Why do we love gardening?
When I went to Singapore I exchanged experience with the director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dr Chin. I mentioned that “…sometimes we have a cow problem”, i.e. cows walk into the parking. Our Singaporean friend got a romantic look in his eyes, and he said “Oh, you are situated in the countryside….”. We tend to forget that some people spend most of their time in cities, where a park is the only link to nature. I once met an American biology professor who confessed that before he went to university, he had never been outside Los Angeles.
Innocently I explained to my Singaporean friend that Dokmai Garden did not intend to grow pineapples, bananas or corn, as we (botanists and Thai farmers in collaboration) thought they are too common, everybody knows them. We wanted to focus on more rare plants. Luckily Dr Chin remarked that there are many city children who have never seen bananas grow, so we changed our minds. Right now we have 20 different species and varieties of bananas, and a beautiful crop of pine apples ripening. It was good we changed our minds. We even get American adult guests who see corn (maize) for the first time in their lives. We get many questions like “which part of the rice do you eat”? Luckily we can show that, as we grow rice all year round. One of our Garden School pupils told me that one visitor had not understood that after blossom there is a fruit. She had never realised the connection, which is not strange if you only see sterile man-made ornamental hybrid flowers. Every time we realise we have created a paradigm shift in a visitor’s concept of life, we feel happiness. No knowledge should be taken for granted, and it is our duty to show everything about plants and answer any questions, to create an understanding, love, and most importantly; a care for nature. A tree is not a dead thing, and a flower must not necessarily be big and showy, it has another purpose than being an ornamental.
We escort most visitors through the garden, and the chatting about plants, butterflies, birds, soil and cooking make people dare to ask anything. I believe this escort, and the fact that we know how to grow our 900 different plants, is the success of Dokmai Garden. Pointing at a plant in a forest and saying its name is not enough, you have to know the plants since their childhood, because by sharing their suffering when mistreated, you learn what each species need. In addition to the corn and bananas mentioned above, we have over 250 other edible species, and some are indeed rare, but they are only appreciated by a very small fraction of exceptionally learned visitors. The vast majority get excited simply by making friends with trivial species, finally seeing black pepper, or tasting a series of different basils or by discussing how to grow teak. Actually, the reasons why we love gardening is not limited to the love for the plants, but also because we love to chat about gardening. We learn new things from our visitors too, every day! The world comes to us, we exchange knowledge, and then we share the knowledge of the world with you! That is why we love gardening!
Eric Danell
Mika, here 1.5 years old, loves gardening!
Monsoon Lawns
Most gardeners like to have a lawn for garden parties, children’s games or as an ornamental stage with trees in the background. Establishing a lawn here in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is simple. First you need to prepare the soil. If you just have sand you may want to consider to buy “din damm”, i.e. black soil which is a clay-rich river sediment, or even better a good compost, which you can mix with the original soil. Make sure the soil is not compact, and water it. At the Khamtieng flower market you can buy ready-made grass. A favourite grass for shady conditions is “Ya Malesia” (Carpet grass). In spite of this popular Thai name, that grass is in fact South American (Axonopus compressus). Its broad soft leaves, vigorous growth and shade tolerance makes it a perfect choice. For more sunny areas you may want to buy Bermuda grass, “Ya Phraek” (Cynodon dactylon). Unlike in Europe and North America, the grass comes without the thick soil. Therefore you have to protect the grass from drought during transportation, and quickly lay it out . It is essential that you press down the turfs so that the roots make contact with the moist soil. If the area is small you can do it with your feet. You need to water twice a day, and after about ten days the grass would be attached to the soil. You can also use grass seeds, which works easily here if you sow them in the middle of the rainy season (July-September).
At Dokmai Garden we are not concerned about alien weeds mixing with the lawn. Many European gardeners like to buy additional seeds like Trifolium repens and Bellis perennis and then disperse them in the lawn to create a mosaic of blossom and green. Here we do not buy additional seeds, we simply let other species establish themselves, feeling proud we create greens with high biodiversity. The only banned weed is Mimosa pudica, which is a South American spiny plant (the Sensitive plant) that ruins any effort to walk barefoot. It is important you pull this out immediately, as it spreads quickly, and mowing will not remove it.
At Dokmai Garden we never fertilize the lawns. Instead we mow once a week in the rainy season, and allow the grass cuttings to remain on the ground. Such small pieces are quickly eaten by the earth-worms. The increasing content of organic matter in your lawn increases the water holding capacity (most Thai soils are severely ruined by annual fires). By not removing the cuttings, you simply recycle the nutrients. Thanks to the native pea Desmodium triflorum, which occurs naturally in our lawns, we have a natural influx of nitrogen due to the Desmodium’s symbiotic bacteria, which fix atmospheric nitrogen. That means fertilizers are unnecessary.
