Plant Exchange

Greenies of the Selangor and FT Gardening Soc (SFTGS) inevitably look forward to the annual plant exchange  at our beloved patron, Tan Sri Chong Hon Nyan's house.

Outwardly the event might look like a 'lelong' of plants  but more things  surface  when one is enjoying oneself there.

This event usually takes place on a Sunday. It spells camaraderie - of people and plants. The simple request  goes: gather ye some plants, pot or bag them with tlc, bring them and do an exchange with someone else's plant/s. Or just donate your money to the SFTGS if your plant is sold.

There was quite a good selection of plants. This time round, I bought plants I had 'killed' off - cili , kesum and aloe vera. I added  a sweet basil and a peppermint plant. Someone brought  an armful of cinnamon leaves to give away.They were snapped up in a jiffy.

Another member who has a thriving  rearing goat business brought goat dung and fresh milk  to sell. The goat dung really does wonders to the plants.

Not to be outdone, Puan Sri Chong's fruit acar  always adds to the coffers of our Soc. In fact, our dear patron and his wife make us proud of them. Our Soc tagline, 'ALL Things Grow With Love', just suits them to the T. Take a walk into their garden and you'll  wish you had a piece of their treasures! There's also birds which chirp  beautifully in the background. That's also one of their passions.

We bought our brand new publication titled:  Gardening in Malaysia. Flowering Plants Vol.1. It  was launched at our annual gathering  and the response is encouraging. More issues are in the pipeline - 2)Ground Covers,Annuals, Herbs ,3) Climbers, Bulbs, Foliage Plants 4)Trees and Palms. All the issues are for the layman's usage - suits me fine:)

Our hospitable hosts made sure we had our fill of local favourites- curry mee, popiah, kuay teow, mee rebus and ice kacang. Say no to food? never!

Yummy food at your command!

Plants potted in a variety of containers for exchange or sale.

Our patron, Tan Sri Chong Hon Nyan and members enquiring about the goat fertiliser and milk on sale.

Puan Sri Chong 's signature acar always makes an appearance to get more funds for the Soc.

So many plants to choose from. I bought an aloe vera, cili padi, croton, peppermint plant and sweet basil. 

Our banner to greet the members at our patron's house.

Plant Exchange

When garden enthusiasts meet, plants do the talking! That's what our dear patron of the Selangor and FT Gardening Society, Tan Sri Chong Hon Nyan desired when he hosted yet another of our regular yearly plant exchange in his house.

You can be assured that the warmth of the lovely couple greets you, accentuated by the red glow of the red canopy above our heads. Luck was on our side  too as the incessant rain of the past weeks kept away and the sun smiled on us.

I brought two plants with a wish of finding them new homes. Specially wanted  a happy soul to take home  the vitex trifolia or the simpleleaf chaste tree. The shrub sits under  my jacaranda tree and complements  nicely with its lavender flowers. The clusters of berries rectify  hormonal imbalances in females. I extolled its virtues to our ex- president, Arthur and he  bought it. All for a ringggit 5 tag. All plants sold go towards the Society's coffers.

As usual, I was on the lookout for some new plants. Imagine for only ringgit 28.00 spent, I got myself  a custard apple sapling, lemon basil, jasmine (cestrum nocturnum), a stem cutting of a genus of the monstera, a packet of lady finger seeds and a tub of home-made pickled fruits which is our patron's wife's speciality.

The owner who parted with her Night blooming jasmine (Lady of the Night) as she was moving from her condominium told me  to expect the knockout fragrance of the plant. And for the lingering fragrance that wafts in the air even after it is plucked.

Following the do's and don'ts of  a good plant exchange, the event  went smoothly. Nothing  littered the compound of our gracious patron as unsold plants were taken home by the owners. As usual, our patron treated  the members to a delightful lunch  of kari and prawn mee, kuay teow, popiah and ice kacang which we ate heartily.

