The 14-acre (5 hectare) garden at Rimbun Dahan is an attempt to develop a Malaysian style of landscaping using indigenous plants from South East Asia. Angela Hijjas began planting the garden in 1990, replacing the pre-existing fruit orchard. 30 years after planting began, Rimbun Dahan was accredited as a Level 1 arboretum under ArbNet, for its focus on collecting native trees, especially from the family of Dipterocarps. Rimbun Dahan now has over 115 species of Dipterocarps, over 50 species of native palms, and about 500 species of trees overall.
Within the garden at Rimbun Dahan, the Taman Sari section contains a collection of herbs, spices, medicinal, culinary and fragrant species. The remainder of the garden is dedicated to forest trees.
The focus on native species at Rimbun Dahan has become ever more important with the loss of forests and species throughout the region, and the lack of education about the importance of trees and forests. Today, Rimbun Dahan is a pioneering Malaysian example of the how replanting native vegetation can stimulate rewilding, encouraging the return of native wildlife.
Rimbun Dahan is private property, and is not open to the public on a regular basis. Free garden tours are conducted on occasional Open Days. Please consult our social media or contact us for information about the next Open Day.
History of the Land
When Hijjas Kasturi bought the land of Rimbun Dahan in 1969, the area around Rimbun Dahan was kampung surrounded by orchards and small-scale rice farming. Like much of the Klang Valley, the nearby hills were rubber plantations. Rimbun Dahan itself was an orchard of tropical fruit trees: rambutan, cempedak, starfruit, mangosteen, and durian. There is a rumour that it was previously a coffee plantation. If so, as coffee was widely trialed in Selangor in the 1880s, it may have been almost 150 years since this land was tropical rainforest. Recently, the area has been swallowed by the urban sprawl of the greater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area: padi fields have given way to factories, and orchards to dense residential plots.
Angela Hijjas began redesigning the garden prior to the family’s move to Rimbun Dahan in 1991. The process of landscaping radiated out from the Main House, with the areas at the back of the property the last to be replanted. Most of the original fruit trees have been removed, although a significant planting of durians remains near the front gate and in the plot south of the Main House, which was purchased later. Initially, the fruit trees provided shade for the tender saplings of forest tree species, but the forest trees have long since outstripped their nurses.
[The durians that remain on the property were grown from seed; they pre-date the cloned varieties that dominate the durian market today. As such, they are much taller than present cultivars, reminding us of durian’s origin as a true rainforest tree. As older Malaysians will remember, durians grown from seed vary in taste. Some of our trees bear very good fruit, but, in any case, most of it falls prey to marauding monkeys.]
More about the development of the garden, in its first ten years.
Concept of Indigenous Gardening
The idea of an indigenous garden was taken from Angela Hijjas’ background in Australia, where indigenous gardens are common and interest in indigenous planting very high. She decided to plant native species at Rimbun Dahan, originally restricted only to Peninsula Malaysia, but now taking in the whole of Malesia, the biogeographical region that encompasses the Southeast Asian archipelago of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines.
Rimbun Dahan is now one of the largest and oldest gardens in Malaysia that focuses on the native plants of the region. Like Australia with its eucalypts, this garden is dominated by the forest species that make Malaysian landscapes unique. Most of these forest species are from the plant family Dipterocarpaceae, and include the tropical giants that long supplied the world with valuable hardwood timber — meranti, cengal, keruing and balau. As these species are becoming increasingly rare, sometimes extinct, in the wild, Rimbun Dahan has grown into a vital source for seeds, to power reforestation efforts elsewhere.
More about planting indigenous gardens.
More about the sense of place in the landscape.
The Taman Sari
The Taman Sari is the ornamental garden to the east of the Main House. It contains over 100 species of plants, many of them edible, with historical significance, traditional medicinal properties, or with other ethnobotanical importance to the communities of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Its fragrant species provide the signature perfumes of Asia, and the cooking and spice plants are resources for the kitchens at Rimbun Dahan as well as inspiration for our resident artists. Visitors to the garden are free to break a leaf to release the fragrance of the plants, to taste the herbs, and enjoy the garden as it was intended.
Unlike the rest of the garden at Rimbun Dahan, the Taman Sari contains numerous species that are not native to this region, but are included because they are widely used or have been naturalised after centuries of introduction. The Taman Sari also contains our nursery of native forest tree seedlings and saplings, before they are distributed for reforestation.
Originally envisioned as an organic vegetable garden, the soil in the Taman Sari was enriched with burnt earth, made from the clay left from the excavation of the main house, supplemented by organic matter, compost and chicken dung. Although vegetables are now a very small part of the Taman Sari, pesticides are still not used, so the planting focuses on species that are resilient and easy to grow. There are 19 beds in the Taman Sari, separated by paths of concrete pavings, to allow for wandering and browsing. The layout of plants in the Taman Sari has grown to adapt to the patterns of sunlight and for ease of maintenance. Seedling boxes which need frequent watering are close to the Main House. Ferns and gingers which prefer more shade are tucked in at the back, while plants which need more direct sun are featured at the front.
