• Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden •

• Botanical

Collection

• Nursery

• Photo Gallery

Join our mailling list, stay tuned with latest updates on News

Home---Plant--->Botanical Collection

Plant Collection
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden represents a concerted effort to manage plant species in cultivation. The garden and other participating institutions work together to preserve long-term genetic diversity in cultivated populations as well as propagate highly endangered species. Moreover, the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical garden supports the long-term field efforts and comprehensive ex situ conservation programs world wide.

The tropical rainforest harbors a greater concentration of species per unit area than any other habitat, but is also among the top ten in terms of deforestation, losing more than 4000 km2 annually.

Botanical Collection
The mission of the collection is to maintain and manage a well-documented and diverse collection
of living plants. The collections started as a collection of ornamental plants and not much attention was paid on labeling and record keeping. It has now evolved into one of the largest collections of living plants.

Documentation & Database
Record keeping and proper documentation of the plants is a very important part of the collection.
By keeping records we can easily retrieve questions about simple things like number of species and whether we have this plant or not, where it is planted or potted and so on. However, more importantly we store a number of interesting data about each plant accession. An accession is a plant or a number of plants, of the same species received from the same person, that in turn got the plant from the same place at that specific date. This means that one species can have several accession if any of above data is not the same. These records then in turn are used to set up genetically diverse collections of certain species and to follow the gene flow as we continue to propagate and cross breed a particular species. Originally, the garden developed a small database. It was however soon realized that to be able to keep up with all the data and information that was necessary to conduct proper research we switched to BG-Base. BG-Base was developed by Botanical Garden people to serve botanical world wide and has during the years evolved into a huge data base network within and between botanical gardens. In order to serve the staff demand and visiting researchers the garden has set up a library with literature both in Thai and English.

Visit to the Living plants collections
The garden and part of the collections are open to the public. However, the main collection is kept off limit to the public. The reasons are numerous, possible theft, damage and disturbance to research or breeding projects among others. It has become clear the Botanical gardens need off limit collections to maintain their goal of ex situ conservation and propagation. Another reason is that the collection plants are kept in pots or in the ground in such a way that it is not aesthetic enjoyable to the public but easily maintained.

Hortus Botanicus
Named and modeled after an old concept. Arrange plants after families,genus founded on the Linnean flora and Fauna classification system. Linne classified flora and Fauna and gave every species known at the time a latin name. Hortus Botanicus is consequently Latin for Botanical garden.
The growing awareness about Biodiversity and it's global destruction has urged many Botanical gardens to set up genebanks of certain genus or species, assemlble not only a single individual but a genetic diversre collection of each species from several know populations. To maintain large collections of whole families and to display them at the same time, is often impossible both lack of space and funding. To maintain genetically diverse and scientitifically doucumented ex situ populations of rare and endangered plants is a very new but increasingly necessary concept if we are to be protect some species to the next generation. Imnstead of trying, in vane, to get some representatives from as many families and genus as possible as most botanical gardens based on the old collection concept does. We have specialist us on certain families, cycads,palms, zingiberaceae,maranthaceae and heliconiaceae. In order to be able different species under one roof, we have designed areas within each family with light, water and sp[ace requiremnents. Shadenet, irrigation and spacing, Large collections, whether they are living or dead needs constant curation by skilled curators otherwise they are lost during the time. By making this section as basic but suffucient it will be easier to maintain the collection over time.

Research
The scientific research at the garden is focused on some different fields, systematic and related fields, horticultural and breeding programs to improve and create new ornamental cultivars. Systematics aims at the scientific classification of plants. Species are studied and revised or given a scientific name. The classification attempts to reflect relationships between species and groups of species. The horticultural sides focus on better way to propagate and to improve soil and overall growing conditions.

Hybridisation programs have been and some is continued on Orchids, Palms, Canna, Adenium.
Most notable are a long term breeding and hybridzation of edible Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) project by Mr.Pramond Dharmasakthi. He has breed Date palms both for ornamental and food purposes. With a worldwide exchange network of pollen, seeds and plants he breeding has resulted in some extraordinary ornamental hybrids that the garden is using in landscape work throuout the country. Another successful project involved Canna. Cannas has been used to add color to the garden ever since it first opened and a large collection has been assembled from all over the world. Hybrids produced at the garden has been sent to Royal Horticultural Society in Wisley, England for evaluation. The gardens material is available for strict research and are frequently used by both Thai and foreign researchers. Both MD and Ph.D. studies have been conducted by using the gardens collection. A number scientific and popular paper have been produced by the gardens staff and published overseas.

