The only thing that fascinated me were the tiny little creatures that dwell in the garden - from snails and frogs, to worms and tiny critters with shells that find refuge under the thick foliage of the garden.
At Duke University, where I spent my undergraduate days, I frequent the Sara P Duke Gardens a lot. Most of the time it was because the garden was a short cut from where I lived on Central Campus to the Main (West) campus. And I truly enjoyed the strolls through the parks, the air was definitely fresher, and the variety of ducks that populate the ponds were always a joy to watch.
The garden was also where my boyfriend(s) and I spend some time. It was like a perfect way to spend some quiet time and we occasionally wander there in the evening to spend quality time. Sometimes we bring our books along, and a pareo and have out own little picnics, while chilling and watching people throw frisbees to their dogs/or friends and studied a paragraph or two from our organic chemistry textbooks. During the weekends, newly married couples would head to the gardens to have their wedding pictures taken simply because of the amazing foliage that thrives there.
Then when I worked with WWF and was exposed to more environmental issues, I figured I should start getting used to having some green plants in my life. Come on, how tough could it be right? To grow plants?
I first started with a cactus in my office. I sat next to a window which received reasonable amount of natural daylight and plus, it was a cactus, which required minimal water and care. And so I thought....
Turned out the cactus "died" on me. And then many more followed suit - and I couldn't help but to feel that instead of becoming a better conservationist, I was turning out to be a serial cactus killer. Each time I killed one, I'll buy a new one, and in a week or two - it just dies. And the whole process repeats itself till I was know as the "girl who can grow a cactus" in the office.
I knew then that I didn't have those green fingers. And to accept that fact while I was working on building a career in conservation was a real blow to my confidence.
So I conveniently left it as that and never thought of or touched any plants. I thought maybe I was jinxed with these fingers of mine. Poor plants!
In 2001, when I was pregnant and took a hiatus from work, my husband and I moved in to our new home. It was spacious and had two small patches of garden - one in the front yard and one in the back. Now, I was enveloped with fear for maybe our house would be THE house with either NO GARDEN or a horribly looking one.
Day in and out I would stare at the mess we had outside and I couldn't summon myself to be creative let alone bold to manage the yard. Over time, I even developed this fear of doing anything relating to growing plants. I actually thought that my hands would kill them.
And one day, I figured I'll give it a try. I had all the time in the world before I was going to deliver our first child - so I figured I might as well learn a thing or two about gardening and hopefully expand my mind and will end up with more knowledge in this feared field of botany. And plus, I was really getting green with envy looking at the other beautiful gardens out there. Not wanting to miss out on beautifying the house, I was determined to pull through from this fear and start again.
I was not working, chilling and growing bigger in the belly region and I began researching and reading about tropical plants. I started by trying to get hold of plants from family and friends and began to start to grow them. While some survived and some didn't, I presevered and read more and started to frequent nurseries.
I learned so much from the caretakers of the nurseries as thy share growing tips and also impart some practical tips for me. Websites helped too as it really opened up my mind to the kinds of tropical plants that are suitable to be planted at home, and so forth.
To keep the story short, I now have an amazingly green garden where flowers are constantly blooming, the leaves shine with amazing shades of green and some are now bearing fruits.
Recently I started using vermicompost to fertilize the soil in my garden. The vermicompost used are from the African Nightcrawler species and their poop have been super excellent. My roses have not stopped blooming, my lilies have these vibrant pink and white stripes, and best of all, there are now less pests in the garden.
I know some of you may not be too keen on using the African Nightcrawler vermicompost because this species is not found locally. And there are many issues that are debatable about it. However, there are also a whole range of species that are currently IN the country which have been gradually populating this new niche and have to some extent, posed to be invasive species. For instance, pet snakes (anacondas which are non native to Malaysia), fish (carp for instance), and so forth. So whether its these worms, or some other species of exotic non-native fish, either way, it's pretty tough to stop these species from entering other ecosystems.
(I like to compare it to the human race though. Like the migration of Australians to Malaysian, marrying our local Malaysians, earning and working in a non native country. So much as we don't like the entry of invasive species like the African Nightcrawlers, what do we have to say about the migration of Australians to Malaysia?)
(I like to compare it to the human race though. Like the migration of Australians to Malaysian, marrying our local Malaysians, earning and working in a non native country. So much as we don't like the entry of invasive species like the African Nightcrawlers, what do we have to say about the migration of Australians to Malaysia?)
But vermicompost business operators will tell you a different story. Compared to our local earth worms, the African Nighcrawlers seem to be better producers of their poop and seem to be more disciplined in how they live. The Nightcrawlers are less likely to "run away" and live mostly close to the topsoil which helps them excrete their wastes better. Our local counterparts, on the other hand, tend to have this wandering syndrome and roam extensively, thus reducing their output (especially if you are farming them to produce vermicompost).
The vermicompost (also known as vermicast) I am currently using is produced locally (although the species is Australian). I have been using it for a year, and it has tranformed my garden to an urban oasis. Take a look at it here.
It is odorless, non-toxic and of course, chemical-free. It is also safe to use for indoor and outdoor plants. I top up the soil of my potted plants with the vermicast every 6 weeks or so, or depending on how the plants are doing and just watch the garden grow.
If you are keen to try this vermicast, drop me an email and I could direct you to the right person who is selling it here. And if you are a farmer and would like to explore potential business opportunities related to worm farming and production of organic fertilizers, do send me an email so that I can direct you to the right person.
Meanwhile, of course a beautiful garden does not magically appear. It takes quite a bit of time and patience to learn the tips and tricks to making your neighbours envy your home. However, if I can do it, then anyone can. And I envy Mary because she never had to go through what I did.
Mary Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