Within those brief hours, we immersed ourselves talking about our nature pursuits, the behaviour of our garden plants, composting etc. There is so much to share and learn from each other. With such wonderful garden tales, there is nothing left to do but just to fall in love over and over again with plants. They really do speak to us. Our duty is to care for them.

Food and plants go  together well !

Lovely pendulous sprays of yellow flowers in  our patron's garden which is a trove of plants everywhere you look!

The lovely delicate flowers of the vitex trifolia

Small plants to suit  a balcony garden

Tall plants that need space.

The price tag of ringgit 5  doesn't set one back in the pocket!

A nursery was invited to sell some plants.

Bonus time -  on behalf of Arthur, our president Dr Tan handed out a packet of vermicompost and a soil mix each to every member.

Arthur showing us this plant which is said to have anti - cancer properties

I bought a stem cutting

Like my plant?

Making  choices

A wealth of knowledge  lies here!

Plant Exchange

It is my experience that when gardeners meet, they touch each other's hearts. You only have to witness gardeners meeting for the first time. It's as if they 've known each other for a long time !

At our SFTGS (Selangor and Federal Territory Gardening Soc) bi-annual plant exchange at our dear patron, Tan Sri Chong Hon Nyan's house (just off Jalan Duta, KL) the members were only too glad to be his guests. With his wife, Puan Sri , both are superb hosts. As usual, the couple treated us to a wonderful buffet lunch which made it all the more special.

Our plant exchange works in a simple way. Grow your plants or bring your cuttings and exchange them with someone else's plants. If one has nothing to offer, he/she can buy the plants and the money goes to the SFTGS kitty. The whole idea is to be informal and support the GREEN message.

A circular is sent ahead of time for members/guests to bring some plants to share . That morning, happy faces hugged plants and plonked them with the rest. Needless to say, they got instant attention and were greeted eagerly with 'Hey! What have you got?' Believe me, there's always something , a 'gem' that makes its appearance. You should hear the whoops of delight when that one is there!

My pots of herbs

Red is always auspicious. The canopy overhead gave us a rosy glow!

I came prepared with 7 pots of herbs . And I went home with a pot of caladiums, a cutting of pink hoya, a passionfruit plant, a sample of wild orchid, some miniature cannas and a bunch of orchids.

The plant exchange was like a mini plant fair. Call it 'lelong', if you like 'coz a little bargaining didn't hurt at all! Just think how a simple get -together such as this can engender such liveliness between plants and humans for those brief hours.

The generosity of gardeners is legendary too. Talking to gardeners, most are willing to share on plants, cuttings, seeds, flowers and even produce. Our ex- president, Eric Simon, himself an author and true blue horticulturist, donated orchids, bananas and caladiums from his farm. All sales were donated to the SFTGS.

Plump produce from Eric Simon's farm

Unknown to many, the SFTGS is a great society to join and enjoy the countless green activities. Monthly talks by specialists in the different fields of horticulture are conducted. The SFTGS does a fine job of reaching out to gardening clubs in schools whenever the opportunity arises. I laugh my head off when I hear remarks that refer to gardening as a 'retiree's hobby'!! Personally I would like warped notions such as this erased forever .

Greening the earth concerns every child and adult. If love for gardening can be nurtured, Mother Earth can smile and breathe easy. Children that respect plants will naturally respect nature. As members, we are always delighted to see young faces.

Try to introduce the fun element when gardening with kids. Children love to see flowers bloom. Try some hardier versions of flowers like marigolds. They are quick to grow and hard to kill! Do not have many rules. After all, a little play with earth is alright as long as the hands are properly washed after it is all over.

I would like to suggest to our radio stations to have a radio programme on plants. The incredible wealth of horticulture we possess can be tapped into. Anyone can garden, even be a balcony gardener. For starters, how about gardening tips 'coz everybody loves tips, more so when they come free!

It was a fun and gregarious event. From the plant exchange, I got more than I gave. Certainly there's enough to stir the ground as soon as I got home. My garden awaits...

http://www.sftgs.org.my/