It's especially hot, of course, in Thailand during the summer months. But judging from the way Cassia fistula is blooming heavily this year, this summer has been even hotter than previous years.
BLOOMIN’ LOVELY: Above and below, the golden shower and Lagerstroemia trees in the That Phanom temple compound are blanketed by flowers. Cassia fistula
At the Railway Park, or Suan Rot Fai, near the Chatuchak weekend market, several trees all turned yellow with flowers last month and plant enthusiast Ratasit Charutrakulchai was so taken by them that he went to the park repeatedly to take photos. "Early to mid-April is the height of their blooming season," he said. "Their beauty is unrivalled. They are Bangkok's answer to Tokyo's sakura (cherry blossom) trees.
"It baffles me why the Thai authorities haven't supported the planting of these lovely trees in all parks, and along the streets throughout Bangkok and central Thailand," Mr Ratasit added.
Considering the golden shower is Thailand's national flower, I don't understand either why Bangkok's streets do not have more of the trees. There used to be a row of them on the island dividing Ratchadamnoen Avenue but these disappeared decades ago; I don't remember seeing any golden shower tree in Lumpini Park.
Cassia fistula is a fast-growing tree which grows to about 10 metres in height. It is propagated by seed, which must be soaked in water for 24 hours first, to break dormancy. Seedlings planted in plastic bags survive transplant quite well, and start to bear flowers four years after planting. But why aren't there more of the trees along Bangkok's streets? Could it be because they are susceptible to insect pests and unattractive when small? Or is it because they are not as shady as other trees? Or is it simply because the national flower is not appreciated by the people in charge of beautifying Bangkok?
The tree is, however, a familiar sight along highways, as well as in people's yards, in the provinces. Wherever you travel in the summer, especially during April and May, you can expect to see its flowers brightening up the scenery, especially in the Northeast, where the air is dryer than other parts of the country. Golden shower is more commonly known in the Northeast as dok koon or dok lom laeng, the latter indicating that the flowers appear when the wind is hot and dry, that is, in the summer.
From Khon Kaen, resident John Gibson wrote to say that despite predictions for water shortages and electricity outages due to low level of water at the Ubolratana Dam, "one amazing thing that never seems to change, regardless of drought and economic hardships or political instability, is that the dok koon trees continue to bloom throughout Isan".
Dok koon line many streets in Khon Kaen, and despite the suffocating heat, Mr Gibson took the photos you see on this page so that other readers could enjoy the flowers, too. More photos were taken when he visited That Phanom, in Nakhon Phanom province, where the magnificent dok koon and inthanin (Lagerstroemia spp) trees in the temple grounds were also heavily in bloom.
Mr Gibson was devastated when the golden shower trees in the housing village where he lives were severely pruned recently. "However, today driving by, miraculously they were in glorious golden bloom, albeit not as prolific as usual and not at their maximum. I was amazed that in just two weeks they could start to flower and bloom like that," he wrote.
During a recent trip from Khon Kaen to Phitsanulok, however, he was distressed to find that trees had disappeared along Highway 12 between Phetchabun and Phitsanulok, which had been widened. Past the Lomsak intersection on the road leading to Nam Nao National Park, some of the magnificent raintrees had also been cut down for another road widening project.
Through the years, the powers that be seem to be obsessed with building wider roads even where the traffic is not heavy, as on the road leading to Nam Nao. Decades-old trees on roadsides are felled without hesitation, and where they are not felled, trees are pruned to their bare trunks. But what can you expect in a country where mountains in several provinces in the North are allowed to be cleared of forest cover and turned into corn plantations? And then they blame El Nino for the drought that is now affecting most of the country.
It is a gardener's nightmare to see his plants wither away and die due to lack of water. Although it is now the beginning of May, when the rainy season is supposed to start, do not bet on the rains coming on time. The golden shower trees flower best when the soil is dry, but the shrubs and other plants in your garden will need your help so that they can last with little water.
First, improve the soil's structure and its ability to retain moisture by adding compost and well decomposed manure. Second, apply mulch to keep the soil cool and moist, as well as to reduce weeds. Summer is when deciduous trees shed their leaves; use the dry leaves as mulch or make them into compost.
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