Irene Chen
The Advocate
“Rare does not equal expensive. A plant only becomes expensive when a large number of people want the same one at the same time, driving up pricing ridiculously. I also hesitate in promoting any particular rare plant as the dark side of this means that the more publicity they get, the higher the prices go and the faster they disappear from their natural habitat.’
Plant publicity. But publicity nonetheless. And it is a subject that Irene Chen is familiar with, as one of the most prominent faces in the Malaysian plant collecting community and the hand behind Leafing Around, her Youtube channel that is part-documentary, part-advisory and part-spotlight on the incredible world of plant collections, hers and others. Instead of rare, Irene prefers the word ‘wow’, a moniker she bestows upon Licuala Cordata, a breath-taking palm with almost perfect circular leaves that is endemic to her native Sarawak and Begonia Chlorosticta, an otherworldly Sarawakian species that looks as if Seurat applied his pointillist brush to a leaf. It is said that this Begonia has not been spotted in the wild since 1967. In scientific parlance, this is called ‘extinct in the wild.’
“I’ve started thinking a lot about the ethics behind plant supply, especially rare ones. Am I part of the problem, that could be leading to scavenging and poaching as a means of surviving through a crippling pandemic? But then, from a different angle, perhaps we are rescuing these plants from a habitat that could be destroyed for development or logging. Then you lose not just the specific plant, but the entire jungle. I used to give this little thought, but now I do.”
With that on her mind, Irene is much more discerning about what she brings home to her garden these days. Not just in profusion and variety, but in her ability to care for them. There have been casualties in the past – ‘tuition fees’, she calls them – but the result is an astonishing garden that is as serene in its vibe as it is remarkable in its array. In this canvas, plants are the yin and the hardscape – the underlying non-plant structure – is the yang, and ‘together they form a balance and dance beautifully together.’
“The way I’ve put my plants together – which is a fairly respectable collection – is to create a sense of identity for my home and living space. It is not the possession of individual rare or highly desirable plants that I am proud of. In fact, the reverse is true. I feel like some plants are discriminated against! So instead of talking about trending plants, I’d rather talk about those that have been overlooked – the Begonias, Platyceriums, Heliconias, Calatheas and ferns that are still reasonable in their availability and value.”