Those who aren’t much of a green finger usually resort to succulents and cacti. But if you find yourself still not able to rear these succulent friends (who are said to be the easiest plant around to be tended), don’t lose hope yet; try your luck with air plants instead. And Wijaya Garden is a perfect place that will provide you more than a proper introduction to this type of plant.
Built 25 years ago, the seven-acre Wijaya Garden has been the best kept secret in Sentul to delight the plant nerd within you. The garden features all manners of ornamental house plants: from bonsai and its ilk to those “greens you often see decorating one’s house but never know what it is called” (they are actually Aglaonema or Chinese evergreens, Philodendron, Bromelia and Guzmania, to name a few) – this place will surely make horticulturists giddy with excitement.
Still, Wijaya Garden’s magnet has got to be their air plants or Tillandsia, its Latin name, as how botanists like to put it. Way before air plant-mania hits Jakarta, the establishment had had a head start in introducing this type of plant native to Central and South America, and since then on, has been the biggest purveyor of air plant in Indonesia.
Houston, Andreana and Ionantha, may sound alien to your ears at first. But you’ll get familiar with them as one of Wijaya Garden’s staffs walks you through the many varieties of Tillandsia by taking you to the nursery. Located at the far side of the garden, the walk to the nursery is quite far, however, it feels less so because it is a scenic route with strips of lush bushes, flowers and a variety of house plants that stretch out as far as the eye can see. As you enter the nursery, watch out for the dangling curtains of Spanish moss – they are beautiful, but can be quite ticklish sometimes.
A trip to Wijaya Garden is an excursion on itself since it is located in Sentul, Bogor. Though concealed from the public, the location is quite easy to find. Just Google your way with the keyword “Wijaya Nursery”, and it will take you to a narrow road nearby the Sentul exit gate of the Jagorawi Toll Road.
An important footnote for visitors though; make sure that you spare more than an hour of your time to visit this garden, because once you get to know air plants, you will be very hard-pressed to leave the garden.
Wijaya Garden
Jl. Anggrek No. 1, Babakan Madang, Sentul, Bogor
Opens everyday, 8am-4pm
+62 21 87951625
