Nong Nooch Pattaya Thailand August 2025

[tim_brissy_13]

I’ve just been lucky enough to have a free day in Thailand so made the most of it and headed to Nong Nooch. 
 

For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s difficult to describe. Everything is in excess, literally thousands of some rare species not often seen elsewhere. Lodoicea line some of the walkways, multiple Tahina spread throughout the gardens, Copernicia, Borassus, Hyphaene and Bismarckia everywhere etc etc. many hybrids and variegated palms too. 
 

The only thing I’d say is that it is somewhat overwhelming not just due to the sheer scale of the place, but also that most palms aren’t labelled. I’m pretty cluey with IDs but I’d say about half or more of what I saw I couldn’t ID to species level. The section where over 1000 species of palms are grown is closed to the public so I couldn’t get in. It was a last minute trip but next time maybe I’ll try to organise a visit in there. Here’s some highlights of what I saw:

Medemia argun

 

Corypha lecomtei

 

Locoidea maldivica. Every female is caged (there are now many)

 

One of the main avenues lined with many blue palmate palms. Copernicia hospita, Bismarckia, Hyphaene coriacea, Serenoa and friends. 

Borassus flabellifer and Corypha lecomtei

 

Serenoa repens silver form

Sabal uresana

 

Copernicia fallaensis, Tahina spectabilis and Lodoicea maldivica. What a combination!

The same Tahina and Lodoicea from another angle with massive Corypha umbraculifera and C utan in the background.

The same Tahina. This one could be up there with the largest in cultivation anywhere.  Now that it has reached full girth and crown spread, I’d estimate it’s about the same spread as Lodoicea and maybe 10% less in diameter compared with a really well grown Corypha umbraculifera. It’s got at least 20% on fully grown Bismarckia, Copernicia fallaensis and similarly large palms.  It might not seem huge in these photos, but only because it’s surrounded by giants in their own right.

 

Borassodendron machadonis

Blue Garden

 

Variegated Copernicia

 

A couple of variegated Borassus flabellifer

 

Variegated Collection

 

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

 

Zombia

 

Hyphaene coriacea

 

Dwarf Areca catechu

[happypalms]

Theres to much to photograph in that garden! But absolutely stunning garden. Pretty good for a mother and son garden I will say! 

[Jonathan]

4 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

 

Nice! Do you have some of these for me @happypalms?

[Jonathan]

Spectacular palms Tim!

However I'm a bit sus on some of the landscaping choices...maybe less tapirs next time!

[happypalms]

8 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Nice! Do you have some of these for me @happypalms?

Yep!

[Harry’s Palms]

It looks like it is a 2-3 day adventure by the size of it! Nice photos , thank you for sharing. Harry

[realarch]

Thanks for posting Tim. The palms at this garden are spectacular and the sheer number of species are  overwhelming. I was able to visit the garden again last year and the evolution was eye popping. Extensive new walkways, totally new central building and entrance and the addition of a Jurassic world of concrete dinosaurs.

The IPS Biennial was held at Nong Nooch back in 2012 and the members were treated like VIP’s. Our accommodation was inside the garden because of the extensive facilities. It was a destination palm and botanic resort. 

We were given special palm tours in public and private areas by the owner Kampon and the staff. Truly an unforgettable experience. For those with access to past biennial archives at the main IPS site should check it out. 

Tim

[tim_brissy_13]

11 hours ago, Jonathan said:

Spectacular palms Tim!

However I'm a bit sus on some of the landscaping choices...maybe less tapirs next time!

It’s all a bit odd but I guess most people would think that of us palm nuts! The tourists were definitely gravitating towards all of the life size dinosaur statues and all of the random animal statues scattered throughout the place.  The whole time I was in the Palms of the World section I was on my own!

[tim_brissy_13]

9 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

It looks like it is a 2-3 day adventure by the size of it! Nice photos , thank you for sharing. Harry

It definitely would be worthy of a few days if you’ve got the time. I got in there right at opening time at 8am and had the place almost to myself for a couple of hours. Around lunch time it gets busy but only the central areas where the non palm attractions are. All up I did over 24000 steps that day between 8am and 3pm when I had to leave (this plot below is 3 hours forward due to time difference). If you like taking it slow, it would be a good idea to spend a couple of days there. 

[tim_brissy_13]

A few more. Apologies for any incorrect IDs, I’m just going by eye.

Raphia sp

 

Cyrtostachys hybrid

 

Chuniophoenix nana

 

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

Some freaky Chrysalidocarpus hybrid.  I’m guessing C cabadae x leptocheilos or vice versa.  There were so many Chrysalidocarpus hybrids it seemed like they had a full spectrum of that entire genus’ gene pool.

