FLOWERS ADORN EVERY CORNER OF THE CONCRETE JUNGLE, BRINGING BOTH BEAUTY AND CALM TO THE THAI CAPITAL, REVEALS MARK PARREN TAYLOR IN THIS SERIES OF IMAGES

A young boy holds incense and a folded lotus flower as he worships at Wat Traimit – the Temple of the Golden Buddha. The lotus holds an important position for Thais: it is used for cooking, medicinal purposes, display, and – as the lotus bud specifically symbolises the perfection and purity of Buddha’s teachings – for worship.

Entrances to Wat Traimit on Th Charoen Krung and Th Traimit. Admission to view the Golden Buddha is 20 baht.

Poomchai Chumbala’s lovely tearoom and garden known as Agalico is a true definition of the contemporary metropolitan oasis. The interior – filled with antiques and a retro-colonial air – is cool and relaxing, while the heavily planted garden is so lushly verdant that you cannot fail to be enchanted as you stroll along gravel paths through pergolas and past discreet, shaded tables.

Agalico, 20 Boonchiradorn Building, Soi Sukhumvit 51, tel +66 (0)2 662 5857. Open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.

Sakul Intakul draws on his engineering background to create petite vases and flower holders. Many of his designs are surprisingly small – big enough only for a small spray or even just one stem – but are rewardingly tactile. The beauty of flowers and leaves is oft en emphasised by his sometimes quirky designs that retain their own distinct personality.

A Buddha statue sits among the flower petals, chilli peppers and spice dust of Pak Khlong Talad market. All day and all night, the market sells nature’s finest offerings. Orchid flowers are wheeled in by the barrow-load, jasmine blossom avalanche around women sorting and bagging the delicate, fragrant petals, and lorries laden with gardenia trundle in hourly from the surrounding provinces.

Early morning sunlight highlights the blossom on the khlong-side walkway in Ancient City (Muang Boran), a vast architectural museum in Samut Prakarn in the south-eastern suburbs of Bangkok.

Muang Boran, Km 33 (old) Sukhumvit Road, Bangpoo, tel +66 (0)2 323-9253, www.ancientcity.com. Open daily from 8am to 5pm. Admission is 300 baht.

A garland hangs from the hand of a sculpture of Jesus Christ in the grounds of the Santa Cruz Church, on the Th onburi side of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river. This small district – known as Kudi Jeen – was a Portuguese enclave in the late 18th century, provided by the King of Thailand in recognition of the Europeans’ noteworthy support during the Burmese army’s sacking of the previous capital, Ayutthaya, in 1767.

Phuang malai garlands are frequently seen adorning the images and statues of Buddha or revered monks. The gift of flowers is important, not just for the symbolism of the garland or the blooms themselves.

Since Thais believe that the perfume is also being presented, they will not smell the fragrance of the flowers being offered as this would lessen the value of the gift . In this case, the garland is draped around a statuette on a car’s dashboard: the intense heat of the sun through the windscreen has dried the jasmine.

A phuang malai, or garland, hangs from the gilded hand of a goddess figurine in a Chinese-style side temple in Wat Pho, probably Bangkok’s largest and liveliest temple. This particular garland is formed from crown flowers and miniature roses.

Wat Pho, Th Sanam Chai, Phra Nakorn. Open daily from 8am to 5pm. Admission costs 20 baht.

The anchan or butterfly pea flower’s petals are one of a variety of blossom used to colour glutinous rice sweets, or khanom.These sweets are available throughout Bangkok, including the supermarkets in large malls like Emporium or Siam Paragon.

The kapok tree seed pod produces a dense mass of springy fibres – hence its common name, the Java cotton tree. The cotton-like fluff has been used for centuries as a stuffing for toys, cushions and even puffa jackets nowadays. The traditional Thai pillow is also stuffed with kapok fibres; its firmness and shape allow the head to stay cool – essential on very warm nights.

According to textbooks, the crown flower is little more than a weed, but nonetheless it is revered by Thais who call it dok ruk, or love flower. The central crown-like structure is quite waxy, and so it maintains its shape and colour for longer than more delicate blossoms like jasmine or gardenia. The flower is frequently used in garlands, with an adjoining thread inserted vertically through its centre.

