Spring is coming again this year to Goyang City along with the International Horticulture Goyang Korea.

Preparations are being made for a feast of splendid flowers at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang City for 17 days from April 25 to May 11, 2014, under the theme of the “New Hallyu Flower Festival of 600-year-old Goyang Created by One Million Citizens.”

 With a history of 23 years, the International Horticulture Goyang Korea became an annual event from last year; it evolves each year with more fruitful and innovative programs. Last year it received the Excellent Festival Award in the Korea Local Brand Awards.

This year, International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014 will see the participation of 120 companies from 35 countries as well as over 200 companies in Korea. It will offer an expanded range of events including exciting fireworks the day before the opening ceremony. Let’s take a look at the preparations being made for International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014 by visiting

the Chodang Wild Flower Farm, a living witness of 23-year-old International Horticulture Goyang Korea.

t was a day still too cold for spring when I went to the Chodang Wild Flower Farm in Wonheung-dong of Deogyang-gu.

It took a while to get there as I drove along small winding paths. The first thing I saw when I arrived was the phrase “Our Flower Gallery.”

Gang Il-chang, CEO of the Wild Flower Farm, had previously been a sculptor, but began researching and developing wild flowers, including pot-planting and miniature gardens, after he was completely mesmerized by the wild flowers he saw on a mountain he had climbed while searching for sculpting materials. It has been over 30 years since he began sharing his knowledge of wild flowers with the general public.

Working in cooperation with the International Horticulture Goyang Korea since its inaugural event in 1997, he has been presenting his works in the Wild Flower Pavilion. This year he is also preparing to present wild flowers he has worked on with members.

Wild flowers grow naturally in mountains or fields without human interference.

But as the environment changes, the wild flowers around us are starting to disappear.

Gang is playing a pivotal role in preserving and developing those wild flowers so that we can conserve and enjoy them in more diverse ways.

He also connects natural flowers with natural materials to enhance their splendor and beauty. 

Spring begins with warm winds chasing away the cold, and flowers start to bloom in various places.

Spring flowers are already in full bloom at the Wild Flower Farm, and in that sense, spring has already begun in Goyang City.

As I watched Gang explain various features of a garden filled with over 1000 types of wild flowers, I could feel his steadfast love for wild flowers even after more than 30 years.

He first began collaboration with the first International Horticulture Goyang Korea in 1996 by planning and decorating the Wild Pavilion with flowers that grew in Korea. In 2012, he published a book titled Wild Flower Pot-planting based on his knowledge and expertise. His achievements are represented by over 10 awards related to wild flowers in a corner of the farm, such as the Gyeonggi Province Governor’s Award, a presidential citation, and the Gold Prize in Landscape Exhibition from International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2006.

Raising wild flowers requires special affection and effort.

Some flowers bloom beautifully every season and grow quickly in a couple of years, but some plants grow two mere spans even after putting in more than 50 years of effort.

The Chodang Wild Flower Farm has over 1000 types of wild flowers grown with consistent devotion.

These flowers are completed as works of art in harmony with natural materials such as a decaying old tree, rubber shoes, moss, or pieces of broken rock. They also display commercial value as beautiful wild flower pots, pot plantings, miniature gardens, wooden crops, and landscapes.

Over 100 types of works will also be exhibited at International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014.

Yellow daffodils bloom in a wild flower garden filled with the scent of spring.

White flowers blossom on a decaying old tree.

The place is filled with the air of spring, showcasing Adonis plants that pierce through the white snow of the fading winter, primroses that live many years, Japanese apricot flowers with impressive red petals, and azaleas that herald the coming of spring.

We tend to think that such wild flowers are native to Korea, but the truth is that about 60% are exotic species.

New species appear through research and development as Korean wild flowers are exported for quality development and re-imported. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs as their commercial values are acknowledged.

Like the order of nature, everything there had life.

Life appeared in moss that seemed as if it lost all vitality last fall, in skinny and dried-up twigs, and even in cut-off bundles of firewood and plastic water bottles.

All these things have been prepared for use as materials for the wild flower pieces, all of them exuding strong vitality as the weather becomes warmer. 

Wild flowers are prettier because they are commonplace, and more familiar because they are humble.

They become more beautiful depending on where and how they are planted and raised. You can see such works at International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014.

These flowers have always been so close to us that we are unaware of the extent of their worth. To make them more familiar to people, these flowers have undergone long research and development processes. The practical and more adorable miniascapes of succulent plants and mosses are two extremes that could not coexist.

Gang conducted extensive research and development to harmonize these two aspects and shape them into marvelous forms.

Ginger lilies, which announce spring even before azaleas and forsythias, guide us to spring a little earlier.

It is still early, so there were more flowers undergoing preparation than those that announce spring at the Wild Flower Farm. But this is what makes me look forward to the flowers I will see at the International Horticulture Goyang Korea.

International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2014 is preparing for its April opening at various farms such as this Wild Flower Farm as well as through roses and potted plants. The World Flower Pavilion, Korea Flower Pavilion and Goyang Horticulture Pavilion will see the participation of 200 companies from Korea and overseas. In terms of outdoor exhibitions, there will be the Eco Healing Garden featuring flower steps around the waterside, as well as the Aqua Flower Garden, Goyang New Korean Wave Garden, Goyang Holding Flowers, Eco Healing Garden, Aqua Flower Garden, and Korea Garden Show 2014 showcasing the top 17 garden designers of Korea.

The Chodang Wild Flower Farm is visited by many youths for work-study programs during the warm spring weather, and it has been over 20 years since members interested in studying wild flowers began to visit this Farm. It is open to everyone who loves flowers, so it is perfect for a simple picnic.

What are the 100 selected wild flowers out of 1000 species that would please all eyes?

After seeing such beautiful flowers, I am even more eagerly anticipating the International Horticulture Goyang Korea that begins on April 25.

Directions to Goyang Chodang Wild Flower Farm: 105-3 Wonheung-dong, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do

International Horticulture Goyang Korea: April 25 – May 11, 2014 / Lake Park, Goyang City

Written and photographed by: Gyeonggi Social Rocker Doogongjuwa

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