PART 1: MONEY DOES “GROW” ON TREES

NURTURING plants started off as a hobby for three gardening enthusiasts in Subang Jaya. Each of them was motivationally driven differently. For Crystal Wong, gardening started off as a hobby; dabbling in edible plants and vegetables. Erwin Tong stepped into the garden because he was curious about plants and wanted to test his one true skill – nurturing. For Yeoh Jit Shiong, it was a hobby he picked up to destress at home after work.

Gardening has however grown on them like moss growing on rocks along a stream. These three USJ9 residents have since graduated into turning their hobby into a sustainable initiative right from their garden. Crystal and Erwin have turned their hobby into a home-based business while Jit Shiong has turned it into one that helps pay for his hobby or to exchange plants with other gardening enthusiasts.

We caught up with them recently to find out more about their green venture.

CRYSTAL WONG

I started gardening as a hobby almost eight years ago. Together with my husband Khy, I began planting edible herbs, vegetables and even fruiting trees. The plants grew and multiplied.

Having more than we needed for our own consumption, I started selling the extra herbs, vegetables and fruiting trees on social media. The response was good.

Armed with that confidence, Khy and I started dabbling in Aroids focusing on Colocasias and Philodendrons. Hubby is the one who plants. I just help to sell to clear space in the garden.

“Editor’s Note: Aroids are from the family Araceae and include many common houseplants like aglaonemas, monsteras, philodendrons, pothos and ZZ plants. While these plants tend to be “low light” indoor plants, they’re often understory plants in the wild.”

I believe we have discovered our forte in this venture and will continue to grow more of these for our customer base which has grown.

Our customers follow me on social media. I usually post on my Facebook the variety of edible and ornamental plants available for sale.

The Aroids pricing however, depends on whether they are common or rare in the market. It also depends on the size of the plant. But overall, a plant is actually not too hard to care for; the hardest part is to find the time to care for it.

Crystal can be contacted at 011-5652 1007.

Find out more about gardening on Subang Jaya’s Plants & Gardens https://www.facebook.com/groups/SJGardens