IN TUNE WITH the heartbeat of Corporate Malaysia and accustomed to the dissonant symphony of rush hour and inexplicable heavy traffic, we now find ourselves yearning to reconnect with an old friend — nature. Close proximity to a green belt and/or yard space tops the list of criteria determining our dream home. And there are no second thoughts about setting aside money to beautify our personal green space. We are definitely thirsty for a private and verdant sanctuary.  

There are easy and highly popular themes to work with. Will it be the classic English garden complete with Victorian bench; Japanese with stones, water feature and bonsai; or maybe Balinese with a gazebo, lush palms and frangipani?

“Why look so far?” Desmond Ho often asks his potential clients.

Ho is founder and managing director of Terra Garden Sdn Bhd, a specialist in themed garden designs. Since starting up the company in 2000, he has been advocating a garden concept that is reflective of Malaysia’s culture rather than borrowing foreign themes.

He calls it Neo Nusantara, after the region, and Ho and his team have spent the past 10 years shaping and developing the image of a truly Malaysian garden.

“The Japanese garden, English garden … these are styles easy to identify. They have their personalities. But what is the Malaysian garden? This is something that is still grey,” says Ho passionately.

“For the past decade, we studied the culture and craft that have come into Malaysia and from there we created our own interpretation of these elements from a garden perspective.”

They looked at elements that have melded into the nation’s colourful cultural tapestry, such as the pucuk rebung leitmotif used in our carvings and batik prints, the weave of the kain pelikat and the lifestyle of the inhabitants of pre-Independence-style kampung houses. They took these and translated them into what Ho believes can be the components of a well-defined, quintessential Malaysian garden.

“It’s a collective sense of our identity,” he stresses.

This vision is influenced by vivid memories of an idyllic childhood in Melaka.

“Back then, the house was just meant for sleeping at night and as shelter during the rainy season. The doors opened first thing in the morning and didn’t close until night time. There were no gates and fences. Once the doors are opened, you’re out. Our ‘garden’ then was anything from the wall of the house outside. You ran through padi fields, towards the streams, right through to the neighbouring villages,” Ho recalls.

“Children have a special relationship with nature. I remember when I was young, even when it rained we would find an excuse to go out. Then you move to the city, start working and reality sets in. You get caught up in the rat race. The beauty of nature — that is what my work is all about.”  

At the heart of a Neo Nusantara garden is the engagement of the five senses. Ho says that stimulating the five senses is key to unlocking the potential haven in your yard. The first is sight. Orchestrate the space for beauty to attract and invite. Once it is there, reward it with touch — the second sense — and comfort. Add seating or lounge decks and throw pillows that allow conversation or even a nap. For sound, add a lively water feature that offers the same aural pleasure as a babbling brook. Then, for the sense of smell, pick fragrant plants that will activate in the slightest breeze — an organic aromatherapeutic pleasure if you will. Once all these are in place, you can prepare your own stimulant for taste — take a mug of coffee or teh tarik to your garden, sit back and relax as you soak in your surroundings.   

“The more attractive it is, the more inviting it is; people will come out and use the space. When no one uses the garden, it becomes soulless,” comments Ho. “A starry night, sunrise or sunset, after the rain when the air is fresh and crisp … these pleasures are yours at any given time if you have a space out there ready to receive them. This is the ideal garden. You want to harness pleasure from nature … let nature entertain you.”

Since its introduction to the market, the Neo Nusantara garden concept has garnered quite a few accolades, including some global recognition: the Excellence Award at the 2007 Waikato Home & Garden Show in New Zealand, Bacher Outdoor Living 2007 in Switzerland, Good Design Award 2003 in Japan and gold medal at the Shrewsbury Flower Show, Birmingham, in 2008.

Signature elements of Neo Nusantara include lattice screens whose slats are based on the kain pelikat sarong, the classic pangkin (a raised timber deck seating not unlike those seen in a traditional kampung set-up), the “kuda-kuda”, fashioned after the traditional coconut scraper, the “bangku” (bench), lighting fixtures in the shape of “jantung pisang” (banana flower) and the “dayang bunting” ceramic jar water feature.

Each piece has a story that reflects our lifestyle or heritage. The design or creation of these elements is conceived as and when they are required in a scheme or layout of a garden. If there are new innovations, Ho documents them in newspaper articles. Only some of the components or techniques have industrial patents because he believes the concept of the Malaysian garden belongs to all Malaysians.

“Whatever we have done to shape the Malaysian garden is out there for anyone and everyone,” he says generously. “I can claim I initiated it, that’s all, but I’m happy. It has to belong to all Malaysians.

“We are in a transition period — we are still trying to sort out our identity. So many arguments out there already — ‘Rasa Sayang is mine’, ‘assam laksa is yours’… we are in a cultural state of confusion. It is like an adolescent trying to sort out his identity.

“So, we are using the garden to present a strong image that this is what being Malaysian is all about. The style and concept will grow and evolve. All we can do now is to be true to the times; when the next generation of designers come, they will see this and reinterpret it to their times and tastes.”

This article first appeared in The Edge haven, on Issue #63 October + November 2013.