A Rub of the Green
With much of the daily lives now shift domestically during the pandemic, plants help freshen up the house and awaken the soul
With many have taken up to gardening during this coronavirus pandemic, three stars show us how to keep an aesthetic garden at home
NADINE CHANDRAWINATA
Fans of the Puteri Indonesia 2005 who follow her on Instagram would often catch her together with husband Dimas Anggara amid greeneries at home. Nadine has poured all the love and attention in maintaining her yard, and she is no stranger to being a plant mum. “I have loved gardening since I was young,” she said. “When the Covid-19 pandemic happened, I had more room in my schedule to learn more about the types of plants, their growth and how to care for them.” She found out that plants are not inanimate objects that could be left to fend by themselves; they are living things that need care and attention.
Today, Nadine has gathered the fruits of her labour and often enjoys some chilis and limes fresh from the garden to the table. The lovely lady also enjoys making some arts and crafts with her favourites: succulents and air plants. “When you look at my Instagram, I’ve posted some of my best creations there,” she said. “I collected some driftwoods and stones, which are then turned into a frame to hang them on my wall. When you combine some creativity with these high-survivability plants, they turned out to be quite an artistic decoration inside our home.”
AYLA DIMITRI
Ayla Dimitri finds gardening fascinating. With her adventurous spirit and curious nature, she is one busy bee who loves to travels. However, with her working days now spent mostly at home during the pandemic, Dimitri needed a photogenic corner. “When I was looking for a space to do some photoshoot at home, I found that my balcony had been empty for years,” she said. “I surfed Pinterest to find some ideas and found out that the tropical jungle theme perfectly fits my preference. After planning carefully and working with my husband to execute it, I realized that gardening is fun and exciting.”
While some plant parents showed their favourite greens, Dimitri said that she loves all of them unconditionally. I do not want to differentiate all of them since every plant has its characteristic”. However, she also mentioned that caring for these plants is one of the most challenging tasks. Dimitri had to learn the balance between water intake with fertilization and sunshine. “With so many different types of I have, it is important to understand each of their own need,” Dimitri said. “However, at the end of the day, it brings me such joy to see them all thrive.”
RIO DEWANTO
As a result of people staying home due to the large-scale social distancing, the practice of caring and collecting ornamental plants and succulents is becoming increasingly popular. While most garden-enthusiasts are always on the hunt to find beautiful houseplants, Rio Dewanto is fascinated with the unusual appeal of succulents. “I am a big fan of succulents because they are easy to care for and have an unusual appearance,” he said while showing his Pachypodium gracilius or the Madagascar Palm. “Some succulents even have historical and spiritual values such as peyote, a healing tool for Native Americans.”
The actor is no stranger to the world of plants ever since playing in the Filosofi Kopi movie, opening a coffee shop with the same name, and winning the Penggiat Pangan Lokal award for his effort to develop the growth of local coffee plantations. “The key to keeping your garden thriving is knowledge. Know well the kind of plants that you brought home along with its caring instruction,” he said. “Plants need time to bloom beautifully, so you have to be patient. Take the gardening process slowly and do it properly, and it will soon pay off when you have a healthy garden.”