The start of this Tropical Landscaping on Samui project began with the customer reaching out to us. initially, all contact between Thai Garden Design and a new client on the tropical Thai island of Samui was online, via email and Whatsapp. Thai Garden Design swapped messages, pictures and ideas, back and forth, and the new customers agreed to have a landscape plan completed by the design team. They required a complete garden from top to bottom, grass, plants, trees and walkways. Check out the video diary here:
They were not very sure on the desired style, but they did outline certain palms and trees that they liked, notably Bismarck or Silver Palm, sweet smelling jasmine, cloud trees, and dragon trees.
After several versions of the plan were amended, a final design was agreed on, budgets were discussed and approved, and installation date planned. We were going to Samui!
Not being overfamiliar with the Samui, we hadn’t really factored in that the project was on a very steep slope, and quite far up the side of a mountain. Given the amount of trees and materials we needed to get to the site, this was at first a little bit of a shock! But as always the team reset their ideas and we planned our logistics accordingly, using more powerful and larger trucks for the bigger trees!
The site was barren, with overgrown weeds, grasses and layers of sediment and rock, which all needed to be cleared so we could prepare the land for new grass, over 2500 SQM.
The team used a macro to assist with the clearing, moving and stacking of all rocks and boulders, and general sloping and grading to ready the garden for its new lawn.
The team brought in over cubic meters of new soil and sand, to level and grade the landscape. It was right at this stage that the owners decided they wanted to add an automatic sprinkler system! So the calculations were made, budgets agreed, and the sprinkler team were booked to arrive to assist the landscape team.
The plant list is made up of tried and tested low maintenance plants, shrubs and trees. Several hundred fiscus hedges (Korean banyan trees) were brought in, to line the concrete drive as it approaches upwards from the hill, Bismarck palms dotted around the perimeter, their size and impressive appearance matching the scale of the project, dragon trees at the entrance plus the brilliantly red flowering flame trees, and yellow cassia fistula, although these large foliage trees have to be trimmed heavily back to branches, so they can survive the journey. They will thrive and bring lots of color, in time.
Whilst the sprinkler team began digging the various trenches required for the pipework, the landscape team began laying the lawn behind them, working in sections so that each area was finished In sequence.
Pathway stones were also laid as per the design, all the while heavy watering being applied to the newly planted shrubs and plants. Tropical Landscaping on Samui is all in the details!
The team also used their skills to designate the natural rocks, which came free and in abundance, to build up attractive rock gardens in the planted areas, plus build a natural rock wall at the far end of the garden, giving a great feature view from the house terraces.
Cloud trees, which the customers were fond of, were installed on the house terraces, along with a mix of colored bromeliads, jet black pebbles, and some falling creeper vines, which will eventually take a grow up various sections of the wall.
The final landscape is a nice mix of sloping lawned gardens, areas of natural rock and designed, low maintenance planting, curving pathways and defined hedging and well spaced foliage trees.
The Hunter X-Core sprinkler system was installed with its own dedicated water tank, and full instructions and maintenance details were provided. The Hunter X-Core is an extremely reliable system, and can be installed with both an online app for mobile phones, and other extras like rain sensors, so the system will not run during rainy days.
In total, the job took 4 weeks for installation. It was a great success, despite difficulties with the terrain and heavy periods of rainfall. The garden is a fitting statement to this amazing home, a Tropical Landscaping on Samui project with true sea view garden, with breathtaking panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand. !!!
