Morning With The Plant Doctor 11-3-17

Our latest activities for members kicked off with a lively session when our President, Dr. Liew, conducted a Morning With The Plant Doctor on Saturday 11 March 2017.

Our Society members were joined by quite a few non-members who'd seen our announcement in The Star newspaper and everyone had a lovely time. Sweet pea flower tea was served with biscuits during the tea break but that didn't stop anyone from asking questions. Some even brought their plants for the doctor to see!

The theme of the morning was the Columbian Exchange, which Dr. Liew explained was all about how plants from the newly discovered American continents made their way to Europe and eventually, to Asia. Plants also made their way across the ocean in the opposite direction, the good doctor elaborated, but the highlight of the morning must surely have been the different plants and fruits that made their way to Penang and on to our dinner tables!

The volunteer members who helped to run the show also set up a little plant stand selling some of the lovely plants which are grown in our garden and courtyard. It was a lovely morning for everyone, and ran up to almost 1 o'clock because everyone had so many questions to ask, including how to treat the ailing grass in their home gardens as well as the best way to deal with plant fungus and caterpillars!

New Members

The following persons were approved as new members of the Friends of the Penang Botanic Garden Societyby the Committee on 12 Jan 2017 -

Susie Khoo Swee Ee (A456)

Ahmad Fakrul Rahimi (A457)

Shoba Rajah a/p Dorai Rajah (A458)

Angela Chan (A459)

Tan Gaik Lim (A460)

Anne Loh Kim Ean (A461)

HK Boys Brigade Group 27 Dec 2016

The 2016 year end season was absolutely hectic but it ended for the most pat in such a nice way when we had the opportunity to take a walk in the Garden with a Boys Brigade group from Hong Kong on 27 December, thanks to Big Asia World Travel & Tour Sdn Bhd..

The boys and girls with their guides were welcomed at the main gate by our President, Dr. Liew, Dr. Liew and our volunteer members. They were given a souvenir brochure with pictures of some of the loveliest and most common flowers to be seen inside.

Their Garden walk took them past the Garden's special areas and occasionally, up some much less travelled terrain. It was a nice way to spend a morning with nature and a knowledgeable guide like Dr. Liew, who was able to show them in real life the various plants and flowers that live at levels in the leafy canopy overhead.

Many of the boys and girls had never experienced an equatorial climate like ours, let alone seen the actual plants that live all around us and it was a fascinating, if also somewhat warm morning for all of them. They were fascinated by the monkeys running about freely without fear of humans.

 The entire walk lasted for nearly two hours as the boys and girls made their way from the Garden's entrance to the very back parts, including many different areas even locals seldom visited.  

At the end of their brief interlude in our Garden, the group and their leader presented the Society with a beautiful commemorative gift to remind us of our brief time together appreciating the trees, plants and flowers of Penang's Botanic Gardens.

The Society had such a lovely time showing the young visitors from overseas the beauty of the island's beautiful Garden that we hope there will be many more of such young enthusiasts' groups coming to Penang to see more of our flora and fauna.

Exotic Rice Cookery Demo Jan 7 2017

Here at Outreach, we are all foodies and we love cooking and sharing recipes, especially when we get to use local herbs in our recipes. So we have great news for all our cookery friends! Two of our members, Ambi and Parudah have agreed to demonstrate two different kinds of special and colourful rice recipes for the coming festive period.

(Suggested simple serving)

First up, Paruda will be demonstrating her much-loved Lemuni Rice. Made with the leaves of purple Lemuni or Lengundi (Vitex trifolia var Linn), Lemuni Rice is delicious with both simple nasi lemak-type ingredients or rich curries and sambals. 

The use of lemuni leaves in rice cookery is particularly well-known in the northern and eastern coastal states of Malaysia. The juice from the leaves are said to be good for various medicinal purposes. There is also a white variety, which is often eaten raw with simple sambal belacan or other condiments as ulam (Malaysian-style salad).

(Simple pilau rice)

Next, Ambi will show you how to cook a simple but very fragrant pilau (also spelt pilaf) to wow your relatives and friends during your festive feasts. 

A pilau is basically rice cooked in stock or broth with herbs, spices and some vegetables. It's great as a compliment to richer dishes but it's also lovely with dishes that have a strong taste profile like sambals. 

The demonstrations are open to everyone and will include a tasting session with herb tea made with herbs from our own Outreach garden.

Date : Saturday Jan 14 2017

Time : 10am - 12noon

Members - RM18.00 per person

Non-members - RM20.00 per person

Please book early to avoid disappointment as our cookery demonstrations and tasting sessions are usually very popular and places are limited.

Rainforest Walk (for Adults & Teenagers only)

Enjoy a cool adventurous walk through the rain forest and learn all about the secrets of the shrubs and other plants which live in, on and around the towering trees!

Click the picture below for a full-sized version of our brochure cover.

Please send an email if you need us to arrange for a special corporate group walk.

Kids Group Activities Available

Here's a complete list of Children's Group Activities and Price.

Small Ateliers Sat Nov 19 2016

Saturday, November the 19th, was a busy one for the Friends of the Botanic Gardens Society. The Small Ateliers community group had their Children’s Seed Safari with 19 children and 12 parents participating in the event. The intrepid adventurers were led on their nature walk by our president, Dr. Liew Kon Wui, with volunteer members bringing up the rear and helping to keep an eye on the excited children. The Small Ateliers made a little circuit of the outer section of the Botanical Gardens, looking at the different trees, their flower and seeds. They learnt a little about seed dispersal and when they got back to the Outreach premises, they had a little show-and-tell session.

Local vegetables and fruits of various kinds were cut open for them to examine, the highlight being the lipstick plant’s red juice which were used by the ladies of long ago to give their lips and cheeks a pink blush. Also known as the annatto, the hairy red fruits had many of the children thinking they were some kind of odd rambutan at first.

An art and craft session ended the kids’ day out, with the parents helping them to produce seed collages with local beans, peas and the specimens they had collected.