International cooperation
The gardens dedication to conservation is hoped to increase, as a member of The Botanical Gardens Conservation International. The garden serves as a Conservation Repository Center for the Heliconia International Society and staff members are on the Board of Directors within the Society.

Members of the staff have contributed and are currently members of IUCN Specialist Group for both Palms and Cycads. Internationally recognized conferences such International Palm Society, Heliconia International Society and The International Conference on Cycad Biology have been held at the garden among numerous other smaller conferences related to plants.

Heliconia and Zingiberales
Heliconia are grown world wide for their beautiful flowers and for landscaping in gardens. The Garden has a documented collection of several hundred different species and cultivars. Heliconia are native to the Americas with a strange disjunct distribution on a few small islands in the Pacific. Many species have very showy brightly colored flowers that attract hummingbirds as their main pollinators.

The large group of plants called Zingiberales includes Ginger, Torch ginger, Alpinia and several other genus of ginger. Many are native to Asia and Thailand and has an unknown, but large amount of different genus and species. Several species are commonly used in Thai and other Asian countries in local food and cooking. Almost 10 years ago one of the garden collectors brought back a strange looking ginger from the Thai forest. Divisions were donated to other Botanical Institutions, and when it later flowered it was realized it represented a completely new genus, it was named Siamanthus after it's home country, Siam, nowadays Thailand. Recent interest in gingers has encourage the garden to start a Thai ginger repository, consisting of plants not only collected by the garden staff but also by several visiting researchers from abroad.

Heliconia Society International
Conservation Centers (HSI-CC)

Almost from its very beginning the HSI established repositories, later renamed as conservation centers, to collect and maintain germplasm of the Zingiberales. Strict quarantine laws are emphasized to ensure that diseases and pests do not accompany any plant transfer. Once safely and legally established in the repository, these plants can be increased for local distribution and passed on to other repositories. There is a lot of overlap, in the form of duplicated accession, but the redundancy is the form of insurance that is the aim and idea behind the centers. Each center has its own procedures for distribution, and should by no mean be thought of as “supermarkets” for obtaining plant material. No single center can feasibly maintain all the Zingiberales groups, so they specialize based on environmental conditions and staff interest.

The goal of the Conservation Centers has grown into a respond to the many needs for ex situ conservation of plants to develop and promote a network of botanical Institutions and private collectors that can provide the expertise and plant material required to support the interest of nurseries and collectors.

Recognizing that tens of thousands of plant species worldwide face possible extinction during the coming century, this initiative aims to contribute to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), adopted by the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity. The GSPC includes 16 targets to be achieved by 2010, including one specifically focused on ex situ conservation – Target 8: “60 per cent of threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10 per cent of them included in recovery and restoration programs conserved”. Since its adoption, many countries worldwide and individual conservation organizations and institutions have worked to develop specific responses to the GSPC.

Criteria and obligations of each HSI Conservation Center are establish as follows:

Any public or private botanical garden wishing to be considered as a Conservation Center for the HSI should submit a letter to the Board of Directors outlining the background, objectives and goals of the garden, why this garden would be an appropriate site for the collection, intended scope of the collection, and what facilities are available to maintain such a collection.
The Center should strive to maintain accurately labeled and documented collections of selected members of the order Zingiberales.
Size and scope of the collections to be determined by each Center according to its means and resources.
Non-commercial, wild collected material should be kept as well as commercial species and cultivars. Several documented accessions of taxa are encouraged in order to maintain genetic diversity.
Permanent records of accessions and dispensations should be kept, preferably in a computerized database using international transfer format (ITF) fields, backed up by hard (paper) copies. Records should be kept current.
A yearly status report should be submitted to the Board.
All Conservation Centers must submit their accesion list to the Coordinator. (The accession list will be kept confidental and only shared in whole or part to a third party after prior consent from the respectively center)
Living material should be provided to other centers upon request, if available and feasible, preferably through an exchange of germplasm
Collections should be maintained in such away that plant material will be prevented from growing together, and preferably mapped.
Spontaneous seedlings should be removed from the core collection (these can be grown separately, if desired).
Species showing tendencies to become weedy should be carefully monitored or preferably destroyed.
Collections should be vouchered and preferably photographically documented to increase value to scientific researchers using the collection.

