The Garden
Throughout the year, the garden at Chom Dong presents the visitor with an ever-changing kaleidoscope of flowering shrubs and trees, some of which are native to the original forest that existed. These latter include ‘Sarapee’ Mammea siamensis, ‘Ked’ Mimusops hexandra Roxb., Angsana ‘Pradu Baan’ Pterocarpus macrocarpus, several species of Fig (Ficus), Elephant Apple 'Ma’tard' Dillenia indica, Siamese Neem Tree ‘Sadao’ Azadirachta indica A., Singapore Almond ‘Hoo Kwang’ Terminalia catappa, 'Oy Chang' Lannea coromandelica Merr., 'Sark' Erythrophleum succirubrum Gagnep., Tamarind ‘Makaam’ Tamarindus indica, and various Lagerstroemia. Some have been planted since the main Villa was built, including fruit trees such as the mango, coconut, and star fruit, the large Teak Tectona grandis behind Chom Dong Villa, Rain Tree ‘Jarm-Juri’ Samanea saman, Song of India Dracaena reflexa, and the yellow-flowering Copper Pod ‘Nonsri’ Peltophorum pterocarpum Back ex Heyne.
Over the years, more plants, shrubs and trees have been added. Many of these have been chosen to withstand the sometimes long dry spells, and include bougainvillea ‘Feung Fa’, various species of frangipani ('Lantom’), Desert Rose 'Chuan Chom' Adenium obesum and Lantana ‘Paka-krong’ Viburnum lantana. Also thriving are Leadwort ‘Payapmork’ Plumbago, yellow ‘Barnburi’ Allamanda cathartica, Purple Bignonia ‘Muang Maneerat’ Saritaea magnifica, various cassias, Purple Orchid Tree ‘Chong-Koh See Muang’ Bauhinia variegata, Barometer Bush ‘Neon’ Leucophyllum frutescens (Berland) I. M. Johnst. with magenta flowers, different types of palm trees and Dragon Tree ‘Chan Par’ Dracaena loureire Gagnep.
There are currently over 300 different plant species in the garden at Chom Dong, and the online plant index continues to grow.
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Famous quotes containing the word garden:
“He would declare and could himself believe
That the birds there in all the garden round
From having heard the daylong voice of Eve
Had added to their own an oversound,
Her tone of meaning but without the words.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“We are frequently told that talents and genius are natural gifts; and so indeed they are, to the same extent that the productions of the garden and the field are natural gifts.”
—U. R., U.S. women’s magazine contributor. American Ladies Magazine, pp. 317-19 (June, 1829)