Gardening In Thailand

[Ikky Plush]

This is the only info I could find about JJ Market but it's a goodun, done by a pair of Florida plant importers

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Quite like the giant Alocasias myself. I've got the standard green one, a white and green varieagation and an acidy yellow and green one. Also like a few of the bamboos you get in Thailand.

[desi]

I've gone to JJ on wednesdays via the underground, walked around and bought the plants I wanted, then when done had a trolley go around and collect them all to take to a waiting tuk tuk. The talent is knowing when to stop purchasing.

The first time I came back with around 8 7' palms to create a privacy screen on my patio. The trick is to not get them in big pots but light weight plastic or plastic bags, then buy pots separately (it's also cheaper). It's great fun going back stuffed in as tightly as possible with all that greenery, and the tuk tuk drivers take the plants in for you.

Of course this method drags out the plant collecting time but I'm ok with that.

You can easily get the pots in a separate trip. Have a taxi driver or a tuk tuk take you back, or even a kind neighbor with a car if you have one. When I bought my pots with bags of soil the lady offered to deliver them for 500 baht (there were around 15 or so medium and large pots) but a neighbor took them in his car. The trunk and back seat to the ceiling were filled with lovely terracotta pots padded with sacks of soil.

I'm told JJ starts opening late tuesday night around midnight or so. I'm not sure if that is true as I haven't been there personally at that time.

If you are unfamiliar with plants on offer here, there is a wonderful book on Tropical Gardening in english on offer. I bought it in Malaysia I believe, but I've seen it in Singapore airport as well as others. The serious plant sellers will have a fabulous itemized book on the plants sold overseas. If you can get hold of that one it's just a matter of looking up the scientific name online. I borrowed one for a week, then bookmarked the plants I wanted in my browser for later.

I've been an avid gardener for years, and the tropics is the easiest and most gratifying place I've lived as far as gardening goes. In the rainy season you can shove a fresh cut tree limb in the ground with or without a sprinkle of rooting powder, six months later (depending) it's 6-9' tall. Since living in the tropics I've created 4 gardens from bare ground. Several months of hard work, then years of enjoyment and chop chop chopping to keep the rapid growth down. I've given up the process of giving cuttings away as everything just grows too fast so I'd create a compost heap, or chuck them over the fence. Now I'm starting fresh once again, but will most likely stick to pots until I decide where I'm going to end up.

desi

[udon]

The talent is knowing when to stop purchasing.

So true Desi!

Heres a few more Thai links..... hard to find seed and rooting stock.

http://www.heliconiaparadise.com/heliconia_index.htm

excellent site and prices are available in pdf form if you drop a note to the German owner.

Based in CM.

http://www.plant-group.com/index.htm

nice site, no nursery address or prices but a BKK phone number.

http://siamseeds.com/

excellent site based at Chiang Rai, no prices listed but has a good reputation at the gardenweb.com forum

http://www.thaipalms.com/

nice site but you’d be lucky to get a reply to any emails.

http://www.siamtropicals.com/ (CM)

A poorly designed site and a bit frustrating to use, good pix.

http://www.tseeds.com/

Lots of flower seeds

Tropica Seeds Thailand (TST),

Erawan Farm, Moo 3, Kao Kanoon, Phanom Sarakam, Chacheongsao, Thailand.

Tel/Fax: +66 (38) 551 270

Pls post Thai links here if you find any,

cheers,

udon

[p_brownstone]

Chatuchak is OK for common flowers, plants and fast growing trees – the stuff which local “landscape gardeners” or property companies will fill your garden with to make it appear green and attractive but which old style Thai gardens would not give space to.

If you want genuine Thai trees etc., the types featured in Thai Literature, culture and history (wannakadee Thai) by far the best place to go is the Military housing compound in Bangkhen opposite Wat Sri Mahathat. This is a huge area with old military housing where the wives of NCO’s etc. have used their gardens to propagate and sell the slow growing, harder to find trees and plants.

You have to know what you’re looking for - and in many cases be prepared to wait up to 10 years for the tree to flower - but anyone who has smelt Lamduan, Sarapee or Gan Grao or seen the flowers on Krissana or Bunnag will find it well worthwhile.