Cactus garden
Plants that are not native to the country they are grown in are Exotics. For a relatively wet and tropical wet and tropical country as Thailand growing cactus was exotic. There was no public gardens with landscaped outdoor cactus displays. Mrs.Nong Nooch had always had a love for the cactus and succulents. She created a flat garden surrounded by narrow concrete path that created a square, each square between the walkways were raised and a diverse collection of cactus free planted in the open. The excellent design has been preserved although now it the home of the Varity garden. Although some kind of cactus need seasonally very dry condition others can sustain rather humid conditions. It was a trial and erroe and almost 10 years later. Mr.Kampon had gained enough knowledge about the cactus that thrivs in thehumid conditions that Thailand has. He created the new cactus with a three square plastic roofs over beautifully raised beds of natural large rocks. A well drained sandy mix after careful instructions and poured into each bed. A large number of cactus was transplanted the new area but somthing eye-catching was missing. Mr.Kampon went of th Califonia wre cactus can grown in the open freeland to perfection. He returned with over 50 large Golden barrel cactus. Originally from Maxico, these huge gaints with their dark green bodies are surrounded by light yellow stout spines. The whole garden was surrounded by large grantic boulders to create a rock-garden. New plnats have been add during the years and the garden now includes a wide range of dry loving plnats

Cactus and Succulents
Although native to the Americas cactus do adapt well to the Thai climate. The garden has a large display cactus garden with the centerpiece being a group of large mature specimens of the Mexican Golden Barrel cactus. Many other smaller species are planted here as well and if visiting at the right time of the year and day, you may be lucky to see the large white flowers of some Echinopsis or Lobivia cactus. Several other succulents are mixed in with the cactus. The large sometime-glaucous blue Agave, the much appreciated Madagascar Euphorbia milli hybrids and the white flowering and strangely looking Pachypodium. Seeds collected from the display area are grown on in our nursery and sold in the garden centre. The garden also has a well-documented collection of rare and often small growing cactus and succulents, off limit for the general public.

Cycads
The assembling of different Cycads at the garden is one of the largest and diverse documented collections in the world. The garden is focusing on the Southeast Asian, Tropical American and Central Africa species. But a collection of almost every species can also been seen here. Cycads represent an ancient group of plants that flourished during the dinosaur ages, but is now only holding on in the tropical zones of the world. Fossil records show that this group of plants of widespread throughout the world, even in the Arctic during the Cretaceous era. Many species are now threatened by extinction, and some species are so rare that only a few individuals survive.
The garden is working to establish genetically diverse collections of the more threatened species. The major threats are in many cases the greed of collectors, who dig every plant they can get. Large breeding groups of all Thai native cycads have been planted and is now producing seeds to be distributed to other interested parties and as a safe guard to future threats. Two Thai species are at the moment seriously threatened; one was recently just discovered and named by the Curator of Cycads at the garden. The garden conducts research with both Thai Universities and international researchers.

IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group
Ex situ Conservation and
Recovery Programme (CSG-ECRP)
CSG-ECRP was initiated and driven by a number of proposals developed by the IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group (CSG) in their Action Plan of 2003. The goal of the ex situ Conservation and Recovery Programme is to respond to the many needs for ex situ conservation of cycads to develop and promote a network of botanical Institutions that (i) will ensure that all Critically Endangered cycad taxa are represented in genebanks within 3 years and all Endangered taxa within 5 years, and (ii) can provide the expertise and plant material required to support community nurseries and reintroduction programmes.

Recognizing that tens of thousands of plant species worldwide face possible extinction during the coming century, this initiative aims to contribute to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), adopted by the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity. The GSPC is particularly innovative because it was the first time that international outcome orientated targets had been adopted for biodiversity conservation. The GSPC includes 16 targets to be achieved by 2010, including one specifically focused on ex situ conservation – Target 8: “60 per cent of threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10 per cent of them included in recovery and restoration programs conserved”. Since its adoption, many countries worldwide and individual conservation organizations and institutions have worked to develop specific responses to the GSPC.

The objectives of the CSG-ECRP include:

1. Obtaining more comprehensive coverage of cycad taxa in genebanks
Although the few gardens now involved have built up collections of many threatened species, there are still species that are not in genebanks and there are inadequate backup collections. Such backup collections are crucial to deal with natural disasters and mishaps. Additional gardens need to be encouraged to develop genebanks, even if they focus on only one or a few species. There is a special need to develop genebanks within cycad range states because it will be easier to maintain mutualisms in these collections and they can form part of local conservation programmes. The facilities and expertise that exist in the current network of gardens involved in cycad conservation can form the framework for a broader network of gardens.