 

Dypsis rivularis

 

Chambeyronia macrocarpa. All the Chambeys I saw didn’t seem as vigorous as they can be in the cooler tropics and subtropics.

 

Joey altifrons 

 

Arenga caudata (?)

 

A group of Syagrus schizophylla

 

Arenga undulatifolia 

Group of Arenga pinnata

Nannorrhops 

 

Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis weeping form

 

Sabal minor

Livistona carinensis

 

A few Copernicia sp

 

Leucothrinax morrisii 

 

Pigafetta

 

Cyrtostachys hybrid

 

Dictyosperma album var conjugatum 

A row of Lodoicea. All were just maturing just as they start to show clear trunk or even beforehand. They cage the females but don’t bother with the less valuable males (the palms I mean)

 

Deckenia nobilis

 

I’ll keep adding some more photos when I have time and as I figure out some of the remaining IDs. 

[Jonathan Haycock]

Awesome shots Tim, thanks for sharing. How I wish I could source some of those Cyrtostachys hybrids!!!

I've suggested to various palm nutters that it would be great if PACSOA organised a trip to Nong Nooch. Stan Walkley is good friends with Kampon and Anders, so I'm sure something spectacular could be set up. 

[sonoranfans]

Great pics Tim!  Probably the most beautiful palm garden in the world!  I'm sure the immersion you get from being there cannot be done justice with pictures.   I'd like to spend a few days there from sunrise to sunset to see how the colors change with mid and edge of the day sunlight!  Seems like many palm species present their best examplar at nong-nooch! 

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Fabulous pictures Tim 

I will have to go to Nong Nooch next time I am in Thailand 

[tim_brissy_13]

For the cycad lovers - never seen so many rare species in one place, each species represented by countless specimens. The mind boggles when thinking of the value of the collection. Cycads like Cycas cairnsiana and especially Macrozamia macdonnellii are highly valued and rare here despite being native, yet Nong Nooch has many large specimens of each. 

A group of M macdonnellii (among others I think)

A blue Encephalartos (cycad ID not my strong suit)

A small section of the cycad garden

M macdonnellii 

Dioon sp (?)

one of many Cycas cairnsiana in the dinosaur valley

Encephalartos dolomiticus. Would’ve loved to get into this section but it’s locked and caged.

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii 

Think this was Enchephalartos nubimontanus (in the background)

One of the blue Encephalartos (maybe lehmannii or princeps). They are scattered all over the gardens. 


And a bunch of labelled Encephalartos which makes my job posted a lot easier 🙂

 

[tim_brissy_13]

A collection of freaky Chrysalidocarpus. I assume mostly hybrids and cultivars that I’m not going to pretend to be able to positively ID but I’ll add notes/best guess where possible. 

I guess these might be pure C madagascariensis

 

 

C leptocheilos or lastellianus genes in this I think

 

 

A mutant C lutescens (?)

Fused leaf lutescens (?)

[tinman10101]

thank you for posting tim!

[happypalms]

Not a lot Melbourne cold climate growing in that garden, but I know you Tim you would have seen the ones that would grow in Melbourne. One would need a week in that garden trying to photograph them. It’s one garden on my wish list along with others. 

[JD in the OC]

Those Dypsis cabadae x leptocheilos are pretty famous.  Photos of them have been circulating the web for a while.. PACSOA, Palmpedia, RPS, etc. Good to see updated pictures of them!  Many of those other Dypsis hybrids i looked at closely and can't even opine on the parents.  Very nice photo tour..thanks!
 

JD

[palmfriend]

Beautiful images - thank you for sharing!

 

Lars

[kylecawazafla]

incredible photos! Thanks for sharing! That Copernicia, Tahina, Lodoicea combination is UNREAL! 

[Hilo Jason]

Great photos.  Thanks for taking the time to post them for us all to enjoy. Incredible collection! 

[tim_brissy_13]

For the Borassus lovers - these really caught my eye. Absolutely massive trees. I’m not 100% on ID, I’m guessing the ones in the poorly lit shots with slightly golden petioles are B aethiopum, while the ones with the yellow/green petioles might be B madagascariensis or B sambiranensis. Look at the size of the fruit on a couple of them. 

[Hu Palmeras]

On 19/8/2025 at 23:01, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Bueno, he vuelto a la carga con la serenoa. Esta vez coseché las semillas antes de que los animales las alcanzaran, y estaban frescas y fáciles de limpiar. Las tengo en remojo toda la noche por si acaso. Probablemente pondré la mayoría de mis semillas en bolsas de musgo y algunas en macetas comunitarias para hacer pruebas. Espero tener suerte con estas, pero supongo que tardarán un poco. ¿Alguien sabe cuánto tarda la serenoa en germinar? Y por si acaso, son verdes como la palma con un ligero tinte ceroso.

