Flowers have been prized as Mother Nature’s jewellery for thousands of years. Since ancient times, different blooms have been used to represent various human emotions – especially those related to affection.
As Valentine’s Day ushers in the month of love, we invite you to explore the floral treasures of Bangkok’s famous Flower Market, known among locals as Pak Khlong Talat.
With roots reaching back to the early Rattanakosin Period (est 1782), Pak Khlong Talat has bloomed on the banks of Khu Mueang Doem Canal in old-town Phra Nakhon for over two centuries.
The market gathers fresh fruits, vegetables and, most importantly, fresh flowers from plantations all over the country. It is also the easiest place in Bangkok to find rare and exotic flowers imported from overseas.
Pak Khlong Talat is home to several famous florists, each specialising in certain species:
Flower Land: Imports fresh flowers from China, Holland and Malaysia. Here you can find carnations, azaleas, gerberas, daisies, and tulips.
Aoy Fresh Flower: All kinds of roses and gerberas.
Jolle Flower: Also imports fresh flowers from overseas.
World Flower: Flowers from domestic and overseas plantations, including chrysanthemums, statice, caspia, gypsophila, gerberas, tulips and roses.
After browsing for blooms, visitors to Pak Khlong Talat often head to the nearby Rama I Monument to pay respect to the statue of Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok the Great, the first king of the Chakri dynasty. The king donated land to build the canal and the market, so vendors and customers often pray at this shrine for prosperity in business and life.
No trip to Pak Khlong Talat is complete without a visit to the historic Sunanthalai Building in Rajini School. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1880 ordered construction of Thailand’s first two-storey brick building in neoclassic style to commemorate the death of his Queen Consort Sunanda Kumariratana. Now hosting public school classrooms, the building received the Best Conservation Award from the Association of Siamese Architects in 1982.
Flowers are a fitting symbol for the strange and delicate thing we call love. You can’t hold it in your hands and yet you can feel it, appreciate it, and cherish it in your memory for years. Love, and the flowers that symbolise it, are a muse for various arts, be they poetry, music, painting, architecture or literature.
So in the month of love, why not let your heart loose among the gorgeous blooms of Pak Khlong Talat?