Appreciating beauty of flora from the top

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From an aeroplane, one could appreciate the wonders of the world, including above rainforest canopies. — Bernama photo

THE majority of us see the world with two eyes, which can scan horizontally and vertically, and can also view three-dimensional objects.

Yet, many rarely appreciate the beauty of flora from the top.

Today, we fly less than we did in previous years when flights were so common – back then, there were over 300 plane take-offs at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and even more at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

We all remember the lovely scenes and natural landscape whenever a flight has taken off, or touched down.

From the aeroplane, we could appreciate the wonders of the world viewed from above the lovely clouds, or the bright red or yellow skyline horizons that I used to photograph.

What drives our inquisitive nature?

Drone-flying is now a hobby amongst many people, who are using the machines to record scenes from aerial view. We, the ordinary people, get to appreciate views from high-rise buildings and also flyovers, especially those being constructed along the Pan Borneo Highway.

The facility made available for people to take a view from atop tree canopies that gave me the idea of sharing this article to the readers.

The tree climbers love to see the forest from the top, and some special towers have been built to allow tourists appreciate the bird’s eye view of natural world.

I believe that the ‘glass bridges’ across several gorges in China work the same way.

The human eyes are still curious about the world we live in; thus, many of us keep on exploring our environment differently – whether to the peaks of the mountains, or the depth of the oceans.

Seeking visual value in creating small trees

We all realise that all things appear smaller from a distance, yet we love smaller things for some reasons – space and convenience are amongst them.

The accidental hybridisation of roses gave rise to the mini roses. Today, there are ‘special-effect’ manipulations such as controlled feeding of nutrition and water, together with chemicals, which can create dwarf plants.

The art of growing miniature trees was first developed by the Chinese between 221 BC and 220 AD – probably during the Han and Qin dynasties.

This art was adopted by the Japanese in 500 AD, which led to the emergence of ‘bonsai’ in 1800s at Asakusa Park in Japan. The early forms of bonsai were mainly grown and perfected by the monks, who regarded the ‘slow-motion pruning’ as helping them to be ‘buried in deep thoughts, or in anti-participation’.

Special specimens for bonsai are sought from the evergreens, spruces, pines, azaleas, willow trees and other species.

The important aspect is making a dwarfed tree proportionate to the actual-size large tree, with all the barks, branches, leaves and even the roots intact.

Through careful pruning and bending, with extensive wiring to coax the plants into ‘convoluted positions’, and also stringent maintenance with specific water and nutrients administration, a perfect piece of artistic creation called a ‘bonsai’ could be achieved.

The Kuching Bonsai Club was established in the 1900s when this art of horticulture reached its height – it became a celebratory display during the festive seasons.

Throughout almost two years of Covid-19 lockdown, bonsai-making could have been a good home-based activity.

Jack Sustic, the museum curator at the US National Arboretum, cares for bonsai trees that are hundreds of years old in the national collection there. — AFP photo

Miniature plants: A new trend

Another art of growing miniature plants that is also popular amongst gardeners is the one that uses flowers. Flora World obtained sources from Kuala Lumpur and Miri gardeners to stock up sale and propagation in the 1900s.

Blooming mini-roses are a favourite amongst many housewives. Actually, mini-roses were a result of an accidental hybridisation in 1730. Over time, this has given rise to the love for minimalism and encourage minimalists to create new varieties. The living room is the most likely place for this art – turning a typical family corner into a beautiful lounge.

The plants add colours and textures, and also serve as camouflage for storage or any other unsightly items.

All indoor plants need to be grown in specially-selected beautiful pots, complete with saucers so as to not make the floor dirty.

Modern sites

Today, there are many shops selling aesthetic pots like the Modella Paster and Le Plant Plant. My friend, Paul, has followed some designs from the websites such as an aluminium display shelf mean to grow specially-selected miniature foliage plants – a lovely spot at the carpark. This art has overturned the usage of bulky and heavy plastic pots that used to occupy display spaces.

Many housewives, who have made this as their hobby, can now post their beautiful creations on various websites for others to see.

The best choice lies in the selection of plants that can detoxify the air inside a room for good health. One must never include any toxic plant that can hurt children.

The good foliage shrubs include the bamboo palm (also known as lady palm), ponytail palm and yellow palm.

Varieties like the dracaena, ‘mother-in-law tongue’, aloe vera and ‘weeping fig’ (Ficus benjamina) are suitable too.

Happy and healthy gardening!