Then & Now | How Hong Kong’s ‘local’ garden plants came from Bengal via Macau
- Several species found their way to the British colony on board Calcutta trading ships
- The sharing of cuttings saw them survive, thrive and establish themselves as locals
How did so many popular garden species of plant come to be introduced to Hong Kong?
From the 1860s, water conservation-related plantings on bare, deforested hillsides established around newly built reservoirs generally used hardy Australian species. Acacia and melaleuca predominated; eucalyptus, being a fire risk, was not extensively introduced.
Melaleuca, with its distinctive whitish papery bark, was planted across the New Territories, as it gave welcome roadside shade, absorbed water from drainage ditches, and the flowers provided a valuable food source for honeybees. Enormous mature specimens can still be found, especially around Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long.
South China native plants have been widely planted in recent decades; in some locations, these were deliberately reintroduced after becoming locally scarce. Nevertheless, in a telling Hong Kong metaphor, most “local” plants are actually introduced exotics, originally cultivated for ornamental purposes.
The 19th century saw botanical movements follow human migration, which in turn transformed the natural environment all over the world.
From early times, Hong Kong has had legions of home gardeners. Forgotten today, when most people live in flats, a leisurely look around the host’s garden was an essential aspect of any home visit. Seeds, cuttings or potted specimens would be exchanged.