Set up genebanks for priority taxa. The emphasis for developing additional collections should be given to Critically Endangered and Endangered species that are not represented in genebanks.
Develop a protocol for duplicate collections and exchange of material between gardens housing cycad genebanks.
Expand the number of gardens involved in cycad conservation by identifying gaps and communicating with botanical gardens, especially in range states.

2. Developing species recovery programmes linked to ex situ collections
The ex situ genebanks housed in botanical gardens represent the best material for restoring extinct populations or those that are collapsing. The gardens involved need to develop proper species recovery programmes that identify and deal with the main threatening processes, as well as the obstacles associated with restoring plants to the wild.

Review the data on past attempts to reintroduce cycads to identify successful methods.
Set up experiments to test the success of different reintroduction methods.

In order to achieve the ex situ conservation objectives, the CSG-ECRP programme must be linked to other initiatives, including the following:

1. Conserving cycad habitats
To establish effective protection for remaining cycad populations and habitat, especially in Asia and the New World.

2. Developing links with organizations focusing on biodiversity hotspots
Cycad conservation is very strongly linked to habitat conservation, especially in Asia and the New World. These areas are often congruent with areas of general plant diversity (e.g., Mexico, China, Vietnam) which means that conservation organisations focusing on global hotspots will be trying to conserve some of the same habitats. We must, therefore, ensure that cycad conservation actions complement other actions to save threatened habitats. Cycads could be effectively used as flagship species in some areas.

Produce a list of cycads associated with designated biodiversity hotspots.
Develop profiles on cycad species that could be used by Conservation International, WWF, or IUCN as flagship species for specific biodiversity hotspots. Animal species have been used in this way and cycads could be used to highlight problems in specific hotspots.

3. Evaluating and promoting cycad nurseries linked to wild populations
The prime reason for promoting local cycad nurseries is that they provide an incentive for local communities to preserve cycad habitat. Existing nurseries have shown that involving local people does have benefits, but there are several key activities that are required to promote this activity.

Critically evaluate the successes and failures of pilot projects in Mexico and South Africa to determine whether nurseries do offer sustainable benefits to local communities.
Identify cycad taxa that are suitable for community nurseries based on ease of propagation, market demand, and potential supply rates.
Develop criteria for the accreditation of cycad nurseries. The criteria should be based on the extent to which nursery activities benefit wild cycad populations and should form part of a marketing strategy for plants from sustainable use nurseries.
Develop a marketing strategy for community nurseries. This is one of the weaknesses in the current nursery programme where nurseries linked to wild populations have to compete with nurseries elsewhere.
Develop additional nurseries based on the analysis of suitable taxa and the outcomes of the evaluation of existing nurseries.

4. Promoting horticultural research to increase the availability of artificiallypropagated plants
It is clear that when demand for plants exceeds the supply from cultivated sources, there is more pressure to remove plants from the wild. Recent research has shown that it is possible to improve germination, increase growth rates of seedlings, and develop plants from tissue culture for species with low seed set, which all contribute to increasing numbers of plants in cultivation. These research activities need to be continued, especially for species under threat in the wild, and the results need to be more widely applied by specialist growers and conservation agencies.

Identify the best methods for the propagation and cultivation of species that are threatened by trade.
Disseminate the results of existing and future research work on cycad propagation and cultivation to enthusiasts, growers, botanic gardens, and conservation agencies

Palm collection at nongnooch tropical garden
The palm collection and extensive landscape of palm that permeate the gardens and becoming world renown, as many overseas visitors, and plant experts or simple palm enthusiasts will attest. There is no one place anywhere in the world where so many species of palms can be seen growing together in one place. This has been verified since NNTG played host to the International Palm Society Biennial in September of 1998, where in over 200 delegates attended, representing 33 different countries and all were of one voice. Indeed it is the main goal of the Director and management of NNTG to continue along this path until the ultimate number of species can be gathered world wide and planted herein. At present there are an estimated 2600-2800 species of palms residing in the world, and of those species, NNTG has approximately 1100 species recorded as growing here. It is beyond our reach to arrive at 2000 species in the forthcoming years. At present the collections of palms that are housed here represent the only known types of some species outside of their country of origin. Subsequently their importance as subjects for study by professional researches and for simple admiration by plant enthusiasts cannot be overstated. With the further advancement of palm studies worldwide, and rapid destruction of forests where palms formerly dwelled, more and more people will come to depend on NNTG as a primary source of palm species for which they would otherwise not be able to see for one reason or another. The idea that NNTG will become a virtual living repository of palms as opposed to any other standard Herbarium has credibility, for the factors of favorable climate, care and maintenance and enthusiasm for collecting palms have conspired to ensure this will inevitably happen.