We are not concerned about leaves on the lawn either, we simply run them over with the mower, and the worms will take care of the cuttings. In the hot season when some trees shed their leaves in masses, we simply rake the leaves into heaps and either compost them or use them as a ground cover in the vegetable section or to protect the roots of climbers. Lazy man’s garden is cheap, free of obnoxious chemicals and full of interesting species!
Any garden design is correct if the gardener is happy himself. As a visitor, you simply try to understand the owner’s intentions, like going to an art gallery where you try to understand a particular artist. Therefore, there is no right or wrong in design, and you should not think that the golf course is the only perfect lawn. It is a useful floor for a game, but maybe not perfect if you want a romantic green for walks in the tropical moonshine. I can understand the morphological neatness of a golf course, but to me it represents biological death, and since players do not like the worm heaps, managers tend to kill the worms using mercury salts and other nasty compounds. If you kill the worms, you need to aerate the soil, but in a normal garden situation you simply mow and water, no need to aerate, fertilize or apply pesticides or weed killers, unless the golf course is your aim.
Eric Danell
Axonopus compressus
Smitinand’s book on Thai plant names
How many times have you been to a Thai flower market, seen a fantastic plant, asked for its name, and then been unable to get any additional information about it? It is difficult to buy plants in Thailand since Thai flower markets rarely present scientific names or price tags. The problem is not limited to farang settlers, but also Thai people from different parts of the country may have difficulties discussing gardening with each other, as they may use totally different names. Due to the fact that many villagers in Thailand have never been more than 4 km away from their home, local names are preserved, so even people within the same province may have difficulties talking plants to each other, if they ever meet. Many Thais also believe that the scientific names are “English”, but at Dokmai Garden we try to explain that the scientific names are international. They are also very precise, only referring to one plant species, while vernacular names like “cherry” could mean almost anything with a red fruit. A scientific name can be googled and then you can pick any vernacular name you like, in any language, while a village name is often impossible to find in cyberspace.
One powerful tool to cope with the many Thai names is the book “Thai Plant Names” by Tem Smitinand (The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, 2001). Although you can only acquire this book in second-hand book stores, or from us, it is worth searching for. It lists most Thai plant species, and an impressive range of vernacular names. It is also good to use the book as a checklist, i.e. you may find a Hoya in a forest, and by checking the genus in the book you get suggestions of what species you may have found. By googling the scientific names in the book, you can se pictures that may fit your observation.
At Dokmai Garden we have consistently used the central Thai names, in addition to scientific names, in an effort to help establishing a Thai plant names standard. Although the various names may cause communication problems, they also constitute a wealth in cultural diversity. Smitinand’s book preserves that wealth at the same time as it bridges the cultures. Any serious gardener in Thailand should have this book on his book shelf, and we are very much looking forward to future editions.
Eric Danell
Orchid pollination and seed germination
As you can see from the picture below, we recently went orchid-watching in the nearby forest. We found Dendrobium aphyllum and other species in blossom. It looks almost unreal to see these beautiful flowers sprouting out from a naked dormant tree (epiphytic orchids grows on trees without harming them). D. aphyllum just burst its flowering buds also here at Dokmai Garden. That we rarely see these orchids in the forests made me think of how vulnerable natural orchids are, and that we should never buy any orchids from road side dealers or vegetable markets, only from CITES certified dealers.
An interesting way of learning more about your garden orchids, is to stimulate their fruit production. The orchid fruit is a dry capsule, full of seeds that are so small they resemble spores or dust. Since the orchid may demand special pollinating insects which may not occur in your garden, you may have to transfer the pollen to the stigma by hand, to initiate fruit formation. Orchid pollen is usually hidden under a lid in the hornlike structure (the column) above the lip. Use a magnifying glass and a needle to search for the bright yellow pollen packages (pollinia). You can practice on a garden orchid which you detach and totally rip, just so you learn its anatomy. Then gently repeat the pollination on a flower you wish to pollinate. The pollinia should be transferred to the female part, the stigma, which in the case of a Dendrobium may look like a pit on the column. Then observe the flower for a few days to see if you were succesful. A fertilized flower usually drops its petals soon, and fruit formation starts. Once the fruit gets brown and dry, it will open up. According to my experienced orchid friend Dr Bronsema, you increase your chances of seed germination, if you use an artificial growth medium, such as “Knudson C”. That can be bought here in Chiang Mai at the intersection between road 1001 and the expressway.
The vision is that gardeners can buy native orchid species from certified dealers, and then produce little seedlings which are genetically different from the mother plant, and then further enhance the beauty of the garden as well as putting back orchids in an original forest! However, the latter step demands very good knowledge about each species’ ecology, because on the wrong spot the orchid will die. The best way to learn where they thrive, is to see how they grow in the national parks. Note the tree species, note the North-South directions, note the altitude and note how high in the tree the orchid grows. Also, always collaborate with the national park manager, as they need to know about any change. Scientists could make terrible mistakes if they start monitoring outplanted orchids instead of naturally established orchids.