Patrick

[udon]

You have to know what you’re looking for - and in many cases be prepared to wait up to 10 years for the tree to flower - but anyone who has smelt Lamduan, Sarapee or Gan Grao or seen the flowers on Krissana or Bunnag will find it well worthwhile

Hi Patrick,

do you have any English or botanical names for the above?

[p_brownstone]

Hi Udon

Lamduan Melodorum fruticosum

Sarapee Mammea siamensis

Kan Grao Fagraea fragrans

Bunnag Mesua ferrea

Some other very nice ones in my garden here in Bangkok:

Payom Shorea roxburghii

Prayong Aglaia odorata

Puttachart Jasminium auriculatum

Malisorn Jasminium sambac

Kannikar Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Jankapor Vatica diospyrides Syming

Jampee Michelia alba

Nom Maew Rauwenhoffia siamensis

If you are interested in these type of Thai plants etc., try to get hold of a set of 3 books by Dr. Piya Chalermklin “Mai Dork Horm” (sorry I can’t type Thai on this Computer)

ISBN 974-8366-93-6

ISBN 974-8366-94-4

ISBN 974-7751-60-7

They are all in Thai but by far the best reference I have found.

Patrick

[sbk]

Patrick, some of these trees you recommend are huge! Best to check out the ultimate size of the tree before planting in your garden or you may end up with a big problem later on.

For a pretty good English book (which also has a transliteration of the name in Thai) " Discovering Trees and Shrubs in Thailand and SE Asia" by Adrian & Jimmie Storrs. I also have a coffee table book by William Warren called "Tropical Garden Plants for Thailand" that is pretty good too. And for a third book "500 popular Tropical Plants" rounds out my list. Not all of these are complete but they are in English and will certainly add to your knowledge.

[udon]

Thanks P,

I've copied it.

All I need to do is learn how to pronounce them correctly

[udon]

Here ya go, Thai, English and Latin.....garden

[Ajarn]

Here ya go, Thai, English and Latin.....garden

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Great resource! Thanks, udon

[p_brownstone]

Here ya go, Thai, English and Latin.....garden

Thanks Udon - nice site!

Patrick

[p_brownstone]

Patrick, some of these trees you recommend are huge! Best to check out the ultimate size of the tree before planting in your garden or you may end up with a big problem later on.

Well I would not say any are "huge", my Sarapee is over 25 years old and although the main trunk is perhaps 20" in diameter with judicious pruning over the years it's not too big in the canopy, the oldest Lamduan, again over 20 years old, only has a trunk around 8" in diameter.

One thing I found here though is it's very difficult to get information on root structure from any seller; for example, it obviously makes a big difference to where one would plant a tree with a long Tap Root rather than one with a wide-spreading, surface root system, but such considerations do not seem to be part of the Thai way of deciding what tree to buy - much less where to plant the thing - so very few sellers will even know the answer to a question on this subject.

Patrick

[udon]

Here's an even better Site.

Thai script., English common name and the scientific names and pix.

Handy to print the page and show to the seller if you can't read or write Thai........ like me

[sbk]

Patrick, some of these trees you recommend are huge! Best to check out the ultimate size of the tree before planting in your garden or you may end up with a big problem later on.

Well I would not say any are "huge", my Sarapee is over 25 years old and although the main trunk is perhaps 20" in diameter with judicious pruning over the years it's not too big in the canopy, the oldest Lamduan, again over 20 years old, only has a trunk around 8" in diameter.

One thing I found here though is it's very difficult to get information on root structure from any seller; for example, it obviously makes a big difference to where one would plant a tree with a long Tap Root rather than one with a wide-spreading, surface root system, but such considerations do not seem to be part of the Thai way of deciding what tree to buy - much less where to plant the thing - so very few sellers will even know the answer to a question on this subject.

