Inset to the left : Close-up of the tiny and scented white flowers of the " Kemuning" in Malay. It's scientific name is Murraya paniculata.

Progress dated : 25 Jan 2009.

Progress dated : 6 August 2009

Progress dated : 6 Oct' 2009.

Highly scented white flowers.

Dark pink colours of the Hybrid Canna.

Progress dated : 16 October 2009

Progress dated : 4 June 2009

Progress dated : 4 June 2009

The Drunken Sailor ( Quisqualis indica) grows luxuriantly and crept unnoticedly along the fence and then over to the front post post.

A new generation of young fronds thrust itself into the garden space. I chose this plant for the main reason that it is native to this part of the world and exudes a primitive look, a species that appeared to be taken from the age of dinosaurs.

Many people in Sarawak cook the young fronds as vegetables.

Progress dated : 4 Feb' 2010.

After about slightly more than 2 years the garden is shaping up according to plan. For more bright colours the Yellow Croton (Codiaeum variegated) is added. At the lower storey ( not seen) many numbers of Iresine plants ( Iresine herbstii) are planted for its deep red colours. The feather-leaved palm behind the Sea Cycas is the Yellow Cane Palm ( Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) which is a small-sized palm.

Progress dated : 4 June 2010

Whooopi !! the Carpentaria palms have grown 15 feet in three years.

Three years in contemporary age of the Internet is virtually unfelt. It has whisked by like the fallen frangipani petals at the front garden. Kept by a busy schedule of travel from Bintulu to Kuching and back on an almost monthly basis I have not wasted the window of opportunity to create a much needed urban oasis a step out of the house. I will of course add a little bit of smaller plants to hug on the lawn floor in future but this will have to be thought judiciously especially on the maintenance aspect because we're not everyday in Kuching. Unlike trees, smaller plants require more intensive care. After all we're always rewarded by the basics first and pretties are added bonuses.

Blooming Kuching

Blooming bougainvilleas of the dwarf, free-flowering " Singapore Beauty " variety ( Bougainvillea glabra) at the Satok Flyover

I have indeed overstayed my trip to Kuching this time around. However I will not leave this city without putting its blooming record in writing and in pictures in this blog. The months of May and June brought in equal amounts of rain and sun and were ideal for many plants around the city. My favourite was the blooming bougainvilleas above. Next were the golden showers of the Cassia fistula. I managed to collect a few dozen of its pods to be brought to Bintulu later for propagation purposes. The purple to mauve colours of the " Pride of India" or what we call here locally as " Bungor"( Lagerstoemia indica) brightened the greenery around the Kuching Waterfront.

Finally, at my garden in Kuching I was thrilled by the naughty habits of the Drunken Sailor ( Quisqualis indica) who managed to climb over the fence and onto the front porch. Well, I've decided to make him a permanent feature to the front garden. Say Yo !! to the sailor from the Pirates of the Mediterranean ship! The beautiful mixed colours of the Lantana camara finally greet me daily at the back garden. The secret of making it flower is to give it full sun, generous manure and watering. The rest is magic.

Lantana camara - comes in various forms of white, yellow, red or pink colours. In the garden now showing a combination of all!

The golden showers of the Cassia fistula

From pink to dark red colours of the " Drunken Sailor" ( Quisqualis indica). This woody and vigorous creeper produce root suckers that are used for propagation. This climber is sometimes referred to as the " Rangoon Creeper".

Purple to mauve colours of the Lagerstroemia flos-reginae ( Pride of India)

The Drunken Sailor Climbs Over

The Drunken Sailor ( Quisqualis indica )

The Drunken Sailor (Quisqualis indica) has been quite naughty recently. He has struggled to climb over the tall Carpentaria palm and clung to the front porch of our garden in Kuching. OK, I like the imagery of the early morning drinking bouts that have coloured his face a chubby pink. As the day progresses and heat takes on him his face transforms into a well-cooked lobster red skin. Has the drunken master retired from the " Pirates of the Mediterranean" ship? I wonder.