The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The historic Ugyen Pelri Palace in Paro will be the scenic location yet again for the second Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition, held this year from 4-8 June, commemorating the Birth Anniversary of Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen.
The Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition, which was first held in April 2015, was initiated upon the Royal Command of His Majesty The King, as a landmark community event which would promote and inspire appreciation for beautiful spaces, foster community vitality, and encourage the growth of a vibrant entrepreneurship in floriculture across the nation.
The exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests with support from Paro Dzongkhag, World Wildlife Fund- Bhutan, the Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Tourism Council of Bhutan, DHI and Bhutan Power Corporation, draws inspiration from His Majesty’s message granted during the inaugural event last year:
“Where we live must be clean, safe, organised, and beautiful, for national integrity, national pride, and for our bright future. This too is nation building.”
Recognising that the Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition has an important role to play in fostering a sense of community values towards building such a place for us to live in, as envisioned by His Majesty The King, the Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition is more ambitious this year- extending the total exhibition area to over 18 acres, with international participants including world- renown bonsai experts.
Stretching across the vast area, thematic gardens prepared by various participants including the armed forces, the National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Natural Resources Development Corporation, and private florists, as well as, for the first time, gardens by Japanese and Thai representatives.
The breathtaking backdrop of the imposing Paro Rinpung Dzong and iconic Ta Dzong, with the Paro chu meandering next to the grounds sets off the exhibition.
The gardens display Bhutan’s rich indigenous plants and herbs, as well as a large variety of ornamental flowers and vegetables from around the world. Seeds, seedlings, gardening tools, cut flowers and souvenirs will be available for purchase, and experts will be on hand to provide useful information and share gardening tips.
The new attractions this year are bonsai displays of the Thai and Japanese styles, each with a renowned expert on location.
An open talk series on “Innovations in Green Urban Planning and Landscaping”, where experts and plant enthusiasts share their experiences and expertise, will be held alongside the exhibition. Among the speaker are His Serene Highness Prince Bhisatej Rajani of Thailand, and Bonsai Master Masashi Hirao of Japan.
The collection of wonderful models of Dzongs and monasteries from around Bhutan, which were a huge success with visitors last year, has been expanded to include several more of Bhutan’s iconic structures.
The entire exhibition has been planned to create a sense of magic, with numerous hidden corners and surprises. All in all, the exhibition will be a great place for families to spend the day, and an extremely educative and enjoyable experience for children. Others who will enjoy the exhibition are all nature lovers, gardening enthusiasts, artists, and photographers.
The exhibition will also have organic snack and juice stalls to promote healthy eating habits, and clean toilets maintained by volunteers from Bhutan Toilet Org. Clean Bhutan will help the organisers to keep the area clean and beautiful throughout.
The first ever Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition, held in April last year, was hugely successful, with over 50,000 people visiting over the course of 5 days.
The Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition enjoys the personal and close guidance of Her Majesty Gyalyum Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck.