The Jim Thompson House in central Bangkok occupies a lovely location next to Khlong Saen Saeb. Thompson is applauded for his successful efforts in the 1950s to revive the Thai hand-woven silk industry. Today, his home is not just a museum of his life and work, but a rewarding introduction to many aspects of Thai culture and a treasure trove of South-East Asian arts. The lush garden is filled with all manner of vibrant plants.

Jim Thompson House Museum, 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Road, tel +66 (0)2 216-7368, www.jimthompsonhouse.com. Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission costs 100 baht.

Wat Arun’s structures are studded with pottery and porcelain fragments. One viharn, however, is detailed with thousands of these ceramic rose motifs that have survived many years of plastering and repainting.

The nearest river-bus pier is Tha Tien, accessed by the cross-river ferry from the neighbouring jetty.

Last year was a busy one for Sakul Intakul, one of Thailand’s foremost floral artists. His projects included creations for the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Berlin and Dubai, Rome International Film Festival, and Sri Panwa Resort Phuket – plus he’s working on a new coffee-table book due out in the middle of 2008.

When did you first get interested in flowers?
At a very young age. I had my first collection of decorative plants at eight or nine years old. From then on, my interest and passion just grew.

Do you have a favourite flower?
I appreciate the beauty of all kinds of flowers – they each have their own charm. I believe in the saying: “When a flower blooms, the universe rejoices.”

Flower symbolism is an important part of Thai society. Could you give a few examples?
Globe Amaranths or ban mai rue roei (flower that never withers) represent ever-lasting respect. Crown flowers or dok ruk (love) show love and affection, and traditional garlands of orchid petals represent never-ending friendship as they form a continuous circle.

You have done a lot of celebrated work for the Royal household. Do His Majesty the King and Queen have a favourite bloom?
Thai orchids, particularly the Deep Blue Vanda, and other flowers cultivated in Thailand.

Where would you recommend visitors go for the best of Thailand’s blooms?
Bangkok’s night flower market at Pak Khlong Talad and Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in Chiang Mai. They are both the best celebration of the different colours and forms of the kingdom’s flowers, yet each possesses its own unique atmosphere.

To find out more about Sakul, visit www.sakulflowers.com, drop by his shop The Promenade Decor (2/4 Witthayu Road, tel +66 (0)2 644-9438) or see his work at Playground! (Soi 18, Thonglor, tel +66 (0)2 714 7888, www.playgroundstore.co.th)

 

FLOWER FIESTAS

January and February are the best months to view Thailand’s seasonal blooms. Here are our top six destinations and events for fans of flora.

Sukhothai Orchid Festival (16-24 January)
See more than 1,000 species of orchids at this flower expo held at Sukhothai Historical Park and sponsored by Bangkok Airways. Tour the orchid park, purchase pretty garlands and gardening tools or handicraft OTOP products made by villagers in Sukhothai. www.orchidsukhothai.com

Chiang Mai Flower Festival (1-3 February)
Witness the riot of colours at this annual fiesta at Nong Buak Had Park, where flowers are arranged to form sculptures and scenes from Chiang Mai’s historical legends. Floral highlights include the red Damask rose (native to Chiang Mai), orchids and chrysanthemums. www.chiangdao.com/chiangmai/flowerfestival.htm

Lopburi Sunflowers
Thailand’s largest sunflower plantation (500sq km) that lines the route of Muaklek-Wang Muang-Pasak Chonlasit Dam and Lop Buri-Phattananikhom-Chaibada gets a fresh coat of bright yellow when the flowers bloom every November to February.

Mount Doi Inthanon
Take to the highest point in Thailand (2,565m) where wild orchids and red rhododendrons bloom along the Ang Ka Luang and Kiew Mae Pan trails. On your way up from Chiang Mai, stop by the Doi Inthanon Royal Research Station for a glimpse of colourful temperate climate flowers and plants such as chrysanthemums and strawberries. Tel +66 (0)53 268550, www.dnp.go.th

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
Touted as the country’s first botanic garden, the 2,500-acre park in Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep-Pui National Park exhibits orchids, aquatic and medicinal varieties among other native flora and fauna in greenhouses and along scenic garden trails. Tel +66 (0)53 298171, www.qsbg.org

Suan Nong Nooch
With more than 670 native varieties and hybrids of orchids, Pattaya’s Nong Nooch Garden is one of the largest orchid collections in Thailand. Its 11 gardens also showcase native plants like water jasmines and Canna lilies, as well as international varieties such as bromeliads and cacti. Tel +66 38 7093-5861, www.nongnoochtropicalgarden.com