National representative garden

With just under 2 sao (approximately 2,000 square meters) of land, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hieu in Hamlet 2, Nga Phuong Commune (Nga Son District) has transformed his garden into a renowned ornamental plant production, exchange, and trading center both within and outside the province. Every inch of land is utilized to its fullest potential for planting, coupled with modern infrastructure and design. As a result, the Central Association of Ornamental Plants of Vietnam has awarded this plot of land, which once generated billions of dong in profit annually, a certificate recognizing it as a "National Exemplary Garden."

The harmony between the garden, house, and landscape at the home of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hieu, Nga Phuong commune (Nga Son district).

Located right along a wide inter-communal road, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hieu's ornamental garden has become even more famous for easily attracting attention. Through the sparse fence surrounding the wall, we were impressed by the strangely shaped trees with their beautifully cascading canopies. Beyond the sturdy, modernly designed gate, we saw an abundance of large and small potted plants arranged in rows. The small front yard has also been transformed into a "garden," with every space occupied by plants. At the end of the yard, also on the side of the house, the owner built an octagonal pavilion for tea drinking, entertaining guests, and admiring his daily creations. Around the seating area under the curved tiled roof are artistic bonsai trees with their branches spreading out. This is also a place where bonsai enthusiasts and garden owners from the district, and from many places in the North, come to discuss and share experiences in caring for and buying/selling plants.

Many visitors have shared a common observation: "harmony." Harmony from the entrance gate to the garden. Then there's the elegant two-story house with its tiled roof, adorned by the lush greenery surrounding it. Even the trees planted next to each other complement the scenery, varying in height to avoid competition for sunlight. Along the pathways and sides of the house are pots of peonies, bougainvillea, and many other flowers, displaying their vibrant colors throughout the seasons.

Leading visitors to his backyard garden, the largest production area, the owner, born in 1979, introduces his bonsai "masterpieces" worth tens, even hundreds of millions of dong. There are straight-trunked banyan trees with canopies spreading out like umbrellas, and starfruit trees with auspicious branches that seem to have been infused with artistic value. Familiar trees to the people of Thanh Hoa, such as the Vối, Sung, Duối, and pine trees, are transformed by Mr. Hieu's skillful and diligent hands into beautiful, lifelike forms. These are all his "spiritual children," meticulously cared for and pruned over many years to achieve their desired shapes.

His most prized possessions are a pair of ancient, upright-shaped banyan trees, nearly 100 years old, which he considers a "treasure." According to him, a bonsai connoisseur once offered him nearly 2 billion VND for these masterpieces years ago, but he refused to sell them. Occasionally, when there are bonsai exhibitions in and outside the province, he brings them along to show them to friends from all over so they can admire them.

For him, planting and enjoying plants is first and foremost a passion. “My father’s generation loved ornamental plants, so I was ‘infected’ by this hobby. For many years living and working in Lam Dong province, whenever I had money, I secretly saved it to buy ornamental plants. In 2011, my wife and I returned to our hometown of Nga Son, and I decided to renovate our family garden to continue pursuing the ornamental plant garden model, which I continue to this day,” shared Nguyen Xuan Hieu.

Six or seven years ago, the buying and selling of ornamental plants in Vietnam was booming, so Mr. Hieu's garden, which started as a hobby, later became a profitable and effective economic activity. According to Mr. Hieu: "Initially, I just played for passion, but I never thought it would be so profitable. Some wild plants I bought for only 1 million dong, after pruning and shaping them for a few months, could be sold for tens of millions of dong. Then there were many old bonsai trees, the culmination of my labor, worth hundreds of millions of dong."

His wife, a teacher, couldn't help much, so he was almost entirely responsible for renovating the garden and caring for the plants. Every day, he would wake up to water the plants and spend the whole day diligently tending to them – this had become a rhythm of life for the man from the sedge-growing countryside. During this process, he also applied many technical methods such as smart water-saving irrigation, using biological products to control pests, and using organic fertilizers. A small remaining area in the garden was also used to grow low-growing fruit trees, intercropping vegetables and herbs for his family.

Based on his practical experience, he also developed a YouTube channel to provide guidance on caring for and promoting ornamental plants. Many owners of ornamental plant nurseries nationwide have invited him and his colleagues to give presentations and exchange experiences as experts.

After nearly 15 years of returning to his hometown and steadfastly pursuing the ornamental plant garden model, Mr. Hieu has achieved great success. With diligent hands and a creative mind, he has created a harmonious and unique production area. This ornamental plant garden not only provides a spacious and green environment for his family and village, but also creates a playground, attracting plant enthusiasts from all over to come and socialize. This is also a typical production model that Nga Phuong commune has chosen to implement as a "Model Garden" in its advanced rural development journey.

Text and photos: Le Dong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vuon-tieu-bieu-quoc-gia-222460.htm