Rhapis Palms or Kansochiku of Japan
This is a select group of species of palms that all belong to one genus, that of Rhapis and excludes all other palm genera. Ironically these palms have all been imported into Japan from 1600's onwards. These palms are commonly called ‘kannonchiku' and ‘shurochiku' in the Japanese language and this refers to the two main types of Rhapis palm cultivated. Collectively both types are referred to as kansochiku. Generally they are grown as small, containerized plant and seldom exceed 30cms height. Individual plants are groomed
such that they show their attributes of glossy or fine patterned foliage, the latter which can comprise bold stripes in hues varying from light green through to cream, yellow and even white, occasionally spotted types are found. Individual plants are given special names and thus eran a pedigree that reflects one of their characters, but names have to be registered with a central council of experts that governs the growing of these palms, the Japanese Rhapis Society.

NNTG has been recognized as having the foremost, comprehensive collection of kansochiku anywhere else in the world and we have been fortunate to be admitted to this otherwise exclusive society. Also NNTG has the great privilege to be allowed to develop new cultivars that have originated here within the gardens.

Wrightia Tomentosa
One of the most popular plants in Thailand for centuries, Wrightia tomentosa used to be pot plant that adorned the veranda of every house in the Kingdom. This medium-size plant, shaped and pruned in various forms, is best to be planted in a rock garden. The delicate small light green leaves and fragrant white flowers are perhaps the reasons of its ever popularity.

Bougainvillea
These plants are instantly recognizable in the gardens of NNTG for they are the foremost plant used to colour the landscape. They are commonly seen in colours ranging from purple to lavender, red to pink and orange to yellow and also white. They encompass a broad colour spectrum and are equally diverse with their many patterned foliage types that comprise variegated white and yellow cream. Bougainvilleas originated in South America and are naturally a ramplant and domewhat spiny climber. Gradually with the expansion of the British Empire , plants were brought out to countries in Africa , India , Australia and some Asian countries by settlers making their way out of Europe . In NNTG these plants are kept regularly pruned of their thorns and are grafted onto woody rootstocks to dwarf the plant. Usually container grown, they can be transported to any point of the gardens and are use to bring bright colour to an area. Amazingly the flowers is not showy, instead it is the colourful bract, a specialized leaf that surrounds the flower that is responsible. The flowers are quite small and insignificant, and in some cultivars, the so called double-bracted or Mahara types don't even have flowers.

Creepers and Climbers Collection
In Nong Nooch Tropical gardens, the extensive use of tropical creepers and climbers as landscape subjects, is much appreciated by many of our visitors. They are displayed on upright pergola structures with green sign boards, that adorn the main avenue, bisecting the gardens’ main boulevards. They encompass some 380 or so species and varieties collected from around the world, and in time, will hopefully encompass some 500 plants, making it the largest collection and display of this group of plants, to be seen anywhere in the world. Loosely termed, any plant that has climbing tendencies and has particular attributes of attractive flowering habit, perfume, or foliage characters or having a particular ethno-botanical or medicinal usage, will guarantee it’s place somewhere in our display. It is hoped that through the gradual introduction and promotion of newer varieties more creepers will become accepted as a regular component of the average Thai garden.

Hoya Collection
A creeper and climber in the true sense, this group of plants is also part of the collection mentioned above, but because of the enormous range and diversity of the genus and near relatives within Asclepediaceae, some 2,000 accessions- means that a special area with requisite environmental conditions have been established in our gardens, to facilitate growing this collection. Under the tutelage of our expert consultant, our Hoya species display collection is studied by researchers from abroad and within Thailand, and is a source of interest because of the significant number of species both from Thailand and neighbouring countries contained within. It is hoped that Hoya’s popularity will, in time spread, and the genus will become more appreciated for its’ flowering traits and other characters, as worthwhile landscape garden subjects.

