They are usually young and unskilled in landscaping, and make poor decisions, to the detriment of the building". She also has found it disheartening when, after several years the plants need to be replaced, and the people doing this often lack colour sense, choosing artificial flowers in hues of purples and blues for example, that don't exist naturally in nature. "Its not surprising" says Barbara, "in high-rise Hong Kong few people have experience in flowers and trees as its rare to have access to a garden".
Mary adds, "Though I took some courses myself in landscape design, I think in our business, experience is as important (or more important) than academic qualifications. From time to time, we come across graduates who actually know how to design on paper, but don't really know what works well on site."
Plant-a-Park's expertise has moved beyond Hong Kong and into large hotel and shopping complexes throughout Asia.
In Macau, artificial plants have proven invaluable in the windowless spaces of the casino world.
"Several of the newer casinos started using live plants indoors but soon had major problems with insects growing in the soil and water… gamblers don't like mosquitoes nipping at their ankles!" exclaims Barbara. "And as casinos are open 24 hours a day, they need a landscape that doesn't need a lot of maintenance – and that's where we come in!"
A quick stroll around Galaxy, Hard Rock, City of Dreams, MGM, the Venetian, and hotels like Okura Hotel – with their sensational tall bamboo – and you will soon see the work of Plant-a-Park.
The latest fashion in the world of horticulture is Green Walls where plants are grown vertically to cover walls. Plant-a-Park's foliage is ideal in all areas lacking natural light, giving an outdoor feel to an interior dark space, to make a home lift lobby more attractive, or as a design feature wall to enhance the entrance of a hotel lobby.
Today the best artificial flowers come from China. Most are made of polyester and have a mushy feel – the latest versions have latex in them giving them a cushioned 'fleshy' feel so that you're not really sure if they're real or not. These have a life of about 10 years.
Artificial plants for a truly natural feel – meet the two ladies behind the success of 'nature's alternatives'.
A story of entrepreneurship, passion and drive, Barbara Park and her "Plant a Park" team have become the go-to people in the region for the best quality artificial plants, flowers and trees for homes, offices, shopping malls, hotels and more lately casinos.
It all started back in the 1980s when Barbara moved into a large but dark home on the Peak. Hailing from Australia and from a long line of enthusiastic 'green-fingers' in the family, Barbara's natural inclination was to fill her home with live plants but this sadly was a failure as they all gradually died from lack of light.
Undaunted, she set about trying to find some artificial plants, but the quality in Hong Kong in those days was very inferior and so she thought she could do better looking overseas. She found a supplier of trees in the Philippines and with the first arrivals came the beginning of a new passion and a new career.
Barbara opened Plant-a-Park in 1986, three years later finding ground floor space on Peel Street, just up from Hollywood Road, and they remain there over 25 years later.
Having lived in Hong Kong since the 70's and being a naturally sociable and engaging personality, Barbara had built a large network of friends who very soon started buying plants and trees … and from there, as so often happens in Hong Kong, word of mouth spread and larger assignments began coming in from the hotels and clubs.
Mary Chung joined the business in the early 90's, a Girl Friday to help with the admin, accounts, and managing the orders. Over the years she has become an indispensable part of the company and is today Plant-a-Park's Director of Operations.
Many old Hong Kong families have built their empires on making and exporting plastic and paper flowers; Hong Kong's richest man, Mr Li-Ka Shing comes from just such a family. Given the formidable competition, Plant-a-Park's success is all the more remarkable, and is a testament to the energy and drive of the two ladies behind the business.
Where Barbara has had the edge is in her gardening skills; she has an instinct and understanding from her years of growing up in Australia and working in her family's gardens about how plants and trees grow in the natural world. She combines this skill with a flair for interior design, able to place them in the right combinations, locations and containers so that they are almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing.
"Years ago" Barbara smiles, "we were asked to supply and install all the trees and plants for the Hong Kong Convention Centre. The 'fa wong' (gardener) thought they were real and watered them all! Fortunately they are set in concrete and most survived".
With their many years of experience, Barbara and Mary now offer advice to architects and interior designers as new buildings are designed.
"We've been doing it for a long time and they've seen our portfolio", notes Barbara. "They understand the value that plants and their foliage bring to often cavernous concrete spaces, softening the edges and making them more inviting to come into and to work or shop within."
But there are definitely challenges.^"The difficulties arise," she explains, "when the care of the building's public areas moves from the hands of skilled architects and designers to the Building Management staff.
The best trees and plants still come from the Philippines, and as Barbara explains, she feels it's because they have such an artistic workforce. These last about 20 years before needing to be replaced.
Grass matting is also made in China, and today it can truly feel like the real thing. Plant-a-Park has used this to landscape outdoor podiums in places like the Shatin New Town plaza, and Hong Kong's Island Shangri-La Atrium. Barbara is testing out a particularly realistic artificial grass – she has had a patch of it sitting on her roof at home and in almost two years there is still no sign at all of heat damage.
And then there's planters, which come in all descriptions, shapes and sizes, fakes stones and rocks.
Having lived in Hong Kong since 1966, Barbara has no plans to move anywhere else, although she keeps homes in London and Brisbane.
"Hong Kong has been my home for almost 50 years, its where my heart is, and with my team around me, and Mary – now the brains behind the business" she teases, "its where I plan to stay".
For information on Plant-a-Park and the services it offers, the shop can be found on 46 Peel Street, Central Hong Kong – or please see the website:
www.plant-a-park.com
ambiente
Suzanne Watkinson
Managing Director of Ambiente Macau Ltd.
www.ambiente.mo
Ambiente is a Macau-based company offering consulting expertise in property leasing, sales, and the purchase, renovation and on-going management of residential and commercial property in Macau.
For information on these properties and others, please contact Ambiente by emailing enquiries@ambiente.mo