The House in the Rainforest Garden

The House in the Rainforest Garden

The House in the Rainforest Garden

A place to relax among nature among beautiful plants that grow quickly and don’t take a lot of maintenance. These are the main components of this tropical garden.

/// Thailand ///

Story : Apasri Meemana /// English Version : Peter Montalbano /// Photos : Sitthisak Namkham

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Garden gazebo for work and relaxation surrounded by the joys of nature
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The large staghorn fern on the freshwater mangrove gets minerals from decaying leaves and helps preserve moisture
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The slender leaves of a regal-looking dragon tree blow gracefully in the wind

Hapsoh, Surachai and Tassanai, the owners of this house are self-taught, but starting with a rough plan she created real beauty with a natural stone garden path, a small wooden bridge, imaginative use of railroad ties and old wood to create a relaxing spot, a stone table and bench set, and a brook that cascades merrily down a waterfall. The family hired craftsmen to build the hardscape, move a portable gazebo to the front of the house, and plant large trees among heavy natural boulders.

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Porous (volcanic) rock around the base of a tree is a boundary for plants so they won’t grow out and overrun the walkway.

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They decided to install some of their favorite species: tree fern, spike moss, staghorn fern, maidenhair fern, birds-nest fern, brake fern, etc. along with evergreen shade trees such as mangos from the old garden, areca palm, and freshwater mango, using soft, easy-to-maintain moss for ground cover. Asked about the difficulty of maintenance, the owner’s son adds,

“We have an older gardener who comes in to trim plants, dispose of old leaves, and do pest control. There’s a sprinkler system on an automatic schedule to make sure the plants get enough water. Sometimes we go with Mom to Bang Yai to buy plants and ornaments. Big plants and special orders we get from Khlong 15, which provides a lot of services.”

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Large natural stones placed decoratively on top of each other in garden spots, with plants growing among them for a natural look.
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Plants climbing a tree fern trunk fill out the natural forest setting
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Pink rain lily blossoms emerge from crevices in volcanic rocks
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Long cement banks create a small brook flowing over rocks and river stones and past a decaying log

Hapsoh leaves us with some thoughts:

“I love living with plants and the sound of water. Looking out from the bedroom or kitchen the garden view is beautiful. This all started long ago as I was relaxing at the Lo Su waterfall in Umphang District, Tak Province, and felt overcome with happiness and peace. I loved the sound of the flowing water. Nature spoke to me, and I decided then and there to go back and build a small waterfall for our own house. And since then, this garden has become indispensable to our family.”

 

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link: http://www.baanlaesuan.com/category/garden/

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