Hello to all the aspiring green thumbs and gardeners out there. I am Doctor Kris, the new Garden Doctor. I have been gardening for over 25 years. I love tropical gardens, and landscapes with all their beautiful colours.
Bali is like one big tropical garden, and in my opinion has some of greatest natural and human landscaped gardens in the world. From the rice paddies to the palaces, from the mountains to the sea, Bali is a paradise, and its natural greenery is what helps makes it.
I know many of our readers don’t have land or space for a garden. Maybe you live in an apartment, a kost or even a small tourist hotel. Don’t let that stop you!
You can still have a garden, that will brightening up your life and home, wherever that may be! It is as simple as buying a small plant and putting on a table, or on an outside step. A plant is like a living painting.
It will brighten up any area, and all you have to do is give it a little water every now and then. That is how simple it is to have your own little garden!
In this my first article, I would like to encourage those who don’t have a garden, or have never had a garden to start right now. There is no time like the present. A lot of people in Bali live in apartments, but they still need plants to brighten up their lives. Some people think that because they don’t have land that they cannot have a garden, this is simply not true. Some of the best gardens I have ever encountered were indoors.
Just this week I moved to a new residence with a very small garden plot. My only choice was to start on an indoor pot garden. I took some photos of what I have done in my own home, to try and give you some ideas and examples of how to get started on your own garden.
I would like to show you how you can have a garden in pots whilst at the same time, brightening up your own home. A small plant can make a huge difference. A small plant can brighten up whole rooms and areas up, and make a place feel fresh. It can turn a dull space into a new space.
The palm will do well, usually in a shaded area. If you are not sure about a plant and where to put it, try to think about its natural environment. A small palm for example would survive at the forest base, where not much direct light gets through. Most small palms will do much better indoors or in a shaded area, opposed to outdoors in direct sun.
Here is another example of how a small plant can brighten and transform an area. Water Bamboo is placed in a pot near to the front doorway entrance.
Try mixing plants with different foliage colours, and try grouping plants together in clusters to create contrast and an interesting garden. When selecting a plant try and think of its natural environment. Palms and green leafy plants will generally do better indoors than other non-tropical plants. Plants such as roses and pines will do better outdoors or in some direct sunlight. If you are not to sure or confident, just start with one plant first and work your way up from there. I will be here to give you advice.
Buying plants in Bali, is just like buying anything else in Bali. You have to be careful, and follow the rules as if you were bargaining in Kuta or Legian on the tourist stretch.
Just last week at a plant nursery in Seminyak I was offered a small plant for Rp 1,000,000, only to buy the same plant at a different place the next day for just Rp 75,000.
A small palm should cost around Rp50,000, small foliage plant around Rp 20,000. Small rose plants are no more than Rp 5,000. Have a look around at a few different places, to get a good idea of what things are worth, and if you buy more than one plant, always try and get a discount on the total.
Everybody has different tastes or specialties when it comes to gardens. Whether it is trees, flowers, fruit and vegetables or even water features! If you have any interesting advice or anecdotes about your experience with your own tropical garden please send me an email and let me know your thoughts. I would be interested to hear what you have all got to say.
Whatever your interest in gardening I will be here to provide ongoing tips and advice for you. Please feel free to send me an email with your questions about your tropical garden.
So get out there and buy a plant. We can all contribute.
Keep Bali green and beautiful!
