July to October

CHOM DONG VILLA AND GARDEN

July to October

During the rainy season, from July to October, the garden is at its greenest, and one can admire the many native trees dotted about the garden. We are experimenting with several imported trees which seem to be doing well so far, and the rain would be vital to their growth. These include African Baobab Adansonia digitata, Queensland Bottle Tree Brachychition rupestris, Hawaiian Blue Latania Palm Latania sp., Edible Fig Ficus carica from the Mediterranean, and a row of Cannon Ball Tree Couroupita guianensis originating from South America. We are also experimenting with a small grove of golden bamboo and forming a hedge of the native bamboo, all of which welcome the long-awaited-for rain.

Stream under the wooden bridge in the rainy season

Click to hear the evening chorus of frogs and toads after rainfall

Dragon Tree ‘Chan Par’ Dracaena loureiri

Song of India Dracaena reflexa

Fiddle Coconut ‘Mapraw Saw’ Cocos nucifera L. arecaceae

The distinctive three-lobed shape of the fruit from the Fiddle Coconut 'Mapraw Saw' Cocos nucifera L. arecaceae is used for making the Thai musical instrument 'Saw Oo'.

Thai Fiddle ‘Saw Oo’

< March to June

The garden has several unusual plants of local origin. These are the purple-flowered ‘Plong Gin-Look’ Memecylon ovatum, the red 'Kluay Musang' Uvaria cordata Alston, pale lilac flowers of 'Krapee Chan' Milletia brandisiana Kurz, white blossoms of ‘Moek Luang’ Holarrhena pubescans Wall ex G Don, and the creamy blooms of Alexandrian Laurel ‘Krating’ Calophyllum inophyllum. A stroll through the garden will bring you many unexpected pleasures – the great boulder area with Ficus trees atop the giant rocks, held on tightly by their roots; the ornamental waterfall; the par-3 golf course; the bougainvillea tunnel. These are just some of the surprises to be found at Chom Dong Gardens.

Topiary elephants shaped from Toothbrush trees Streblus asper Lour.

Ficus tree growing on top of rock outcrop