Some plants have been situated in the Taman Sari for their important cultural and historical overtones. The original Taman Sari was built by the Sultan of Jogjakarta during the Dutch colonial era and provided inspiration for this successor. At the entrance to our Taman Sari stand the pinang palms, Areca catechu, reminiscent of the traditional ‘tapak sireh’, the betel nut box that was offered to honoured guests on arrival. In this garden they denote the same invitation to enter and enjoy. A small avenue of nutmeg trees holds pride of place in the centre of the garden, recognizing their importance to the spice trade which first attracted European colonisers to the region. Similarly, a single clove tree enjoys its own circular bed. And stone statues from Bali — lions, garuda and a small Hanuman now unrecognisable under its coat of ferns — reflect on the connection between this Taman Sari and its predecessors in pre-Islamic times.
List of plants in the Taman Sari.
More about the Taman Sari in its first 10 years.
More about planting fragrant species.
Landscaping the Arboretum
Outside the Taman Sari, the design of the tropical rainforest forms the planting guide for Rimbun Dahan. The canopies of tall forest tree species, mostly Dipterocarps, forms the topmost layer. These trees were planted close together, to force them to grow upwards, as they do in a rainforest, instead of spreading out. The middle layer is composed of smaller trees and shade-tolerant palms, which are useful for blocking vistas and forming enclosed areas. At the ground level are shade-loving shrubs and ferns, which shape the walkways.
Various open spaces have been designated in the garden, surrounded by walls of dense planting, either to display sculptures or to allow a better view of the trees. These open spaces are planted with grass, and regularly mowed — the clearest distinction between our garden and a natural forest!
Space Around the Main House
Around the Main House, the landscape design is heavily influenced by the traditional kampong practice of keeping an open compound, or halaman. Because plants and buildings do not make good companions, planting is kept well away from most of the structures. This has distinct benefits: branches do not fall on the roofs, there is better ventilation through the buildings and although shade during the day is minimal, the buildings have a chance to dry out rather than to accumulate damp, and fewer animals and mosquitoes enter the house. In addition, the garden is better viewed from the buildings when there is some separation. On the western side of the main house, a wall of tall trees 20 meters away shades the house in the afternoon from about 4pm.
Water Features
The ponds to the west of the Main House and the Guesthouse were originally excavated for fish farming, but were reshaped in the 1990s to look more natural. Fed by groundwater and a spring, they catch rainfall runoff, rather than discharging it rapidly onto neighbouring properties. Native riverine tree species have been planted around the edges. The main water plant in the Upper Pond is Hanguana malayana, a native species which forms large floating mats of spear-shaped leaves, and is an important habitat for dragonflies, monitor lizards, and wetland birds.
However, in the natural ecosystems of Malaysia, open-water ponds and lakes rarely, if ever, exist — open bodies of fresh water quickly become silted up, are taken over by vegetation, and become impassable swamps. (The lakes of modern Malaysia are all leftovers from tin mines, or the result of human-built dams to create water supplies.) For the sake of aesthetics, at Rimbun Dahan we attempt to keep some water open in the ponds, to prevent it from becoming a swamp. This also seems to be preferred by the visiting otters, who find it easier to hunt together in open water.
The natural spring which feeds the ponds can be seen at the north crossing above the Upper Pond, where there is a path of stepping stones from the Guesthouse towards the front gate. Further north, the spring is obscured by an enormous, dense and very spikey stand of the palm Oncosperma tigillarium (nibong), which towers over the Guesthouse. Other swamp-loving palms continue along the line of the spring, until it reaches a small grove of the majestic Pholidocarpus macrocarpus palm, known locally as kepang, which is endemic to the peat swamps of Peninsula Malaysia and Thailand.
The more structured concrete Reflective Pond between the Main House and the Guesthouse has gone through various planting iterations. Now, in 2026, it is planted with lotuses, both pink and white varieties, single and multi-petalled. Although the lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is not native to Southeast Asia, it has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years, and is an important flower in many religious traditions as well as local artistic culture. However, lotuses demand a lot of fertiliser. In Bali, this is provided by rich volcanic soil, and in the Mekong Region by the influx of nutrients in seasonal floods. Our lotuses require added fertiliser to keep them blooming, and they are the only plants at Rimbun Dahan regularly receiving such care.
More about tropical water features.
More about using palms for landscaping at Rimbun Dahan.
Wildlife
An important objective of the garden at Rimbun Dahan is to increase the biodiversity of plant life, in order to attract an increased biodiversity of animal life. We keep records of the birds, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians which have been seen on site. Some of our wildlife surveys have been compiled with help from volunteer experts. The surveys include all live animals which have been seen at Rimbun Dahan. Some of them are permanent residents, while others are regular migratory visitors or occasional nomads, like the family of otters that visited frequently between 2024 and 2026. Some are species that have only been seen here once; they may have been vagrants, and not expected to return.
