Royal Flora Ratchaphruek or The International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchphruek was an international floral exhibition held in Chiang Mai (Tai-lan-day) between November 1, 2006 and January 31, 2007.
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| Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden |
History
It was made as a tribute to the King Bhu-mi-bol, for her 80th birthday and the 60th anniversary of ascension to the throne, and since then is celebrated every year with more than 3 million visitors.
Flower tree rat-chaph-ruek gives its name to the event, because it is the national flower of Thailand. Its bright yellow color symbolizes Monday (day King Bhumibol was born) and bu-dis-mo.
This event is held on the outskirts of the city of Chiang Mai, 700 km from Bangkok (capital of the country). The approximately 80 hectare site is home to more than 2,200 species of plants brought from all over the world. The largest concentration of orchids in the world is found there.
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| Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden |
The exhibition is organized by the Tourism Office of Thailand (TAT) in collaboration with the International Exhibition Bureau (BIE).
Placement of representative plants
The enclosure is divided into different areas: 'Gardens for the King', with 30 plots of international gardens (with representation from countries such as Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, China, Belgium, Spain, Morocco, Canada, etc.) and 80 national; 'Royal Tropical World of Tropical Plants & Flowers', which will be a sample of the state of Thai landscaping, and 'Expo Plaza', the center of activities.
The Spanish garden is inspired by Joan Miró's pictorial compositions and it exhibits less ornamental species than those commonly used in contemporary gardens. It was designed in 2006 by the landscapers and architects Conrado Capilla and Pucho Vallejo who won the competition organized by the SEEI. The Spanish government gave it to Thailand as a courtesy.