By: Khaled Tayeh
TULKARM, Monday, August 30, 2021 (WAFA) – Cactuses, flowers, roses, summer and winter crops, beautiful garden accessories, recycled bots can all be found in a little warm place called "Shadi’s Garden," whose owner began working on it as a hobby but later turned into one of the most wonderful natural attractions around the area.
Shadi Abdallah, 31, from the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, has a degree in journalism and worked in the media field for eight years before shifting to working as a Business Development Manager in a local company offering legal consultations on business administration and startups. Building his garden started as a hobby and continues as such.
Abdallah says that he started his garden five years ago when he moved to a new house where he proceeded to reconstruct a little area around it that he later turned into a beautiful and attractive property.
"When I moved to my house, I started working on a little garden around the house," he says. "I reclaimed the land and started taking care of the plants that were already there." Some of the plants that were already in the garden were flowers and cactus, according to Abdallah, who instantly began adding more plants and garden accessories to it.
His interest in gardening and planting is not new as it started from a very young age when he planted little plants which have now become trees in what he proudly says "we grew up together." "The garden’s idea is based on the concept of what is already there stays there," he says about his new garden. "I didn’t remove anything from it. I didn’t strip it of its character. I only added chairs, more plants, and accessories and put them all together until it looked the way it is now." Abdallah says that the reason his garden got very popular in his local community and city is because he preserved its natural appearance, which, in his opinion, made people feel close to it.
"People love my garden because it sorts of looks like them; it has soul and life like any other natural place they may see but the only difference is that it’s a well maintained, taken care of place," he explains. "It’s not just a modern, fake garden with plastic plants that aims to serve appearance." Shadi’s Garden, as it has become to be known, has gotten so popular for its innovating and charming appearance that Abdallah set up an Instagram account for it where he posts appealing pictures of the garden, the plants and flowers. Later, he found himself receiving and welcoming people wanting to do photoshoots and gallery sessions inside the garden. It has turned from a little overlooked area into a place frequently booked for social occasions.
"The main goal of the garden is basically, well, a house garden," he says. "I care about gardening so that’s why I decided to have a garden in my house. I like to spend time in it to do my favorite hobby, way more than just finding a place to attract people." Abdallah also plants crops that grow in the summer and winter in order to produce healthy fruits that he likes to call "a part of the experience of seeing his garden produce crops he can eat." When speaking about how he personally connects with his garden, he says that his garden is part of him.
"The garden is a part of me in the sense that everything in it was done my way and the way that I love. The way I organize the plants, the kind of plants I use, everything just looks like me. I’m just doing something that I love. A hobby of mine. It’s not just about it being a visited place. I’m just doing what I love while taking care of my favorite place," he said.
"I grew up in a place with a garden surrounding it. I used to watch the plants already planted in it or the ones that my family planted including vegetables and flowers," he says. "I had a background in this whole thing when I finally decided to establish my own house garden." Using recycled material is a very important part of the garden as Abdallah makes sure to use every little thing he thinks may be a good addition to it.
"Whoever visits the garden will notice that I recycle stuff that I don’t need," he explains. "I try as much as I can to recycle things that may be used as bots and accessories so they can be a part of the garden." He says it is essential for people to be considerate enough when it comes to the way they get rid of things they don’t need.
Among the things Abdallah recycles are jars, glass, and bot-shaped plastic objects. Sometimes he mixes some stuff together and makes an accessory for the garden.
"Unfortunately, recycling solid waste is uncommon in Palestine. All trash is dumped into one dumpster. There is no concept of separating waste according to its type - plastic, cartoon etc.," he says.
"People should try to recycle things they can use around the house.
They should also try to use plastic less. I myself recycle a lot of things I use in my garden for several purposes without it looking anything near fake."
K.T./M.K.
Shadi Abdallah at his garden.
