Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Setting up the first phase of Seri Iskandar Garden.

We spent 2 weeks recently over in Seri Iskandar home, a house built almost fifteen years ago but we never stay even for a night. The feeling is still like coming home.   The inside is empty, surprisingly all lightings, pipe fittings, built in kitchen cabinets and bedroom wardrobes are still in good conditions.  A dream house some years ago, and now we coming to stay for real.

Kakdah was busy with her curtains and getting the basics going. New big refrigerator, washing machine and gas stove were purchased. It's like a young couple getting basic infra into their first home....... We realised things are costly now.

While kakdah was busy inside, I stayed outside assessing what's need to be done. Some seedlings had been prepared and carried all the way from seri kembangan, 300km away.

Garden and Lawn

Before: 2  mango trees, 1 lime tree (limau kasturi), 1 henna tree (inai), 1 big clump of lengkuas or galangal, and 1 clump of  lemon grass.  And there is colony of cherry trees at the front gate which probably grow through birds dispersal. The rest are all patches of grass growing on poor soil.

After: Both of us discussed, and agreed to allow only one mango tree, so one had to go.  I did it in stages, trimming branches and upper parts, before finally coming to the main trunk.  . Mansor brought in 10 bags of decomposed cow dungs, 5 bags of palm oil refinery waste from Pengkalan Bharu for soil improvement.  I put in a number of plants to form skeletal framework to the garden.
patchy grass on poor soil

soil improvements done in sections
soil improvements done in sections

a peek through old mouldy front fence gives eerie feeling

limau kasturi / citrus microcarpa  at the backyard



Ceperai/ champeria manillana    





3 papaya seedlings

papaya close up with coconut husk as soil cover

3 papaya seedlings


4 pineapples seedlings


3 companions : asin-asin, keladi and ginger

It's the eventual retirement house, so we will keep coming back to get used to things around here, the house, the garden and the neighbours.  Newly introduced plants like pineapples, asin-asin,  keladi or yam/taro/caladium, papaya, cemperai, lemongrass, Leucaena leucocephala/petai belalang  and Napier grass. are tough and they dont need a gardener to babysit them on daily basis. We will keep returning to the old house on regular basis, once a month at least, until I finally retire.


It's really a rare 2 weeks long vacation.




bangchik and kakdah
Gardening at Seri Iskandar Home.

12 comments:

  1. The house looks wonderful, an exciting new garden to start, what else do you want after retirement. I am looking forward to the progress in your garden.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Janneke.... for now just skeletal new garden. I will be focussing on the lawn, for a green and healthy setting.

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  2. Hai.

    Nak promote blog jap. Sape2 yg kaki shopping, penggemar2 gadget handpfhone,speaker dan seumpama dengannya, boleh singgah ke blog saya http://sukasukigadget.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. A New Year and and a new beginning, looking forward seeing your garden grow

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  4. Salam. I am kind of new to gardening and I was a "town-woman". So please excuse my basic questions. Those coconut husks, does it help improve the soil? or just as soil covers? AND where do you get those?

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    Replies
    1. coconut husk will retain moisture and helps to create cool microclimate around it. We got it from sister's place in Perak.

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  5. Kat mana kawasan perumahan tu? Nampak tenang sekali.

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    Replies
    1. Maaf lewat respon..... kawasan Seri Iskandar Perak.

      Delete