On a trip to Australia, I noticed that there are actually services where a specialist team of gardeners can come to your home every six months or so to trim plants and creepers in the garden.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending how you look at it, we have not reached that stage yet here in Malaysia.
Well at least for now, here are some of tips that you may find useful when it comes to planting creepers.
If you want a green wall without the hassle of overgrown creeper plants, also consider a vertical garden system, where the plant is growing from planted pots that stack up.
Planting creepers in your home
Creeper plants are a great way to add a touch of design to our homes the natural way, not to mention it is trendy now. You can certainly get creative with these flexible plants.
An example would be bringing them outside of the garden onto the cement walls. Say you plant the Ficus pumila, also known as the creeping fig; they will anchor and creep upwards, eventually giving you a nice lush green wall.
Some people also plant them on a low roof, along the awnings, where they hang down nicely like a green curtain.
They make an otherwise concrete home more cosy and welcoming, blending nature into man’s design.
However, a potential problem is that creepers can grow aggressively out of control, also leaving marks on your walls if you remove them.
Tips & ideas:
• Go the traditional route and plant creepers or vines on lattice “walls” or trellis made from wire or wood, which wouldn’t leave marks. The good part is you can get creative with how and where you place them.
• If you want a green wall, but without the hassle of overgrown creeper plants, also consider a vertical garden system, where the plant is growing from planted pots that stack up.
• When it comes to choosing the plant for your wall, assess if the wall is facing the sun or mostly shaded. Choose the plant according to the right conditions, be it a sun loving or shade loving creeper.
• Also, if you can get creepers that have flowers or better still, fragrance, that will add more enjoyment for you.
You can also opt for creepers that have flowers or with fragrance.
Neo Nusantara creates beautiful landscapes for Malaysian homes. To learn more, visit their website at www.neonusantara.com or www.terragarden.com.my or call: 03-7880 8018.
