For my final post about the Madison Fling back in June, I’ll share the Thai Garden, a surprisingly exotic-looking space at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. First, that glimmering golden pavilion!

Called a sala, such a pavilion “is a common structure in Thailand generally used as a shelter from rain and heat. Olbrich’s pavilion is more ornate than most roadside salas in Thailand and represents those found at a temple or on a palace grounds. However, Olbrich’s pavilion is not a religious structure.”

As Olbrich’s website further explains, “The pavilion was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association….[It] was built in Thailand, then disassembled and packed in shipping crates. The pavilion traveled seven weeks by sea, then by rail to Chicago, and to Madison by truck. Nine Thai artisans traveled to Madison to reassemble the pavilion after building it in Thailand. It took three weeks to reconstruct.”

The yellow roof tiles and gold-leaf adornments glow against a bright blue sky.

A stone patio extends around it, as does a black, mirror-like pool. Dark pots display vividly colored bromeliads, sedges, bananas, and other tropical plants.

A view across the raised pool

Another pool, a contemporary rectangle of river rock under a sheet of clear water, with a pyramidal fountain at one end, draws your eye out to the surrounding garden.

What a beautiful garden structure.

The surrounding garden relies on plants that are hardy in Wisconsin’s cold winters, but that still create a tropical vibe. “The Thai Garden surrounding the Pavilion,” the garden’s website explains, “emulates a lush, tropical garden with Wisconsin-hardy plants. Ornamental grasses, some reaching up to 12 feet tall, and several hardy bamboos are essential in creating a tropical look. Large-leafed shrubs and trees are pruned to give them the look of plants in a typical Thai garden.”

Lilies add rich color among pieces of Thai art and sculpture.

Iris in bloom with a chartreuse grass or sedge

A potted banana is backed by a large-leaved hardy tree and alliums.

Hot-colored plants hold their own alongside the golden sala.

A study in yellow-green, accented with a simple vessel of water

What little bird is this, I wonder? Update: It’s a catbird. Thanks, Ginny!

A sculpture of Naga, a snake deity, guards a creek-spanning bridge that delivers you into the Thai garden. That water crossing makes the tropicalesque Thai garden feel appropriately a world away from its Midwestern setting.

This ends my coverage of the Madison Fling! For a look back at a meadowy gravel garden and ponds at Olbrich, click here. At the end of that post and subsequent ones, you’ll find links to my other Madison Fling posts. Happy virtual garden visiting!

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Digging Deeper

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