Rimbun Dahan is now cut off from any natural forest areas. The nearest forest reserves are Bukit Lagong and Tasik Subang, both over 5km away, beyond multi-lane highways as well as residential and industrial areas. So land-based animals will have difficulty discovering Rimbun Dahan. The only new biodiversity that is likely to move here are animals that can fly, or that are brought here deliberately by humans.
The wildlife in the garden at Rimbun Dahan continues to provide great joy and interest for our Rimbun Dahan inhabitants and resident artists. The many species of birds, butterflies and dragonflies create a visual feast. The visiting otters, although extremely shy, are a particularly memorable sighting. But it’s important to remember that wildlife does not exist to fulfill human desires; there are many animals on site which provoke stronger reactions, from the snakes, stinging caterpillars and biting insects, to the bats which roost in the eaves and make a mess on the ground beneath, and the long-tailed macaques which regularly ransack kitchens. Regardless, this is also their home, and we try to accommodate them as much as possible. Visitors to the garden are reminded to be mindful of the potential dangers, as well as to be observant of all the living treasures.
See our updated wildlife list for Rimbun Dahan.
More about planting to attract wildlife.
Art
The Rimbun Dahan garden is a beautiful setting for sculptures. Most of the large single-colour aluminium sculptures in the garden are by Indonesian artist Ahmad Osni Peii, who was resident at Rimbun Dahan for a year in 1999. The most significant of these is ‘Sakinah’, situated in the Plong Circle, behind the Studio Building. The sloping lawn here can be used as an informal amphitheatre for performances, and the tall ‘plong’ trees (Pentaspodon motleyi) in the surrounding circle are planted in honour of the kampung in which Rimbun Dahan is located: Kampung Sungai Plong. (Most place names in Malaysia are named for the plants that predominated naturally, but there were no longer any plong trees in this kampong when we moved here, so seedlings were sourced from the Orang Asli in Kuang and planted here to reinforce the all-important sense of place.)
Other noticeable sculptures in the garden are Matt Calvert‘s towers made from recycled glass, situated on a terrace between the Main House and the ponds. Many sculptures placed in the gardens have fallen prey to monkeys or the natural forces of time, including a water-based installation by Gary Proctor, an archway of branches by M. Sahzy, and a giant umpire’s chair by Dhavinder Singh.
The garden has also been the location for many site-specific artistic performances, especially the 7 editions of Dancing in Place held here between 2009 and 2019. It is still occasionally used as a performance venue by artists in our residency program, and also as a set for the commercial film and television shoots that sometimes use Rimbun Dahan as a rented venue.
Exploring the indigenous garden is a key activity of our on-site residency program for artists. They draw inspiration from the vast range of visual designs in the plant world, the importance of plants in the history and culture of our region, and the potential of the natural world to provide solace and salvation today.
The Labour of Gardening
Rimbun Dahan employs one part-time and two full-time gardeners, who live on site. The amount of labour put into the garden depends on the area. All paved areas are swept of fallen leaves everyday; the leaves are left in piles around trees and plants, where they decay to become nutritious mulch. The greatest amount of labour happens in the Taman Sari, where the Dipterocarp seedlings and other more tender plants are watered twice a day. The Taman Sari is also where repotting and hardening of seedlings happens, and where plants are pruned and tended, to look their best. Close to the buildings, tree branches are regularly pruned to make sure they don’t touch roofs, to prevent ingress for macaques and ants.
Further away from the Main House, the landscape is less maintained, and most of the work is dealing with the rampageous growth habits of the tropical forest. The lawn spaces are mowed periodically. Dangling branches and dead trees are cut down. Where possible, if it will not disrupt the view and walking patterns too much, cut up tree trunks and branches are left in piles on the ground, to become habitat for crawling creatures and food for fungi. Undesirable self-seeding tree species, like pokok salam and Shorea roxburghii (both tending to grow very big very quickly, and then fall over) are cut down, and shady areas overgrown with shrubs like yams are occasionally cleared, to provide access to the trees.
When spaces open up, usually due to the removal of old or fallen trees, new trees may be inserted, but this is not very frequent. As of 2026, we are focusing on planting mid-level trees and low-level shrubs to fill up the spaces under the canopy, preventing the ‘telephone pole’ effect produced by mass planting of Dipterocarps.
Occasionally, some areas under mature Dipterocarps which have recently fruited will be allowed to remain unmowed and untidy for certain periods. Wildling seedlings, sprouting from seeds that have fallen under the mother trees, can be dug up later, transferred into polybags, and distributed elsewhere. However, transplanting has to be done at the right time, when the seedling is robust enough, but has not yet put down deep roots. If the seedlings are allowed to stay in place, at some point they may need to be cut down, as they are unlikely to thrive in the shade of the mother tree and have no space to attain their true size.
And so the garden at Rimbun Dahan enjoys similar growth to a natural forest, but it requires constant clearing, cutting, pruning and mowing to allow for human access and to create vistas for human enjoyment.
Above: Angela Hijjas conducting a tour of the garden at Rimbun Dahan, during the Art for Nature 2010 exhibition.