Kebun Ramuan – Edible Garden
John Easthope FAILA – AILA’s IFLA Representative
Recently I had the privilege to be invited to attend the opening of the Kebun Ramuan - Edible Garden by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. As an official representative of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, I had great pleasure in accepting. This paper briefly outlines what I saw.
The garden is located in the grounds of Seri Perdana, the official residence of the present and future Malaysian Prime Ministers. Located in the business capital city of Putrajaya, it is both impressive in its location and the quality of design and construction. It is used for official receptions and banquets and has some excellent public galleries and tours. Generally, construction of the buildings was complete ten years ago. The garden is the latest embellishment to this grand complex.
Putrajaya, a planned city located just south of is the new federal administrative capital of Malaysia.
Kebun Ramuan loosely translated means “garden of ingredients”. Several years ago, the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah decided that plants, once popular as naturopathic remedies or for seasoning in meals was not being grown by nurseries and gardeners. The garden is now an excellent display of these plants supported by landscape infrastructure that is both contemporary in design and superbly constructed.
The design process involved searching out plants that were known, or had the potential have, naturopathic qualities. Historic villages throughout rural Malaysia where targeted with the elderly interviewed to recall no-longer-used remedies for poor health and wellbeing. Use may have been influenced by the clearing of the forests from which the plants were once sourced, the availability of alternative remedies or the cultural shift to western medicine. Whatever, this garden is not only a delight to be in, it also has an important purpose.
There are many gardens with names such as the Bamboo Garden, the Art Garden, the Hanging Garden and the Reed garden implying the design theme. Each is connected with the main garden spine. The gardens are set within a strong architectural framework of walls and paths punctuated with a cascading water feature. The only criticism is circulation throughout the entire garden is restricted with some paths leading to a dead end. Perhaps this is the first phase of larger garden surrounding the official building complex?
Plant material selection is diverse with such species as The Misai Kuuching or Cats Whiskers which can be eaten as a raw salad or the Garuda ,Herb of Grace used for its medical value. Plants are displayed in rows separated by concrete and gravel paths.
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Landscape Architect Credits: (to be notified)
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The photographs on the following pages illustrate my roamings through the city and then the gardens and views of the clever design and the superb attention to detail.
two slide shows:
>> the official opening of the Garden
>> Roaming the City