Patrick

Guess it depends on your definition of huge. Fagrea trees are very common here and many can reach 70 feet. 70 feet is, to me, huge. Especially for a garden around a house. And you point out the judicious pruning. I would say a person would have to be a gardening nut such as yourself (or myself ) to engage in regular "judicious pruning". It can be alot of work. My sister-in-law planted a causarina tree in front of our house about 10 years ago, it is probably well over 30 feet tall now, even with pruning! (thanks for asking me if I wanted this tree in front of my house my dear sister in law ) . Anyway, my point being, this tree is as hard as iron and extremely difficult to prune. Takes a dedicated person (or a nagged one like my husband ) to prune that thing.

My personal favorite right now, besides the frangipani, is the "Chong Ko" or Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia blakeana--make sure you get the one with the big purple flowers). Not too big (20-40 ft), very beautiful flowers, interesting shaped leaves, does well in full sun, my sandy soil and seems very drought tolerant (important factor this year!).

[chownah]

sbk, Isn't the bauhinia a legume? If so then you get beauty and free nitrogen!

Chownah

PS Udon, was it you who talked about permaculture? If so then this tree is a good one for you!

Chownah

Edited May 9, 2005 by chownah

[udon]

It looks like a tree

Permaculture Yes, I have a lot to learn about it why?

Edited May 9, 2005 by udon

[chownah]

It looks like a tree

Permaculture      Yes, I have a lot to learn about it why?

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I've got alot to learn about PERMAculture too. I think that one of the main ideas is to plant trees because their PERMAnent. Trees that fix nitrogen are the best because they have bacteria that live in special nodules that grow on the roots of the trees and these bacteria take the nitrogen from the air (which is unusable by plants) and make it into ammonium which is used by plants. This process adds plant useable nitrogen to your garden/farm. You plant your vegetables and smaller plants under, around, between the trees.

[loong]

It seems to me that you can bring any seeds you like as I have had no problems.

If you bring plants, you will need a health certificate so not worth bothering I think.

I am in the process of learning about gardening in Thailand and is a lot different to UK.

I find that a lot of seeds germinate and then die in the heat.

I grew sweetpeas and seemed to be doing fine , but all died before flowering.

Among the best and easiest to grow are:-

Marigolds - Native marigolds can grow almost like a small tree, I have some 2 metres high and stem about 30mm diameter. These seem to be similar to African marigolds. Other marigolds that I have bought in from seed can tend to grow on the spindly side. If this is the case, then I have found the best thing is to take tip cuttings and root them in half sand and half cow/buffalo dung ( dung should be left for at least 3 months before using and kept moist). That way you get stronger plants. I use yoghurt pots for this.

Coleus - dont bother from seeds, pinch tip cutting off nice plant you may see growing around. Thai people or keen farang gardeners will never mind. Root same as above.

Dianthus sweet william (Pee soouh, same as butterfly) Germinate inside plastic bag so soil/compost always moist. You should be able to buy plants here ok and a lot quicker than seeds.

Gaillardia (deun chai) Again gerninate inside plastic bag

Vinca - easy from seeds or cuttings

Sunflower - Can flower 6 weeks from seed, but smaller than will grow ouside of Thailand. There is a relative available in Thailand called Helianthus Fufu, 10 Baht for 15 seeds. Grow very quick, (6 weeks to flower) but short flowering period. Tithonia (mexican sunflower) very easy.

Petunia - easy grow

Balsam (available from AFM link below) very easy to grow and quick to flower and flowers forever. Cut back when it gets too leggy. Best grown in pots

Pansy/viola - I have as yet had no luck at all getting these to germinate. Will be trying these again sewing the seed at the coolest time of the year, so fingers crossed.

Seeds can be ordered online from Thompson-Morgan and sent from UK or AFM group can supply seeds in Thailand as well as other goods mail order. Plugs catalogue from AFM only in Thai and mainly for retailers.

Hope everything goes well and happy gardening

http://www.afmgroup.com/index.html

http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en

Edited July 19, 2005 by loong

[loong]

Seeds can be ordered online in Thailand and sent mail order from link below.

Plugs catalogue is only in Thai and seems to be mainly for retailers

http://www.afmgroup.com/index.html

Didn't realise that there were so many gardeners on Thaivisa

[udon]

Seeds can be ordered online in Thailand and sent mail order from link below.

