A reminder of the trees and plants that were once popular
THIS week, I would like to remind readers of the trees and plants that used to be popular with gardeners locally. When I turn to some old records and floral books, I am reminded of what we used to love, but now seem to be out of fashion.
One such book was ‘Selected Plants for Town and Country Beautification in Sarawak’ by Dr Paul Chai and Sylvester Kiew – the pioneers of urban landscaping in Sarawak, especially in Kuching in the 1970 to 1990s. Unfortunately, many of the 101 selected species of trees, shrubs, palms, herbs, and ground covers that we used to see along roadsides, public parks, and home gardens are not there anymore.
Nowadays, many seem to be out of touch with the planting preferences of the past. The homes of today also provide little space for gardening. Those living in apartments have even less space to plant old favourites.
However, gardens still have a place in modern society as beautification is an important factor in an urban environment to help soften hard structures made of concrete, metal, or wood. Trees also provide a cool and shady environment for city dwellers, especially in our humid and hot tropical climate.
Old favourites
Most of the selected trees, shrubs, and plants are wellknown for flowering and good shade, and are suitable for formal planting in various locations.
Sea hibiscus (Hibicus tiliaceus) – this is a shrub with a low-spreading rounded crown of up to eight metres in height. It will continuously produce attractive bright yellow flowers that fade to a dull pink by the afternoon before dropping off. An ideal addition for parks and roadsides. Being coastal in origin, it tolerates brackish conditions and is suitable for growing in sandy soil.
Pride of India (Lagerstroemia speciosa) – this is a medium-sized tree that can reach 15 metres in height. The crown is round and has a spreading canopy. The flowers are showy in pink to a deep purple colour. This is also suitable for parks and roadsides for shade and flowers.
Spanish cherry (Mimusops elengi) – this is a bushy shrub that can actually still be seen at the Sungai Maong bazaar. It has a dense round canopy, that grows several metres tall. It is a slow growing shrub with small fragrant flowers. The striking round fruits will turn a bright red when ripe.
Elephant apple (Dellenia indica) – this is a handsome shade tree of great ornamental value that was introduced here. It can reach a height of 15 metres. With a round crown, it bears solitary fruits in green. It provides good shade in an open space.
Flame tree (Delonix regia) – although we still see these in some parks, there are now less of the trees. They tend to flower during the later part of the year, when the whole tree can be found covered in red blooms.
Medang teja (Cinnamomum iners) – the trees are getting scarce now as they are not being replanted in urban areas. This is a handsome tree with green and red leaves. The crown is bushy and attractive.
Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow (Brunfelsia calycina) – this medium-sized shrub has dark green simple leaves. The fragrant flowers first appear in purple, before turning a light lavender, and then white before dropping. It is good for sunny spots and loamy soil. For home gardens, it can be planted in pots or flower beds.
Peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) – is a large hardy shrub with light greyish green leaves. It will profusely produce masses of orange, yellow, and pink flowers to create an impressive sight.
Cotton rosemallow (Hibiscus mutabilis) – this handsome and tall shrub has large greyish green deltoid leaves. The flowers will bloom in white in the morning but gradually turn pink in the afternoon. We used to see them at the traffic light junction around Jalan Mendu and Simpang Tiga in Kuching.
Mussaenda (Mussaenda spp) – this is often mistaken for the Rose of Sharon. However, this shrub bears yellow, orange, or off-white flowers from large prominent hairy bracts. The shrub with pinkish flowers is known as Mussaenda Queen Sirikit, while the one with red flowers as is Mussaenda erythrophylla.
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) – with tall slender stems of up to four metres tall with lasting pink or light pink clusters of flowers, this is a delight especially along roadsides and in gardens.
West Indian Lantana (Lantana camara) – known locally as Bunga Tahi Ayam, it is a thick bushy shrub with thorny stems and branches. The flowers have a strong pungent smell but are lovely and showy in various colours such as white, pink, orange, and yellow.
I hope more of these flowering trees, shrubs, and plants will make a comeback in public and private gardens soon, so that new generations may continue to enjoy their beauty.
Do send me an email if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. Happy gardening.