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35 Syed Hussein Al-attas garden It has being a long time since my last visit to this place on 8th April 2004. The first couple of pictures wanted to show that there was absolutely no signage to prompt you where or when to stop to investigate where the house would be. So the few pictures are actually showing landmarks for recognition.. Lastly, the last topo picture from Google also provide more clues. This day, the garden had no gate and I walked in uninvited. There was the Jaguar car and the very nice looking house. Stood there for while hoping that I could detect some movement and from thereon, I could seek permission to enter. After a while, a flash came through my mind. This is the puasa month. Tenants could have got up early to start their fast. Rather rude of me to make noise and intrude at the same time, So not an error that I included so many pictures of myself. Just to illustrate my mood of hesitation. The Jaguar car was parked in front of the house. Yes! It is impolite to intrude. Only at the entrance, we stayed a short while to make some pictures to commemorate our short Intrusion. Leaving what I had written, I visited the garden once more on 21st September 2022 and confirmed that the good professor has left this world on 23rd January 2007. Can now say that the garden is still kept in respectable state without him around. Location #1. No signage - Landmark the bridge and river with rocks Thre is no signage as to where the house would be. For me, I depended on seeing this river and also confirming by the many river rocks on its bank
#2. Entrance to the access road Follow this small road going in
#3. The Water Works Only less than 100 meters, the first landmark to confirm that you are at the right place
#4. Here is a copy of Google sketch Help in giving more clue?
The Visitors #5. I got this picture of myself Very sceptical of being an uninvited guest
#6. Reached the Rock garden Not very sure whether I should intrude further inside
#7. Turned and on my way out I left the place. This was my sentiments after not keeping myelf updated. No notice placed anywhere but the place allows walk in visitors
#8. My buddy walking in towards the inner part To the fruit farm
#9. making record of his own Now he is at work
#10. One picture please My Dutchman companion
#11. last of my Gang Of Four Also busy at work
#12. A classic Jaguar car This is the Jaguar S-Type from the new millennium
#13. First look at the house River Fishes - You named it they purportedly could have stock
#14. Could be the main entrance from the side Right side while going out
#15. Side of the House Right side while going out
#16. Another annex to the house Right side while going out
#17. The Chicken crossed the road Right side while going out
#18. A Rock garden Right side while going out
The plants As for the interest of collecting plants, I do have constraints and so I merely skimmed on the surfaces of this interest and keeping myself informed of the trend. When it comes to keeping a collection, there was the old standard of seeking rare unique plants. That objectives remains but slightly varied when it comes to the words rare & exotic. The collections that Pak Habit is from an earlier era. Many new type plants are now added, and quite a few old standards lost popularity. One thing for certain in his collection he did stressed heavily on variegated plants as Exotic. Which is still the prevailing norm # 4-1 Clerodendrum paniculatum clerodendrumpaniculatum
# 4-2 Aocacia odora alocaciaodora
# 4-3 Alocasi macrorrhizos alocasiamacrorrhizos
# 4-4 Potted plants and rocks General view -one section of garden
Here there were these couple of Bromeliad which I cannot get an exact ID on them. Bromeliad are plants found in tropical and sub-tropical Americas. In original state most species of Bromeliads typically grow on trees as epiphytes. Epiphytes develop minimal roots and absorb most of their nutrients through their foliage while those planted in house hold garden are terrestrial species. The plants are appreciated by their short thick stems and with spiny foliage that grows into rosette # 4-5 Guzmania bromeliad Needs some one more familiar with these plants for a more accurate ID
# 4-6 Aechmea chantinii I cannot ignore taking their pictures and not knowing what they actually are. Now that put some meaning to the word "Exocic plants"
# 4-7 Bougainvillea Hawaiian White This normally bushy plant is now made into a "Bonsai" presentation
# 4-8 Bambusa-multiplex - “Alphonse Karr” Elegant stripes and manageable size make Alphonse Karr one of the most popular bamboo cultivars as either a functional hedge or a decorative specimen. This clumping variety has beautiful golden culms with thin green stripes. Native to tropical regions, it will perform best in hot humid climates, growing up to 30 feet tall, with 1.5 inch poles. It also grows well in cooler, more temperate regions, but might only get 10 or 15 feet in height. Alphonse Karr is cold hardy down to about 15º F, but it does prefer warmer conditions to really thrive. To show off the attractively striped culms, it’s best to prune back the leaves and branches from the lower portion of the plant.
# 4-9 Bambusa-multiplex - “Alphonse Karr” Elegant stripes and manageable size
# 4-10 Hibiscus with exceptionally large flowers Hibiscus - this species I couldn't put a name to it. As I mentioned earlier, Hibiscus as a collector's plant has lost its popularity. Only a hand full of die-hards are keeping that interest alive
# 4-10 Hibiscus Aphrodite The cultivar Aphrodite Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus) was developed by the National Arboretum in the 1970s. It is a more compact species, has semi-upright growth. The main feature of this shrub is the thick petaled, ruffled, clear pink single flowers (around 4" in diameter) with a dark red eye.
# 4-12 Red Hibiscus Yet another large red flower with multiple petals and which I cannot identify
# 4-13 Dracaena surculosa dracaenasurculosa
# 4-14 Water hycinith - Echhornia crassipes waterhycinith- echhorniacrassipes
# 4-15 Impatiens walleriana impatienswalleriana
# 4-16 Ananas cosmosus ananascosmosus
The garden This page about the garden of "Professor" Syed Hussein Al attas in Janda Baik. In the process of going through to learn more about Pak Habib's identity I found that Ai attas is a fairly common family name in Saudi Arabia Here in Malaysia Syed Hussein Al-attas is also very well known figure. He was the Vice chancellor of University of Malaya and founder of the Gerakan political party. While the name is identical to this owner of the garden, Pak Habib. the other professor has additional title of "Dr Dato". Coming back to this garden and this page, Pak Habib is an artist by interest who picked up skills in architecture and landscaping during his travel days. Now on this 8 acres site in Janda Baik just along side Sungei Cerengin, he started his garden. Inspired by the tales of Hanging Barden of Babylon. He had accumulated close to 700 earthen vases and pots, many of them suprt [arge sizes as shown in the pictures, collected countless number of exotic plants and fruit trees. He named this garden "Hana" in Japanese language meaning flower. After the garden has taken shape he built the family home last. Today on this locations, one could count that there are no less then 5 buildings. # 5-1 A walking path It led to more land further inside his compound where ornamental trees and local fruit trees are planted
# 5-2 The Vases
# 5-3 University Of Life So often mentioned on the internet - this "University Of Life" then sharing this address as the house. I get the impression that this term is more as expression or a catch phrase in his life. I don't see any where mentioned a building or a stablishment as in a real unverisity
# 5-4 More examples of Vases
Well, so far the couple of recent trips, I have walked inside the garden twice - sort of illegally, thas what I thought. On the internet, it is now mentioned 8am-5pm All visitors welcome The garden and the plants were no longer as much and not so healthy looking as I saw tem some 12 years back. Still I take my hat off to the owner. His knowledge of plants and the amount of effort he had put in to collect and assemble them inside a tiny garden id commendable. In line with my new hobby of looking after plants, I will be going back to make more pictures
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