Nigel Sellman has a large balcony, just over 20 square metres, and would like to make it green. "I would prefer foliage plants, but with some flowering ones mixed in, especially if they attract bees, butterflies or birds," he wrote. "I would like a small tree or large shrub at either end of the balcony, maybe a citrus tree. I'd prefer native species, but I'm not going to be restricted to them.
"I'd also prefer plants that are easier to keep, maybe allowing me to leave them for up to a month, though there is a gardener in the condominium where I live and I could allow him to water them if I'm away. I have no raised ledge for smaller plants. I have heard that most native species, which I'd expect to be easier to keep, need quite deep pots. I don't know if that's true."
With Mr Sellman's letter in mind, I went to the Chatuchak plant market last Wednesday to take a look at the latest plant scene. You may wonder why I always go to Chatuchak when there are many other places where one can buy plants and gardening supplies, such as Thewes market, Talingchan, Klong 15 in Rangsit, the permanent plant market across from Chatuchak on Kamphaengphet Road, and, further afield, the nursery outside Nongnooch Gardens in Pattaya and the countless roadside stalls along Mitraphab Road in Pak Chong and Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Road in Pathum Thani, to name just a few. Plants in these places, which are open daily, are amazingly cheap and varied, so you can be sure that a visit to any of them will yield interesting results.
For most Bangkok residents and foreign plant collectors, however, Chatuchak represents all the above, and more. For two days on Wednesday and Thursday every week, nursery owners from suburban areas like Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani and from as far away as Chiang Mai, Chumphon, Saraburi, Ratchaburi, Chon Buri and Prachin Buri turn Chatuchak into a central market where plant lovers can do one-stop shopping for ornamental plants, shrubs and trees of all shapes and sizes as well as fruit trees and potted herbs for cooking.
PRETTY HEALTHY: Beautiful as an ornamental plant, calamondin bears small oranges that can be squeezed to make a refreshing drink rich in Vitamin C.
As a gardener who is only too aware of the hidden costs of growing plants (everything is bought, from soil, compost, leaf mould, animal manure, chopped coconut husk and pots to fertilisers and pesticides, not to mention water and labour) I am often amazed at how plants are sold cheaply at Chatuchak. Many species are selling for 50 to 100 baht a pot, or even three for 100 baht for smaller plants. A bushy miniature fern, perfect as a ground cover or to plant in a small garden, is 40 baht a pot, and plumeria hybrids with flowers in various shades of red, pink, yellow, orange and cream are 100 to 300 baht, depending on size. Rare plants, new hybrids, or large trees which take several years to grow, however, can cost several hundred or even thousands of baht.
As most trees and flowering shrubs need full sun, Mr Sellman's choice of plants for his balcony is limited by the fact that it only gets sun in the afternoon. However, there are a number of beautiful foliage plants which can do with only half a day of sun, such as the palms known in Thai as mak lueang (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), mak daeng (Cyrtostachys lakka) and jung-jeen (Rhapis humilis, Rhapis excelsa); wassana (Dracaena fragrans), song of Jamaica (Dracaena reflexa), kuan-im keow (Dracaena sanderiana), and mak pu mak mia (Cordyline fruticosa). The latter has leaves in various hues and a pot placed here and there, or several pots grouped together, will bring a dash of colour to the balcony.
Bougainvilleas need full sun, but the variegated cultivar (its leaves are yellow and green) can do with less. Its attractive red flowers provide a contrast to the white flowers of Murraya paniculata, known in Thai as kaew, and Wrightia religiosa, or mok, which can also thrive in only half a day of sun. Kaew has shiny, dark green leaves and is more bushy than mok, whose leaves come in a lighter shade of green; both are shrubs that can grow into small trees, and bear fragrant flowers. However, the flowers that truly attract butterflies are those of the butterfly bush, or rachavadee (Buddleja paniculata), which fill the air with sweet fragrance, especially in the morning. This shrub, however, needs full sun.
Mr Sellman mentioned citrus. Citrus trees need full sun to bear fruit, but he may be able to get away with calamondin (Citrofortunella microcarpa, known in Thai as som chit), which looks attractive with beautiful tiny oranges that turn golden yellow when ripe. I have a calamondin tree behind my house which gets only morning sun, but it does bear fruit although not so prolific as that of a friend's tree in full sun. Iced calamondin juice sweetened with honey or sugar makes a very refreshing drink rich in vitamin C remove the ice and it relieves cough.
All the above-mentioned plants are easy to maintain, but as their roots are confined in pots and therefore cannot go far to seek moisture, even the hardiest will die if left for a month without water. Plants should be planted in pots that are just right for their size, neither too big nor too small, and watered thoroughly until the soil is fully soaked so that you don't have to water them again until the topsoil is dry to the touch. That will be every two or three days, and to make them looking at their best all the time, apply a spoonful or two of fertiliser every three months.
Email nthongtham@gmail.com.