Plugs catalogue is only in Thai and seems to be mainly for retailers

http://www.afmgroup.com/index.html

Didn't realise that there were so many gardeners on Thaivisa

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Good link Loong, thank you.

Anyone with a house has to get down and dirty sometime.

[udon]

Loong,

try Plumeria, Thailand has a fabulous diversity of colors etc.

PM me for mail order co's in LOS (cuttings)

[Boon Mee]

Here's an even better Site.

Thai script., English common name and the scientific names and pix.

Handy to print the page and show to the seller if you can't read or write Thai........ like me

Great sites, Udon - thanks very much!

[Jai Dee]

Loong,

try Plumeria, Thailand has a fabulous diversity of colors etc.

PM me for mail order co's in LOS (cuttings)

Udon, are they the same expensive places we discussed some months ago?

[udon]

Here you go ....... Plumeria.

http://www.plumeriathai.com/index1.php

&

http://www.lilavadee.com same-same

http://www.siamseeds.com/

------------

http://www.plumeria101.com/ a great site!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/tropical/ best place to ask for help.

http://toptropicals.com/ a great site, run by a Russian couple in Florida.

Check out their trip report about Thailand

Also a visit to Noong Such Gdns, nr Pattaya, it is worth talking to the farangs working there

[udon]

Loong,

try Plumeria, Thailand has a fabulous diversity of colors etc.

PM me for mail order co's in LOS (cuttings)

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Udon, are they the same expensive places we discussed some months ago?

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Yes, but those were export prices.

Go in person with a Thai and let them do the talking.

[johnh101]

Marigolds - Native marigolds can grow almost like a small tree, I have some 2 metres high and stem about 30mm diameter. These seem to be similar to African marigolds. Other marigolds that I have bought in from seed can tend to grow  on the spindly side. If this is the case, then I have found the best thing is to take tip cuttings and root them in half sand and half cow/buffalo dung ( dung should be left for at least 3 months before using and kept moist). That way you get stronger plants. I use yoghurt pots for this.

Please educate the ignorant.

I was under the impression that Cow Dung could not be used, what does leaving it 3 months do ?

[Jai Dee]

Please educate the ignorant.

I was under the impression that Cow Dung could not be used, what does leaving it 3 months do ?

I've used cow/buffalo dung before... if you leave it for a couple of months, it's not so "hot" and won't burn your plants.

Also, any seeds that may have passed though will germinate and you can remove them by hand before spreading the mix on your garden.

[COBBER]

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Seems like you wouldn't need to bring much from the UK, except for maybe a decent spade. The thing they call a spade here is more like a metal spear with the end flattened to about 4 inches wide..

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You can buy a regular type spade here but there bloody hard to find.

[loong]

Please educate the ignorant.

I was under the impression that Cow Dung could not be used, what does leaving it 3 months do ?

Answered already by Jai Dee above.

But important that is kept moist.

Also needs to be netted if you have chickens around. They will spread it everywhere!

If you have a place where you can leave it for a year, mix it 50/50 with rice husks if available. This will have to be absolutely soaked initially and will attract chickens from miles around. This mix is great for containers and pots. If you can save and add crushed eggshells, even better. In fact crushed eggshells in any soil/compost mix helps with the Ph factor. Unless of course the plant prefers acidity.

Adding to my post above. Sometimes is better to germinate seeds in plastic bags. I have put in seeds, only to have them stolen by ants! Of course, you dont realise this and wonder why seeds are not germinating.

[ozzydom]

It looks like a tree

Permaculture      Yes, I have a lot to learn about it why?

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I've got alot to learn about PERMAculture too. I think that one of the main ideas is to plant trees because their PERMAnent. Trees that fix nitrogen are the best because they have bacteria that live in special nodules that grow on the roots of the trees and these bacteria take the nitrogen from the air (which is unusable by plants) and make it into ammonium which is used by plants. This process adds plant useable nitrogen to your garden/farm. You plant your vegetables and smaller plants under, around, between the trees.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist, and one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture."

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.