Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Flowers, Part 14: In A Private Roof Garden, Bangkok

A form of spider lily (Lycoris Amaryllidaceae) amid violet blooms

Banaba - Queen's Myrtle (Lager-
stroemia Speciosa), with thanks to
Christian for the link to ID it.
Receiving the invitation to visit someone's private rooftop garden in Bangkok recently I jumped at the opportunity to visit.  Rising a little earlier than usual I made myself presentable and found my way to their building where I was taken high above the noise and exhaust of the city.

Opening the doorway from the dark stairwell out into this lush area was truly a bit like the door opening onto the Land of Oz; it was that colorful and unexpected.

The only thing missing the entire time I was there was a chair and a decent cup of coffee to enjoy while watching the birds flying around.  Some came from above, but most would appear up over the edge of the building, where they'd light and look about, almost as if they, too, were slightly surprised to find the place.

A colorful bunch of orchids reaching out from a spike

They'd first fly from spot to spot around the area, some hopping around in the open beds and larger pots of colorful specimens, pecking here and there for the random seed or bug. Up above the din of the traffic you could hear their joyful-sounding songs with only the minor drone of an air conditioning unit, behind a wall of shrubs. It was wonderful.

I believe this Hydrangea Macrophylla is known as a "Yellow Zest" in the  US

When they'd finished their initial explorations they'd often stop to splash in the bird baths and fountain before swooping back down over the side of the building, probably to land on the palms and other trees a number of floors below.

A vibrant orange member of the Canna (Cannaceae) family

You'll undoubtedly see more photos from this garden another time, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you today from my morning visit.