If the pollination sounds difficult, we offer anybody with a Dokmai Garden ticket a supervised lesson using a dissecting microscope. This offer is only made as long as we have plenty of orchids to play with. If you wish to be sure to have a private supervised pollination lecture, then bring your own orchid. Vanda is easy to handle and displays the structures nicely.
Eric Danell
Birds in a monsoon garden
What can you do to attract birds in your monsoon garden?
Today we had bird specialist Tony Ball at Dokmai Garden. We saw 35 species in three hours, of which six were new on our list. This was actually good, as we had a large group of joyful talkative visitors. We have now registered 70 species of wild birds at Dokmai Garden.
It is too bad so few tourists come to Chiang Mai in March-April, which we call the “Wildflower Season”. In addition to many orchids and flamboyant native trees in blossom, this is also the best time for birds, as we still have the winter migrants, and the stationary species get more vocal as they prepare for the mating season.
In order to attract birds to your garden, you can plant bamboos which attract certain species like the white-rumped shama, fruit trees to provide food for a range of birds, nectar plants such as Hibiscus, Bombax and Punica for the sunbirds, shrubberies for the small birds that like protection, a pond for herons, ducks and water hens (and drinking water to any bird), a spray-free garden would allow insects for flycatchers and bee-eaters, large hollow trees would allow owls and rollers, open plains would attract larks and if you have a meadow with buffaloes you get the starlings and mynahs. The birds provide life and action in your garden, and ground dwelling birds like jungle fowl and pheasants help you to remove slugs, snails and young scorpions. We have Eurasian tree sparrows around our buildings, and for some time I have wished for a hawk to control the population. Well, this morning we could add the shikra to the list, a beautiful male hawk with a bluish back and pinkish breast. The Thai gardeners are important for protecting the wild birds until the Thai farmers have abandoned bird hunting and forest fires.
The Olive-backed Sunbird nesting at Dokmai Garden
Vanilla in your garden!
Real vanilla is the flavour of a fermented vanilla orchid fruit. The commercial Vanilla planifolia comes from Mexico, and it grows best around the equator in areas with high humidity and even rain fall. There are many vanilla plantations in Indonesia, implying rain forest climate. Since Dokmai Garden has a pronounced monsoon climate, with six months of drought, I was curious to see if I could create an outdoor management for its cultivation at a small scale. On the 24th of January 2009 I planted a cutting in a sandy soil enriched with humus to hold water, and then I tied the vine to a nearby tree trunk. I have a nursery shade cloth, why the plant grows in light (50%) shade all the time. We water leaves, stems and roots every day. On March 20, 2010 I saw the first flower! The flower is fairly large, greenish and without any particular smell. Since its pollinator is back in Mexico, I had to pollinate it by hand. We’ll see if that works!
Oases in the Dry Season
I have been at Dokmai for nearly three weeks now. As I prepare to pack my bags and move on to the next adventure, I thought I would stop and reflect on the last few days here at Dokmai Garden.
Earlier this week, we took a brief vacation from the garden and headed to Mae Khanin to check out the area in the dry season and see if there were any orchids in bloom. There were about five of us in our party, and we headed out for our hike after lunch. We climbed up a mountain in the area in search of orchids and hoping to camp out near the summit. We stopped many times in our ascent, pausing to identify different tree and flower species. By the time we made it to our intended camping site, it was almost evening. Before setting up camp, we explored the area a bit and realized that the smell of fire that had been permeating the air for most of the week was getting stronger and stronger. (For many years in Chiang Mai, people have been burning the land in the dry season, which usually results in hazy, smoke-filled skies and low quality ground soil.) We decided that the risk of fire was too strong to stay the night and headed back to the village to make camp.
We found a spot to set up camp on a piece of land the Seehamongkol family owns. The village sits in a valley and reaps the benefits of higher altitude, cooler temperatures at night, and an unfamiliar morning dew. The result of which is an oasis-like green region with coconut palms, banana trees, small ponds with edible water plants, a creek, and luscious green grass. Chiang Mai is in the middle of the dry season, which means the mountains, home of many deciduous trees, are painted brown at this time of year. Mid-day temperatures can reach 40+ degrees Celsius (or 100+ fahrenheit), and the air is incredibly dry. Needless to say, this little nook of greenery among the dryness was a welcome–and surprising–change.
The next day, we continued our walk, hiking in a different direction away from the village, again stopping every ten or so meters to discuss a tree, flower, or fruit. We returned to Dokmai Garden, tired, smelly, and happy after our venture.
