Nature notes 2025

[anna_wing]

There's been a lot happening in the garden this year. The house next door got sold and a four-storey hostel is being built on the site, so they cut down ALL the trees, so suddenly that side of my garden had no shade and a clear view into my porch. My landlord hurriedly put up a nice high fence, and planted a lot of quick-growing bamboos in front. The monsoon has come early, so water is not a problem.

And then the old mango tree by the gate fell after a heavy rain softened the soil, and had to be removed, causing some damage to the guardhouse and the roof of the outdoor picnic table and benches for them and the gardeners. Once that was repaired, I had a chat with the garden company about what to put in its place, and we decided on a lot of jasmine plants (which Housekeeper can use for her altar, and the guards and gardeners can too), and some Tabernaemontana divaricata.

The gardeners also checked the other old mango tree, which is at least 40 years old, so right at the edge of lifespan (notwithstanding this incredibly advanced age it produced several hundred fruits this year, which were distributed among all our employees). It had been nicely shading my bedroom windows, but turned out to have termites and fungus, so half of it had to be lopped off too. Luckily crow nesting-season is over, and we also didn't have to cut the whole tree down.

The Yellow-Vented Bulbuls the world's stupidest bird have managed to choose the only other bush in the garden that is within easy vertical acceleration distance of my cats, who are now lurking nearby every morning when they are let out for their post-breakfast constitutional. Housekeeper is doing her best to keep an eye on the hatchlings, but given the parents' suicidal real-estate preferences I am not optimistic.

In cheerier news, the second citron tree (the first one died), which produced one gigantic 1 kg fruit five years ago and nothing since, beyond growing huge and bushy to a good three metres tall, now has eight fruits including another huge one that is almost ripe. I am very pleased. The garden company is rather astonished, and I have promised them a fruit for growing on.

And one of the dragon-fruit plants has produced two flowers, which will hopefully develop into fruit.

Comments

[shirebound]

That's a lot of garden action. Is Tabernaemontana divaricata fragrant?

[anna_wing]

The variety I know isn't. I have to wait for this one to bloom to see. The jasmines are extremely fragrant, I hope it won't be too much for the guards.

[flemmings]

There are times when my city's tree regulations are a pain (if one comes down, another must be planted in its place, even if there's no room for it is-why-it-came-down.) But you can't remove ALL the trees no way no how. At least you have bamboo-- which I've heard is immensely invasive. Maybe it will undermine next door's foundations?

[anna_wing]

Different bamboo species have different habits and different sizes. The linear-spreading ones are difficult to handle unless you're really fond of bamboo-shoot, supply your local Chinese restaurant or are good with a machete. Clumping ones spread outwards in all directions, and how big the clump gets depends on the size of the stems and the space available and how fast it grows. The ones I've put in are quite slender-stemmed, and clumping, plus they're in a very constrained space, so all the growth will be upwards, or at least that is the plan.

[flemmings]

I think I'd only heard of the linear spreading ones so that all advice on planting bamboo was, succinctly, don't. Sounds like your clumping ones will behave nicely and hopefully block the neighbours.

And I envy you your mango and dragon fruit trees, since both naturally go for heart-stopping prices here.

[anna_wing]

The equivalent for us is fruits like berries and all the stone fruits, which are hugely expensive even in season. Strawberries are the only exception, now that the Thais grow them in huge quantities but even then they're still a bit of a luxury. I still remember my time in Chile with nostalgia - in summer you could buy raspberries and blackberries and peaches and apricots and cherries by the kilo. You could get fresh juice in the markets! My flatmate's uncle had a cherry farm!

[flemmings]

Of course, berries aren't that cheap here nine months of the year. And even in season, you can't buy them by the kilo! Maybe in the US, she sighs.

I couldn't take a tropical climate- am bracing myself against next week's forecast highs of 25 moan groan shudder- but there certainly are advantages.

[sovay]

Housekeeper is doing her best to keep an eye on the hatchlings, but given the parents' suicidal real-estate preferences I am not optimistic.

We had fish when I was a child. We also had cats. The fish that leapt eagerly out of the tank in search of a brave new world did not last long. The cats could not be blamed.

Given all the other tree losses, I'm so glad the citron is thriving! Good luck with the dragon fruit.

[anna_wing]

Thanks!