Cordyline Collection
The Garden’s collection of Cordylines numbers near 400 accessions and is comprised of plants that have been collected from around the world, these plants traditionally known as “Ti” are important cultivated plants in Hawaii and other pacific island nations, and their popularity has spread from there. Most cultivated strains originated from the species, C. fruticosa , which is of uncertain origin. A few choice species collected from Australian forests and its’ neighbouring countries are grown within this collection as well. Cordylines are appreciated because of their colorful foliage characteristics and predictable upright growth habit, essentially a foliage plant, grown for their many colours and usefulness in marking property boundaries, and for weaving necklaces and bracelets for ceremonial occasions in Hawaii. In Thailand, they are known as “Mak Pu Mak Mia” and are appreciated for their colourful foliage as well as potted plants and much effort has been made to breed new dwarf and compact growing varieties that are specific to Thailand.

Croton Collection
The garden’s collection of Croton plants comprises some 500 cultivars that have mostly originated from Florida, USA, wherein the cultivation of the same has spanned almost 100 years. They all belong to the genus, Codiaeum and Codiaeum variegata is the type species from which all garden cultivars have arisen. Originally from Moluccas islands in Indonesia, they have spread around the world because of mankind, and are common place in gardens throughout the tropics. They are appreciated because of their interesting foliage characters with bright colours, comprising shades of red, orange and yellow all mixed in various degrees of patterns and hues. Rarely pink and white colours can be seen. There are no purple or blue shades as such. Crotons are treated as hedge plants and or potted specimens in Thailand and are known as “Gho Son” in the Thai language. Many advances have been made in breeding specific Thai varieties with bizarre curled and rounded foliage types, suitable only for container growing. As garden subjects Crotons are hardy and relatively pest free and continually sport mutant colour forms, from which new varieties are derived

Marantaceae Collection
The garden’s collection comprises the largest and most diverse collection of Marants (commonly known as prayer plants) in the world, and “Ton Kla” in the Thai language and this has been verified by leading authorities of this plant family. Basically they are cultivated as pot plants throughout the world and have been in European countries and USA for near on a century, having been brought there from South American countries, particularly Brazil.

Appreciated because of their finely marked and patterned foliage, especially in regard to the genus Calathea and Ctenanthe, these plants have become almost a common subject in households around the world and with the advent of them as tissue culture subjects they have almost become disposable decor items!

We aim to display our collection as scientifically and effectively as possible such that the plants are in natural groups of all their segregate genera and within their countries of origin.

Great efforts have been made to bring entire private collections from around the world to be housed in our gardens, and laid out in a grand display that is both tantalizing to the eye as well as for the plants’ benefit.

Veriegated Plants garden
“Ton Mai bai dang” in Thai language means any plant group showing attributes of variegation either in the flower, but more commonly occurring in the foliage.

Variegation occurs in a wide variety of plants, and our collection comprises trees and shrubs, creepers and palms and cycads. For centuries they have fascinated people in the Orient and because of their relative rarity, in nature, and unusual appearance, Thai people have ascribed to them much value and prestige, such that societies of plant collectors and enthusiasts have evolved in Thailand, and in neighbouring Asian countries that seek to promote them! The NNTBG collection and display garden promotes a wide variety of variegated Thai plants and many exotic species imported from around the world. Variegation in plants can be expressed in various forms such as natural chimeras, genetically (artificially) altered, somatic colour changes and even on a cellular level, thus there are cases where a variegated leaf will be stable and some cases where the foliage will not be stable! The skill, in horticulture, is to manipulate the variegation in an attempt to stabilize it and therein lies the basis of cultivating variegated plants! We have some exceedingly rare and interesting variegated plants, many of which are on trial and we hope, during the succeeding years will become more common in their usage in landscapes and gardens throughout the Kingdom.

Canna Collection and Display gardens
Canna or Canna lilies are a common plant featured throughout the landscape of NNTG. Usually they are planted in broad swathes of colour in open fields within the gardens, indeed they are relied on for providing masses of flowers throughout every month of the year. Originally native to countries in Central and Southern Americas, They have since spread right across the world as a consequence of human mobilization, and their ability to adapt to foreign countries.
It is because of their relative ease in cultivation that they are a popular group of plants used in NNTG. They are ever flowering and come in a wide variety of colours in the rainbow, lacking only the blue and violet hues of the spectrum. Canna plants also have the added bonus of attractively patterned foliage, which can be striped in many colours or variegated, some types produce flowers that are densely spotted in red or streaked with splashes of red or orange. NNTG has a very extensive collection of cultivars. One of the most exciting developments are the new hybrid plants begin developed in NNTG by a dedicated group of staff, wh have been producing new colour forms and attractive foliage types that are not know anywhere else in the world.