A few hours later, as the sun was beginning to set through the smoky haze, we heard a crash of thunder. In a few minutes, the storm was upon us, splashing fresh water on the streets of Hong Dong. Although the rain did not amount to much–only about 1 liter per square meter, not enough even for the trees to register the rain–the rare shower was enough to remind us that the rains are not far off and the dry season will not last forever.
-Madeline, U.S.A.
The Tropical Gardening School: The First Few Days
Day 1:
I arrived at Dokmai Garden in the late afternoon on a Saturday. I had just arrived in Chiang Mai on the overnight train from Bangkok and taken a tuk tuk, a small, open-aired taxi, from the train station to Dokmai Garden. I paid the tuk tuk driver and heaved my backpack on my back and headed for the garden. Ketsanee, the president of Dokmai Garden, greeted me warmly and let me explore the garden for the first time. I wandered in, entering through a Chinese gate in the restaurant area and heading through a covered walkway full of climbing plants and vines and buzzing with insects and birds. I strolled through the different areas, pausing to read information signs and gaze at beautiful plants I had never seen before. The quiet of the garden and the various bird calls that echo through the air were a welcome change from the loud train noises and the bustling city sounds of Bangkok. I was pretty happy knowing I could call this garden my office for the next few weeks.
Day 4:
The sheer number of plants and animals at Dokmai can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially given that each tree has a botanical name and a common name. Today, I took a walk around the garden with Eric as he told me about the different trees, flowers, and animals. We walked for nearly four hours, and barely covered half of the garden. It was exciting to learn about where each tree came from and how it was grown. Although Dokmai Garden only opened a year ago, there is a mango tree that is over 160 years old, while others are only a year or two old. My favorite section of the garden is the vegetable section, where you can see a variety of edible plants being grown including: peppers, tomatoes, rice, taro, pineapple, and macadamia. I love seeing these plants, but it sure makes me hungry for lunch!
Day 7:
This morning I rode my bike to the garden with Martina, the other gardening school student. We arrived at 8am, just in time for the morning meeting. During the meeting, the Seehamongkol family, the gardening school students, and full-time workers discuss what is happening in the garden and what tasks need to be completed. After the meeting, we set about our duties. We began by doing a loop around the garden, noting which trees needed tending to and which ones were in good shape. Later we planted a few Hiptage benghalensis seedlings for the nursery. I ended the day walking Ruben, the family’s golden retriever, around the roads surrounding the garden. As we returned to the garden, we passed a nearby query as the sun was setting over the hills. Not a bad first week at the garden, I thought, not a bad week at all.
Madeline, U.S.A.
Jungle Perfume
Mesua ferrea is one of those local tree species that were almost exterminated in the hungry quest for timber. It has an iron-hard, dark, brownish-reddish wood, once highly esteemed by local carpenters. Today’s carpenters hardly know this wood, since many of the lowland forests in tropical Asia are gone, replaced by sterile golf courses and resort style private gardens dominated by South American plants. During the past four years, I have only seen one mature tree of Mesua ferrea. At Dokmai Garden we have three seedlings from that mother tree, which survived the holocaust at a nearby mountain temple. This year, at age three, two of them just began to produce flowers. The petals are snow-white, and there is a thick pom-pom of bright yellow stamens. The wild bees come in masses to collect pollen, and their legs are heavy from successful treasure hunting. The literature rarely mention the fragrance, which to me resembles the perfume “Kenzo”, with a distinct cucumber touch. Another appealing feature of this humble being, are the young leaves, which are very pale at first and then turn pink and then red. While we struggle to find a solution to the only environmental problem, i.e. the overpopulation of earth, it would be nice if gardeners meanwhile could assure we do not lose too many of our fellow beings.
Eric Danell
The Original Jungle Blog
This is our first Dokmai Dogma blog, initiated by the American Gardening School student Madeline Ragan. We are so grateful to house young people with fresh ideas, in this case helping us to link our experience from a monsoon garden with fellow plant lovers worldwide. Since I spend most of my time in the garden or reading books, I do acquire useful experience and knowledge, but at the same time I have no time for learning more about computer magic. Thank you Madeline for opening my eyes to the cyberworld!
As a writer for the Chiang Mai Mail weekly garden column, I first feared that maybe this blog would double the efforts, stealing time from the garden work. However, while a garden column in a newspaper is perfect entertainment in the bath tub, at the lunch table or at the train, the blog is aimed at people who actively seek information. Our blog fills in the niche for people interested in tropical gardening in a pronounced seasonal climate, such as the one here in the Chiang Mai valley. Our seasonal climate, also called monsoon climate, has resulted in seasonal forests called jungles. Rainforests have no seasons. Since many of our native plants are cultivated elsewhere, experience from their backyard may help you in designing perfect conditions to see them thrive in your garden. We’ll see. I appreciate any feedback.
Eric Danell
Dokmai Dogma 