I have just moved up to CM from Pattaya to live .In Pattaya there is a plant market every Friday and Saturday next to Mini Siam on Sukhumvit .Prices are cheaper than the garden centers and there is a vast selection .

Does Chiang Mai have anything similar ?.I am particularly interested in Orchids .

Kamthieng Plant Market at Tesco Lotus Khamtieng. You could spend a couple of days in there shopping the variety is huge. Excellent orchid sellers along the last or 2nd to last soi.

Kamthieng Plant Market at Tesco Lotus Khamtieng. You could spend a couple of days in there shopping the variety is huge. Excellent orchid sellers along the last or 2nd to last soi.

Kamthieng is excellent and I'd recommend visiting now while it's still fairly cool, it's very large and wandering around for a couple of hours in the blistering heat isn't much fun.

I will defy anyone to go there and not buy something .Its a treasure trove of wonderful plants and trees and as the previous poster said now is the time to go there .Its brutal in the hot season. Small orchids are plentiful at 3 for 100 baht and even less if you want to buy in bulk.

Just to clarify to the OP, Kamthieng market is a huge market, devoted to plants and any thing related to plants (clay pots, fertilizer, orchids, indoor fountains, you name it); almost a small neighborhood of streets.

Tesco is out on the Superhighway. Kamthieng is behind it in a large area. The 2 entities are separate, though you can drive through Tesco's parking structure, into one of the back streets of Kamthieng.

Just don't want the OP to imagine that Kamthieng is a garden dept. section of Tesco.

Thanks for the replies .I have only been in Chiang Mai one week now ,but i know that Tesco/Lotos ,and will check out the market behind it .