Passiflora Collection
Passiflora is a large genus of climbing plants which inhabit nearly all of the tropical regions and countries of the world, although the centre of distribution is South America wherein approximately 400 species are found. We have been collecting the various species and some hybrids from U.K. and USA and have presented a few of the hardier tropical (heat resistant) types on the pergola structures lining the boulevard aforementioned. In Thailand, they are traditionally known as “Soi Fah” for the flowering types and “Savalot” for the fruiting (edible) species types and they are becoming gradually more and more recognised as garden subjects, despite their usefulness as a fruit crop. We try to demonstrate their usage as pergola subjects as well as potted plants (for the tender types) and we hope to encourage more interest in the species with beautiful flowers, unusual leaves and or strange but rich fragrances. Many hybrids have been bred in USA and European countries for their gardens’ conditions and we hope a range of Asian developed hybrids suitable for outdoor use, will also be developed in time.

Nerium (Oleander) Collection
Oleander or Nerium oleander as it is known botanically, is a popular garden subject that has been cultivated since the Roman Empire was at its’ peak. Essentially a Mediterranean and Northern African species comprising one very variable species, they have been used in European gardens in various dry situations and as seaside plants as they are very drought resistant. The NNTB recently started to collect them as they are available in a broad range of colours from deep reds and pinks through to peach and creamy yellow and white shades. There is much speculation over the existence of purple and lavender shade types, which many of the world’s Oleander enthusiasts have been trying to breed. Our collection is mostly from Italy and Southern France, and in one part of our palm garden many large specimens can be seen in full bloom, throughout most of the year! In Thai language they are known as “Yii Tho”

They produce fragrant flowers and respond to vigorous cutting back, unfortunately for humans they have one regrettable trait, and that is their highly toxic sap which is filled with alkaloids that can hurt people and even kill, if ingested. As garden subjects they have to be treated with caution when cutting them and disposing of their leaves. People with plant allergies should best steer clear of them.

Plumeria gardens and Collection
Traditionally Plumerias have been treated with disdain and sorrow by Asian people as they were mostly planted as boundary markers within Chinese cemeteries and so considered to be associated with the dead. It has taken many years to shrug off this reputation and it has largely been as a result of skillful breeding, promotion and collecting by gardening enthusiasts that many beautiful and colourful and fragrant plants are now being made available to gardeners around the world. The interest in Plumerias in Thailand has grown over these recent years as has the name used to promote them, “Leelawadee” which according to some sources was launched to promote them over the forlorn “Lanthom’ name which had relegated them to such solemn obscurity. The genus comprises some 30 or so species, mostly white flowered, and they are all native to Caribbean and Central/ South American countries, and on account of their ability to withstand drought, cuttings have been brought half way around the world and planted. So many beautiful, colourful hybrids ranging from the most vibrant red hues through to bright orange and yellow and rainbow combinations now adorn gardens throughout Asia and other tropical countries worldwide. NNTBG has an extensive collection numbering almost 500 accessions, collected world wide, and many are able to be seen on the outskirts of the palm collection garden. An avenue of mature specimens, many years old, can be seen in full bloom outside of the Nantha seminar building inside the gardens.

New Caledonian Plants Collection
NNTBG has collected palms from this particular country (a French Pacific island nation) for the past 8 years on account of their rarity and special significance to the palm family. Because of their isolation from neighbouring countries such as Australia, they became highly adapted and specialized to the New Caledonian environment. To this day they are a challenge to cultivate here. The interest in palms has now spread to include other rare and interesting plants. Mostly trees and shrubs, creepers and others, endemic to this country have been gradually added to our collections. 80 % of the New Caledonian flora is endemic to a relatively small (island) land mass, Grand Terre, which is only 400 km long and 50 km at it’s widest part, and it also includes the Loyalty Island group and a few outliers. Much of their flora has yet to be tried for horticulture and as garden subjects, and one group in particular, the Araucarias (13) species out of the (19) known species worldwide, shows the diversity of this ancient plant group there. Many of them are showing promise in growing trials here at NNTBG and in the ensuing years we should start to see them becoming more and more common place in our gardens.