FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

In full bloom

In full bloom

Flowers all over the country welcome the cool season by flaunting their magnificent petals

Winter flowers have long delighted tourists and photographers alike and once again it’s time for the Mexican sunflower, cherry blossom, poinsettia and tulips to bring a spring to the step and a smile to the face.
The combination of glorious sunshine, blue skies and cooler nights makes this a perfect time to explore a countryside carpeted with reds, oranges, yellows and magenta and this week we recommend the best places to enjoy the winter’s flower power. Do try and avoid long weekends though, as that’s when everyone else will be going.
 
ROSES, NAKHON RATCHASIMA
Flora Park in Wang Nam Khiao district boasts the largest collection of English roses in Thailand. Bishop's Castle, Evelyn, Charles Darwin, Scepter’d Isle and the Generous Gardener are just some of the species to delight the eyes. |The park also features other |flowers as well as art and floral installations.
WHEN TO GO: Now – March 31
 
WILD FLOWERS, UBON RATCHATHANI
Go native with the wildflowers in Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchathani. “Sroi Suwan” (Utricularia bifida), “Dusita” (tricularia delphinioides) and many unknown blooms are at their best in early winter and while small, make a big statement by spreading across the endless park. Nature photographers often come here with their best micro lens and tripods, and keep circling around the blooms for days. Pha Taem National Park is also a good place to drink in the night sky and savour the beautiful sunrise over the Mekong River. 
WHEN TO GO: November
 
MEXICAN SUNFLOWER, MAE HONG SON
The Mexican sunflower, which is known as “buatong” in Thai, is actually a weed – and an invasive weed at that. A great alternative to synthetic fertiliser with roots known for their ability to improve soil nutrients, the sunflowers turn much of Mae Hong Son into a sea of yellow. The best place to walk through fields of sunflowers is Doi Mae U Koh – a mountainous valley in Khun Yuam district.
WHEN TO GO: November to early December
 
CHERRY BLOSSOM, CHIANG MAI
Chiang Mai is the best destination when it comes to flowery winters with many visitors heading to Bhuping Royal Palace Gardens on Doi Suthep Mountain to admire the roses and many other floral varieties. But it’s the Himalayan cherry that has most people reaching for their cameras. Check out the Khun Wang and Khun Chang Khian agriculture research centres. If you’re there at the right time, you will see the cherry blossoms paint the whole valley pink. 
WHEN TO GO: December - January
 
SUNFLOWER, LOP BURI
Lop Buri’s Sunflower fields are popular with day-trippers from Bangkok who drive out to admire the fields of gold that stretch as far as the eye can see against the backdrop of Khao Cheen-lae Mountain. 
WHEN TO GO: November to February
 
TULIP, CHIANG RAI
Tulips might be the pride of The Netherlands, but the showy flowers are happy to bloom for tourists in Chiang Rai during the annual flower festival. This event draws visitors to Thailand’s northernmost province for its exhibition of cold-climate flowers, which also include petunias, lilies and Blue Hawaii. The festival will kick off on December 1 and run through January 31. 
WHEN TO GO: December to February
 
CHERRY BLOSSOM, LOEI
While the Japanese are waiting patiently for their first blooms – usually in early January in Okinawa – the residents of Dan Sai district are already posting their selfies with cherry blossom in early December. In Phu Lomlo, the Himalaya Sakura turns the 500-acre valley into a romantic landscape with pink blossoms at every turn.
WHEN TO GO: December
 

In full bloom

RELATED
nationthailand