Dry Lawn And Pergola Or Shady Trees

[whiterussian]

Hi,

I have a standard moobaan 1 rai garden, but i refuse to waste water on keeping the grass green... ki neow, and just plain lazy...

I can see that the grass is still green where it is shaded by the trees along the fence... the rest is turning to brown dirt...

There must be a traditional Thai way of getting shade over a large area, maybe a large tree that doesnt drink too much, or some kind of traditional pergola?

Does anybody have any ideas for fast growing trees that give great shade, and take little water?

or

Any ideas for a way of growing climbers over a frame, (what kind of frame is traditional here) without blotting out all the sunlight!

Tia

Edited February 20, 2010 by whiterussian

[opalhort]

A good shade tree readily available in Thailand is Terminalia catappa (หูกวาง) but slow growing.

There are many other trees available here. Do a Google for 'Umbrella Tree' and look for sites in Thailand.

Some Schefflera like Actinophylla (หนวดปลาหมึก) are also good shade trees and they grow fast.

Have you ever considered a bamboo structure covered with the black shade (50-70%) net?

opalhort

[sunsamourai]

Hi Whiterussian,

Too many trees to mention here. Try to use local trees as they are tougher and require less care than 'ornamental' ones (fancy flowers types of trees). No need to buy them too big : young ones have better chances to remain healthy, and will grow faster.

I'd advise you to take care of planting the trees in the way that they provide shadow to your house, to help cool the temperature down. Then, fruits trees will always make you happy when they provide fresh tasty products fr your kitchen

Many ways to use climbing plants too, with or without kitchen use. Bamboo structures are cheap, but will not last long. Remember not to block the air-flow, also to help keep the house cool.

Hope it helps

[xen]

The first question i would ask is do you have a dog ? Often the lawn will survive around a tree but declines where the dog races around. If You do have a dog , then perhaps learn to live with bare patches in the lawn . Turf is more likely to decline where there is constant trafic and soil compaction rather than lack of water.

If you still want trees, then take a walk thru a local nursery because there are many choices but availability is more important . I could make many sugestions but if you can't find them , what is the point.

I would also consider a clump of palms as well , or even planting out a grid of palms and use either Zoiysia matrella (Manilla Grass) or perhaps wooden decking to get u from point A to B and interplanat with plants such as gingers, heliconians etc. Add a drip irrigation which will use minimum water and You have a low maintenance shady garden .

Another option is shade cloth , mounted on metal posts with eye bolts to attach. Then sew up some shade cloth and attach. Remember to take into calculation wind stress when designing the posts.

Hope this offers some ideas .

[xerostar]

In Australia, a fast way to provide shade is to have a "shade-sail" installed.

Just do a Google search. I'm not sure if they're available in Thailand.

The fixtures can be to the existing house, high walls or purpose-built posts - (steel or concrete)

They can provide a large area of shade (without waiting years for trees to grow).

[whiterussian]

Thank you for your help!

I love this idea!

I think ive seen similar with a 'bonsai' teak (9 foot high)... branches trained out horizontally... maybe i will give that a go..

maybe i can train a teak tree out into radial 'arms' like a parasol, so it doesnt blot out the sun, just give dappled light... what i need is a silver birch!!!

I had an umbrella tree 3 years ago, but chopped it down when it was still small as it was covered in parasitic 'bubbles'.. i should have left it alone...

Ive been thinking about the netting, but i dont think the wife would like it... maybe a bamboo pergola is the way forward, until the tree i find does its thing, so now i guess i had better raid the book store and get some ideas...

having said all that, the rainy season is marching towards us... then its lawn mower season again!!! - I'd better choose a shade plant before then!

Thanks again!

Edited February 21, 2010 by whiterussian

[whiterussian]

Sod it... going to look for a small one of these!

Will take forever, but i might even water and feed it!

Everything grows like crazy here in Thailand, might not take as long as in Japan!

Acer palmatum, Japanese Maple

That is beautiful... Its got to be done!

Edited February 21, 2010 by whiterussian

[sunsamourai]

^ these will not grow here : too hot.

Teak trees cannot be "trained out into radial 'arms' like a parasol".

Check these :

Delonix regia (light shadow ; medium to large size)

Albizia saman (deep shadow ; large size)

How big in m2 is the area you'd like to cover ? Now many floors is your house ?

[Scott]

Off-topic post reported and removed.