Fresh new flora is blossoming across Hong Kong in vivid bursts of colour and fragrance. More than 110 million shrubs, trees and flowers have been planted in the last decade to enhance our living environment and let people breathe easier - part of the Government's plan to make the city a green model for Asia.
Hong Kong also boasts a surprising number of plant species, with diverse characteristics. Chung Wah-hing, a Senior Leisure Manager in the Leisure & Cultural Services Department, took news.gov.hk on a stroll through the sprawling 22-hectare Tai Po Waterfront Park overlooking Tolo Harbour to introduce some of the more unusual flora examples.
As a consultant in the park's landscape design, Mr Chung is familiar with the plants and their cultivation. The so-called Mickey Mouse plant gets its name from its resemblance to the Disney character after its yellow petals drop and its shiny black berries ripen against a bright red outer casing.
Perfect scents
The greenery fills the park not only with colour, but with scent. The Ylang Ylang tree, known commonly as the Perfume tree, has yellow flowers with talon-like petals that yield a highly fragrant essential oil.
The Incense tree, with its smooth light-grey trunk, oval-shaped leaves and small yellowish-green flowers, was responsible for Hong Kong's name, which means 'fragrant harbour'.
The resin extracted from the tree's wood can be used for making incense and Chinese medicine, its wood for joss sticks, and its bark for paper, Mr Chung said. These products were transported by ship through Hong Kong to other countries, filling the harbour with the tree's enticing scent.
When choosing what to plant in parks and other public spaces, Mr Chung and other consultants take into account what is most suitable for the neighbourhood. They choose shade trees such as the Queen's Crape Myrtle for open areas so that its high spreading crown will provide shelter from the sun.
Green urban-rural links
The Government's eco-friendly plans also aim to maximise the greenery of built-up areas, to help link the concrete jungle with the verdant countryside. This calls for more plants along busy roads to help clear the air and beautify the streets, work that falls under the Civil Engineering & Development Department's purview.
Since 2004, it has developed Greening Master Plans for each district, starting with Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Now that all the large urban areas have been spruced up, the Government has earmarked $350 million to green four New Territories districts: Sha Tin, Sai Kung, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. The work is expected to be completed in 2017.
Its Senior Landscape Architect Janine Nicolson said each district determines the theme of its plan, based on the local landscape and cultural characteristics. Plants are chosen to tie in with that theme.
The theme of Sai Kung is Fragrant Blossom Paths with redolent Magnolias as the theme tree. Madagascar Almond, Chinese Sweet Gum and Weeping Bottlebrush trees were planted in Sha Tin, which has Floral Riverbanks, Verdant Hills as its theme. Yuen Long adopted the theme Golden Sunset, and planted Cinnamon, Paperbark and Purple Trumpet trees.
Tuen Mun adopted the Ruby Flowers, Emerald Mountain theme. The area was formerly called Tsing Shan, or 'green mountain', and the landscape designer will include trees and flowers with abundant red flowers and foliage including the Camellia, Hibiscus, Flame of the Forest and Indian Almond trees.
Rosy future
As Hong Kong people frequently take trips to Japan to witness the eye-popping pink Cherry blossoms in bloom there, the greening experts plan to create a Cherry blossom trail in Hong Kong. They will first plant Taiwan Cherry trees in Sha Tin and Tuen Mun, to see whether they will flourish despite the heat and humidity.
If it succeeds, Hong Kong may expect an even greener - and rosier - future.
Click here for more details on the Greening Master Plans.