 

On 17/8/2025 at 3:01, tim_brissy_13 said:

Tuve la suerte de tener un día libre en Tailandia, así que lo aproveché al máximo y me dirigí a Nong Nooch. 
 

Para quien no haya estado, es difícil de describir. Hay muchísimos ejemplares, literalmente miles de especies raras que no se ven a menudo en otros lugares. Lodoiceas bordean algunos de los senderos, múltiples tahinas se extienden por los jardines, copernicias, borassus, hyphaene y bismarckia por todas partes, etc. También hay muchos híbridos y palmeras variegadas. 
 

Lo único que diría es que es un poco abrumador, no solo por la magnitud del lugar, sino también porque la mayoría de las palmeras no están etiquetadas. Soy bastante ducho con las identificaciones, pero diría que no pude identificar la especie en la mitad o más de lo que vi. La sección donde se cultivan más de 1000 especies de palmeras está cerrada al público, así que no pude entrar. Fue un viaje de última hora, pero la próxima vez quizás intente organizar una visita. Aquí les dejo algunos puntos destacados de lo que vi:

Medemia argun

 

Corypha lecomtei

 

Locoidea maldivica. Todas las hembras están enjauladas (ahora hay muchas).

 

Una de las avenidas principales, bordeada de numerosas palmeras palmeadas azules. Copernicia hospita, Bismarckia, Hyphaene coriacea, Serenoa y otras especies. 

Borassus flabellifer y Corypha lecomtei

 

Serenoa repens forma plateada

Sabal uresana

 

Copernicia fallaensis, Tahina spectabilis y Lodoicea maldivica. ¡Qué combinación!

La misma Tahina y Lodoicea desde otro ángulo con enormes Corypha umbraculifera y C utan al fondo.

La misma Tahina. Esta podría ser una de las más grandes cultivadas del mundo. Ahora que ha alcanzado su circunferencia y extensión de copa completas, calculo que tiene aproximadamente la misma extensión que una Lodoicea y quizás un 10 % menos de diámetro que una Corypha umbraculifera bien desarrollada. Tiene al menos un 20 % más de diámetro que Bismarckia, Copernicia fallaensis y palmeras de tamaño similar, ya completamente desarrolladas. Puede que no parezca enorme en estas fotos, pero es solo porque está rodeada de gigantes.

 

Borassodendron machadonis

Jardín Azul

 

Copernicia abigarrada

 

Una pareja de Borassus flabellifer abigarrados

 

Colección Variegated

 

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

 

Zombi

 

Hyphaene coriacea

 

Areca catechu enana

Tremendous monsters, my friend. I'll have to see a good batch of those monsters being born.

[palmtreesforpleasure]

After seeing those cycads i remembered Nong Nooch had 334 species of Cycads years ago when visiting the last time s biennia was held there. It is an amazing place. A bucket list garden

[Darold Petty]

On 8/17/2025 at 10:56 AM, realarch said:

s.

The IPS Biennial was held at Nong Nooch back in 2012 and the members were treated like VIP’s. Our accommodation was inside the garden because of the extensive facilities. It was a destination palm and botanic resort. 

We were given special palm tours in public and private areas by the owner Kampon and the staff. Truly an unforgettable experience. For those with access to past biennial archives at the main IPS site should check it out. 

Tim

The IPS  Biennial was hosted by Kampon in 1998, the palms were smaller, but the gardens were overwhelming, even then. 

Is the Thai cultural show and elephant rodeo still offered ?

   ( I really enjoyed being lifted up into the air by an elephant !)

[Mazat]

On 8/17/2025 at 9:01 AM, tim_brissy_13 said:

I’ve just been lucky enough to have a free day in Thailand so made the most of it and headed to Nong Nooch. 
 

For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s difficult to describe. Everything is in excess, literally thousands of some rare species not often seen elsewhere. Lodoicea line some of the walkways, multiple Tahina spread throughout the gardens, Copernicia, Borassus, Hyphaene and Bismarckia everywhere etc etc. many hybrids and variegated palms too. 
 

