KOBLENZ, a city in middle Germany, is situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. It draws tourists with its pretty countryside and mellow wine culture. Dotted with castles, ruins and vine-covered slopes, this part of the River Rhine has been a Unesco-heritage listed area since 2002.

As the host for BUGA, the German acronym for National Garden Show, Koblenz is likely to draw some two million visitors this year. BUGA is a roving event and cities compete each year to host the German horticultural highlight. It is equivalent to the famed Kuekenhof tulip gardens in Holland or the annual Chelsea Flower Show in London.

I had the chance to visit the Koblenz event and saw how it cleverly blends with the main tourist attractions in the city. The three exhibition areas include the Schloss, a stately neo-classical palace and the Deutsche Eck or German Corner, where the tributary Mosel joins the mighty Rhine. The spot is marked by an imposing statue of Emperor Wilhelm 1 on horseback. From here, visitors can take a cable car and swing over the Rhine to a fortress looming on a hill on the other side. This third area is called the Festung Ehrenbreitstein, one of the largest fortresses in the world and formerly the home of archbishops, rulers and Prussian soldiers.

My visit to the BUGA began with a grand approach via the palace. The formal front courtyards were a riot of colours. I never knew there could be so many hues of yellow or tonnes of red or that flowers could have names as exciting as Bonanza Gold or Kissing Gold. It was somewhat cloudy when I arrived, but one look at the bright marigolds and dahlias cheered me up. I was also most taken in by a velvety red plant with thick spiky shoots much like an octopus. It is one of 70 known species of amaranths but this one was colloquially called the fox’s tail.

On the other side of the palace, the river-facing grounds are laid out with rose gardens, sculptures and fountains. I had lunch in an orangery, eschewing Asian chicken and crispy French-style pancakes for a German sausage and salad.

Buoyed by lunch, I ambled along the promenade. En route, I saw a magnificent building, and found that it houses the German Authority for Defense Weapons and Provisions, responsible for German weapon development and testing.

Near the end of the promenade, long queues had built up for the cable cars that transport visitors across the river. The wait was short, though, as the experienced staff loaded and unloaded the cars with maximum speed. The cars lurched and dangled, but the grand view of the Deutsche Eck as well as the passenger ferries below made up for it.

The display across the river in the Ehrenbreitstein is the heart of the BUGA, with a focus on public education and an appreciation for bio-diversity. On its wide, open grounds, there were vegetable plots — great for urban kids to see vegetables and mushrooms growing at close quarters or get a close up of wheat or a bee hive.

There were also displays for commercial gardeners, landscapers, florists, bio-food suppliers, garden accessory artists and water-feature designers.

I also liked the huge hall in which bonsais, cacti and alpine scrub stood together with scrap metals and leftover bits of furniture as decorations.

I had intended to skim the Gravestone sand Memorials section, but once I wondered in, it was hard to leave. The gravestones were not morbid. Instead, they were creative and individualistic – a bonsai leaning dramatically or chillis sprouting in clusters over a grave, a traveller’s palm looming over one’s name, in this case, one Rosa Sonne, appropriately so since Sonne means sun in German.

They were a testament to the personality of the dead, and I was not surprised that there was a competition for the best designed graves.

The Fortress, which was a complex of walls and graves, military and church quarters, arsenals and depots, is more than 5,000 years old.

Archeological research is still being conducted here and part of it houses museums dedicated to regional history. During the BUGA, the Fortress has an exciting programme of wine-tasting, exhibitions and outdoor performances. I saw an Elvis-lookalike doing a passable rendition of the King’s songs.