Tag Archives: figs

My visit to Suanphung, an incredible bonsai garden

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Entryway to the Chinese Garden

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Entryway road leading into the gardens is lined with large bonsai on either side

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Rhona standing beside a defoliated fig tree

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A large Ficus religiosa

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View across one of the lakes

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Rockery and waterfall

 

Ficus microcarpa

Beautiful strong rootage

 

Ficus sirens showing red newly grown leaves

Ficus virens showing red newly grown leaves

 

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One view of a section of the bonsai village

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Lovely rootage on this bonsai

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Root over rock design

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Ficus virens nearly covering over the stone

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Root over rock design, defoliated tree

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Hibiscus in full leaf

This was our fourth or fifth visit to Thailand which ranks high on our list of the most wonderful countries to visit. The country is beautiful and the people are all so very warm and hospitable. Of course we love Thai food and also the wide range of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables, including the legendary aromatic durian.

Our time in Thailand was spent with Montri and Jane Suksermongchai of Bangkok. They are good friends and have introduced us to many of the delights of the Thai country and culture.

On this trip we had time to explore Montri’s bonsai collections in Bangkok as well as his nearly completed Bonsai Garden, Suanphung Bonsai Village. Suanphung is named after a local tree and  is an extensive bonsai garden almost too big to walk around. It would take many hours to visit the numerous bonsai in the Chinese and Japanese gardens as well as bonsai lining both sides of the major roadways. There are also displays of garden stones, and newly constructed buildings. Needless to say there are also exquisite masterpiece bonsai including figs, Podocarpus, Adenium, Trident maple, Hibiscus, Wrightia religiosa, Tamarind and other species.

With my special interest in figs I was able to view many species used as bonsai including Ficus virens, microcarpa, benjamina, racemosa, religiosa and rumphii. Montri’s bonsai are in classical shapes and designs with the styles of bonsai varying from upright to cascade to root over rock. Many of the bonsai are of large or imperial size and not easily moveable by one or even two people. Pots are commensurately large and can be constructed of pottery, cement or carved from solid blocks of granite.

The individual gardens and buildings are done in elegant and tasteful designs consistent with the landscape and themes of the individual gardens while the quality of the bonsai is second to none in the world.

Once the gardens are completed a visit to them will be a must for any bonsai lover visiting Thailand.

Ficus burtt-davyi

Ficus burtt-davyi is one of the figs that is not too infrequently used for bonsai.

There are many cultivars of this fig differentiated by small, medium or large leaves. Even the large leaf form has leaves that are only two or three inches in length.

One of the great attributes of this fig is that it will form figs nearly every year about the time that the new foliage is getting ready to sprout. Figs/syconia are small in size, start as green in color and mature to red or dark purple. Of course the seed inside is not fertile as the specific pollenating wasp is not present in my plant room.

Ficus burtt-davyi with numerous figs/syconia

Ficus burtt-davyi with numerous figs/syconia