The only thing I’d say is that it is somewhat overwhelming not just due to the sheer scale of the place, but also that most palms aren’t labelled. I’m pretty cluey with IDs but I’d say about half or more of what I saw I couldn’t ID to species level. The section where over 1000 species of palms are grown is closed to the public so I couldn’t get in. It was a last minute trip but next time maybe I’ll try to organise a visit in there. Here’s some highlights of what I saw:

Medemia argun

 

Corypha lecomtei

 

Locoidea maldivica. Every female is caged (there are now many)

 

One of the main avenues lined with many blue palmate palms. Copernicia hospita, Bismarckia, Hyphaene coriacea, Serenoa and friends. 

Borassus flabellifer and Corypha lecomtei

 

Serenoa repens silver form

Sabal uresana

 

Copernicia fallaensis, Tahina spectabilis and Lodoicea maldivica. What a combination!

The same Tahina and Lodoicea from another angle with massive Corypha umbraculifera and C utan in the background.

The same Tahina. This one could be up there with the largest in cultivation anywhere.  Now that it has reached full girth and crown spread, I’d estimate it’s about the same spread as Lodoicea and maybe 10% less in diameter compared with a really well grown Corypha umbraculifera. It’s got at least 20% on fully grown Bismarckia, Copernicia fallaensis and similarly large palms.  It might not seem huge in these photos, but only because it’s surrounded by giants in their own right.

 

Borassodendron machadonis

Blue Garden

 

Variegated Copernicia

 

A couple of variegated Borassus flabellifer

 

Variegated Collection

 

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

 

Zombia

 

Hyphaene coriacea

 

Dwarf Areca catechu

It makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland ...

Great

[Mazat]

On 8/19/2025 at 4:39 AM, tim_brissy_13 said:

For the cycad lovers - never seen so many rare species in one place, each species represented by countless specimens. The mind boggles when thinking of the value of the collection. Cycads like Cycas cairnsiana and especially Macrozamia macdonnellii are highly valued and rare here despite being native, yet Nong Nooch has many large specimens of each. 

A group of M macdonnellii (among others I think)

A blue Encephalartos (cycad ID not my strong suit)

A small section of the cycad garden

M macdonnellii 

Dioon sp (?)

one of many Cycas cairnsiana in the dinosaur valley

Encephalartos dolomiticus. Would’ve loved to get into this section but it’s locked and caged.

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii 

Think this was Enchephalartos nubimontanus (in the background)

One of the blue Encephalartos (maybe lehmannii or princeps). They are scattered all over the gardens. 


And a bunch of labelled Encephalartos which makes my job posted a lot easier 🙂

 

If you weren't a cycad lover before, you will be after seeing these photos...

[Mazat]

On 8/19/2025 at 4:51 AM, tim_brissy_13 said:

A collection of freaky Chrysalidocarpus. I assume mostly hybrids and cultivars that I’m not going to pretend to be able to positively ID but I’ll add notes/best guess where possible. 

I guess these might be pure C madagascariensis

 

 

C leptocheilos or lastellianus genes in this I think

 

 

A mutant C lutescens (?)

Fused leaf lutescens (?)

just amazing

[TropicsEnjoyer]

@tim_brissy_13 Love love love everything I’m seeing. The variety of cycads they have is amazing, my favorites are probably the Macrozamia macdonalii and the Encephalartos nubimontanus. So many wonderful palm trees to look at too, makes me want them all. The A. undulatifolia is beautiful though, I’m trying to grow it from seed right now I have 2 seeds and im praying they do something because it’s just so unique. Those Borassus are insane too, some of my favorite fan palms that I don’t own, mostly from their enormous presence. It’s also nice to see that garden is cultivating a lot of Loidocea considering they’re so rare. 

[daxin]

During the 2012 IPS Biennial, Kampon & Anders took us all over the garden including the nursery area, the office area, and the hillside beyond the far end of the main garden area. There was a big greenhouse dedicated to variegated Rhapis palms from Japan with hundreds of cultivars. The best experience was the tour of that locked shade house called Hortus Botanicus that probably covers several acres with rows after rows of raised beds hosting oh so many rare and unusual palms and cycads. We got a tour for the palm section first as part of the biennial tour package. As we passed by the cycad section on the way, the cycad lovers among us were stunned by the quality and quantity of the collection and immediately started asking for another dedicated tour. Being the ultimate hospitable hosts, they gave us the extra tour and we had a fantastic time. I was most impressed by the row of Encephalartos hirsutus, several blue Cycas species from Australia, and many Central American Zamias with large pleated leaves. Many of the photos for various cycads on RPS website were taken from there, especially a lot of those for Encephalartos species

[tim_brissy_13]

1 hour ago, daxin said:

