• LIFE

  Petal compositions

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 18/12/2016

  » The recent "Dok Mai Haeng Rachan" exhibition at Siam Paragon was a most fitting tribute to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. And no floral arrangement could have lived up to the theme of the exhibition, literally meaning "the King's flowers", better than a photo of the late King in full regalia surrounded by a sea of dried flowers.

• LIFE

  Plant of plenty

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 07/02/2016

  » After reading the article about how juice from green papaya leaves could treat dengue fever, and how tea from its dried brown leaves could guard against 10 types of cancer (Green Fingers, Jan 24), a friend told me he had no idea papaya could be so useful.

• LIFE

  How to play it cool

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 05/07/2015

  » The severe heatwaves that gripped India and Pakistan in May and June, killing more than 4,000 people, must be a matter of grave concern for us in Thailand. With the Earth’s changing climate patterns, there might come a time when temperatures of up to 40-45C could sweep this country, too.

• LIFE

  Poison in the petals

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 31/05/2015

  » Alicia Harrison of Royersford, Pennsylvania wrote on her Facebook wall that a biopsy report showed her beloved dog, Goldie, died from the toxin in a plant that she had on her deck. “It is called heliotrope and is highly toxic, causes total liver destruction,” she wrote. “The pathologist said our angel had the worst liver damage he’s ever seen. Goldie would nibble at the leaves of this plant every so often and we had no clue it was toxic. Please share with any dog owners you know to hopefully prevent their dog from becoming a statistic like Goldie.

• LIFE

  Hot in the city

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 19/04/2015

  » From his home in Soi On Nut, David Swartzentruber wrote to say that he had been trying to grow Spartan junipers in a planting box outside his building. “I must have gone through 15 now deceased junipers. Spartan, they were not,” he wrote.

• LIFE

  Plant the seeds of peace

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 04/01/2015

  » A friend commented that time goes by very fast when one is having fun. Despite months of political turbulence and street demonstrations, which are hardly anyone’s definition of fun, 2014 has gone very fast and we have now embarked on another year. We can only hope that this year will bring peace throughout the world and less suffering caused by natural disasters.

• LIFE

  Neighbour-friendly fermentation

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 20/04/2014

  » Ramon Encinares is a Filipino who lives in Samphran, Nakhon Pathom province, in a house surrounded by pig farms.

• LIFE

  Tree foundations vs building foundations

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 18/05/2014

  » Trees around the house make the surroundings cool and lessen the air-conditioning bill. They provide privacy and screen the house from the heat of the sun and dust. However, trees grow big, and planted too close to a house or building, they can cause problems in the long run. A big branch of a large tabebuia tree behind my brother-in-law’s house once broke in strong winds and landed in a neighbour’s garden. It missed her roof by a couple of metres and, luckily, it did not hit someone.

• LIFE

  How does your mango go?

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 19/01/2014

  » My friend, Femy, is excited. For the first time her mango tree is in bloom, and her husband can hardly wait to share the crop with relatives and friends. But it is not as simple as that; just because a tree has plenty of flowers does not mean these will develop into fruit.

• LIFE

  Too big for your roots

  B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 17/11/2013

  » Reader Alan Platt, whose letter last month triggered a two-part article on bamboo, sent me another email to say that I was right about his plants being too big for their containers. "For their continued good health, I know I should put them in bigger pots," he wrote, "but I have a problem. I don't want them to grow any bigger, which will happen if I repot them.

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