During the 2012 IPS Biennial, Kampon & Anders took us all over the garden including the nursery area, the office area, and the hillside beyond the far end of the main garden area. There was a big greenhouse dedicated to variegated Rhapis palms from Japan with hundreds of cultivars. The best experience was the tour of that locked shade house called Hortus Botanicus that probably covers several acres with rows after rows of raised beds hosting oh so many rare and unusual palms and cycads. We got a tour for the palm section first as part of the biennial tour package. As we passed by the cycad section on the way, the cycad lovers among us were stunned by the quality and quantity of the collection and immediately started asking for another dedicated tour. Being the ultimate hospitable hosts, they gave us the extra tour and we had a fantastic time. I was most impressed by the row of Encephalartos hirsutus, several blue Cycas species from Australia, and many Central American Zamias with large pleated leaves. Many of the photos for various cycads on RPS website were taken from there, especially a lot of those for Encephalartos species

I did ask around to try to get into Hortus Botanicus but it was a last minute trip so I didn’t plan in advance and left it too late. I did manage to be let through the nursery area on the condition of not taking photos, so I didn’t plan manage to see around the outside of Hortus Botanicus but it’s only really a tease to see a small part of what is in there from a distance. A row of E hirsutus is visible from one of the main public walkways so that was a nice surprise, amazing plants. 

[tim_brissy_13]

5 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

The IPS  Biennial was hosted by Kampon in 1998, the palms were smaller, but the gardens were overwhelming, even then. 

Is the Thai cultural show and elephant rodeo still offered ?

   ( I really enjoyed being lifted up into the air by an elephant !)

They sure do Darold. I only had the day there so focused on palms (naturally), but most tourists populated the cultural areas. Elephants were walking up and down the main avenue most of the day. 
 

I’d imagine the gardens have changed a bit since 1998. I last visited in 2014 and even then it was very different. There’s now maybe 15-20 restaurants and cafes, massive reception halls with hundreds of seats, a supermarket, multiple tourist shops and a 7 Eleven. 
 

 

[Hu Palmeras]

On 17/8/2025 at 3:01, tim_brissy_13 said:

Tuve la suerte de tener un día libre en Tailandia, así que lo aproveché al máximo y me dirigí a Nong Nooch. 
 

Para quien no haya estado, es difícil de describir. Hay muchísimos ejemplares, literalmente miles de especies raras que no se ven a menudo en otros lugares. Lodoiceas bordean algunos de los senderos, múltiples tahinas se extienden por los jardines, copernicias, borassus, hyphaene y bismarckia por todas partes, etc. También hay muchos híbridos y palmeras variegadas. 
 

Lo único que diría es que es un poco abrumador, no solo por la magnitud del lugar, sino también porque la mayoría de las palmeras no están etiquetadas. Soy bastante ducho con las identificaciones, pero diría que no pude identificar la especie en la mitad o más de lo que vi. La sección donde se cultivan más de 1000 especies de palmeras está cerrada al público, así que no pude entrar. Fue un viaje de última hora, pero la próxima vez quizás intente organizar una visita. Aquí les dejo algunos puntos destacados de lo que vi:

Medemia argun

 

Corypha lecomtei

 

Locoidea maldivica. Todas las hembras están enjauladas (ahora hay muchas).

 

Una de las avenidas principales, bordeada de numerosas palmeras palmeadas azules. Copernicia hospita, Bismarckia, Hyphaene coriacea, Serenoa y otras especies. 

Borassus flabellifer y Corypha lecomtei

 

Serenoa repens forma plateada

Sabal uresana

 

Copernicia fallaensis, Tahina spectabilis y Lodoicea maldivica. ¡Qué combinación!

La misma Tahina y Lodoicea desde otro ángulo con enormes Corypha umbraculifera y C utan al fondo.

La misma Tahina. Esta podría ser una de las más grandes cultivadas del mundo. Ahora que ha alcanzado su circunferencia y extensión de copa completas, calculo que tiene aproximadamente la misma extensión que una Lodoicea y quizás un 10 % menos de diámetro que una Corypha umbraculifera bien desarrollada. Tiene al menos un 20 % más de diámetro que Bismarckia, Copernicia fallaensis y palmeras de tamaño similar, ya completamente desarrolladas. Puede que no parezca enorme en estas fotos, pero es solo porque está rodeada de gigantes.

 

Borassodendron machadonis

Jardín Azul

 

Copernicia abigarrada

 

Una pareja de Borassus flabellifer abigarrados

 

Colección Variegated

 

Chuniophoenix hainanensis 

 

Zombi

 

Hyphaene coriacea

 

Areca catechu enana

Huge palm trees. They're gigantic. That's the world of palm trees. I hope to buy more seeds of those specimens. So far, the only giant palm I have is several Bismarckia palms.