Flower market in the doldrums: small potted plants popular with white-collar workers, large bonsai attract no interest
The end of each year is the peak season for the flower market, yet right now the Fuzhou flower market is still “chilling” to the bone. Recently, a reporter visited the market and learned that sales of higher-priced large bonsai have fallen by more than 50 percent compared with previous years, and business is extraordinarily bleak. Vendors say they often go ten days to half a month without selling a single order. By contrast, small potted flowers are enthusiastically sought after by many residents, with both sales and prices rising against the trend.
Small potted flowers are very popular with white-collar workers
Nowadays, for the consumer groups of households and offices, “personalized, small and fresh” small potted flowers have become the trendy route, and large bonsai have become “a thing of the past.” Small potted flowers have novel varieties and bright colors, can also be grown hydroponically, are very convenient to place indoors or on a balcony, and also have the effect of purifying the air.
Recently, a reporter visited the Jianxin Zhanban flower wholesale market in Cangshan and saw that quite a few flower shops here specialize in small potted flowers. They range in size from about 10 cm to 50 cm, among which succulents have more than 50 varieties, priced from 10 yuan to 30 yuan. “Succulents like light, tolerate drought and fear waterlogging, and the most suitable temperature for succulent growth is 15°C to 28°C.” Shop owner Ms. Chen introduced that nerve plants (Fittonia) are also favored by many white-collar workers, divided into red-veined and green-veined types, priced from 15 yuan to 18 yuan, and nerve plants also have the effect of purifying the air.
The reporter found that besides succulents, micro-landscapes are also very popular. A micro-landscape is a new type of desktop potted plant made by combining mosses or ferns with various small figurines and planting them together. According to the flower shop owner, this kind of micro-landscape has its own water-seepage system: a water-barrier layer and a buffer layer are laid inside the container, then fresh moss is placed on top, then background plants are planted in, decorative sand and decorative stones are used as accents, and finally handmade accessories are added. Micro-landscapes are generally priced from 50 yuan to 180 yuan.
“Small green plants are generally bought by young ‘office workers’ and young parents with children.” Fuzhou flower wholesaler Mr. Lin introduced that customers can choose styles in the shop, and they handle the making; customers who like to do it themselves can also DIY.
Large bonsai attract few buyers
“Since 2013, the bonsai market has been very sluggish. Although prices have not fluctuated much, sales have plummeted, and fewer people give them as gifts.” Mr. Weng of the Flower Association of the Fuzhou Horticultural Society told the reporter that according to the usual pattern, bonsai sell better at the end of the year, but now sales are very quiet.
Yesterday, the reporter visited a large bonsai shop in the Jianxin Zhanban flower wholesale market and saw it filled with all kinds of large bonsai; some shop owners were even sleeping during the day, and no buyers could be seen. “Flower sales are quiet now; sometimes a single pot cannot be sold in a month.” During the visits, the sentence the reporter heard most was “business is no good this year.” One shop owner, Ms. Wang, said that relying on selling large bonsai to make a living was like a fairy tale. “Because the price cannot come down, the current bonsai market has buyers complaining it is too expensive and sellers complaining it is too cheap, and since bonsai cultivation takes a long cycle, costs only increase.” Pointing to a fragrant wood tree-stump bonsai with an age of about 10 years, she said the psychological price for this bonsai should not be lower than 5,000 yuan, and price is the main reason for the depression in the bonsai market.
In interviews, many bonsai operators believed that the overall environment was the main cause of the continued depression in the bonsai market. The owner of a bonsai garden in Fuzhou said: “The continued depression of the bonsai market is related to the economic environment. Consumption is weak, and moreover bonsai are not necessities, so very few people buy them.”
As Spring Festival approaches, small potted flowers are favored
It is almost Chinese New Year; choosing flowers and plants to beautify the home can better set off the festive atmosphere. Let's go to the flower market and take a look
At noon on January 6, the reporter came to the flower market located in Hezhuangping and found that this year's Spring Festival flower market is dominated by household consumption. The large potted plants that sold well in previous years have also been replaced by small, lovely potted flowers, and clivias, Phalaenopsis orchids, azaleas and others with festive and distinctive shapes are selling relatively well.
Guo Suihu, operator of Hezhuangping Baihe Flowers: Things like azaleas, peonies and camellias sell a bit faster. When they are in bloom, taking them home for the New Year puts you in a better mood. Generally, people like to decorate their homes with them. As for green plants, ones like pothos are better for absorbing formaldehyde and purifying the air.
Guo Jinhu, seller at Hezhuangping Feifei Flowers: Blooming flowers sell a bit better. During festivals and holidays, people want something festive. Generally, when customers come, they like to buy a few pots of blooming flowers to take home. They look festive and thriving, implying that the days of the new year will be thriving and get better and better.
Flower operators told the reporter that because some enterprises and hotels used fewer flowers this year, the previously high-end flowers have also taken a people-friendly route and been moved into small pots, and the kumquats that sold well every year have also been changed into “small and fresh” shapes. These days, purple hyacinths, orange rose begonias, colorful tulips and some flowers with auspicious meanings are very popular with residents.
Guo Suihu, operator of Hezhuangping Baihe Flowers: We specially brought in some flowers with relatively good meanings, such as red anthurium, and kumquats bearing especially many fruit, full of abundant harvests, and also that money tree to put at home; its name sounds good and the tree is beautiful too.
The reporter learned that the Hezhuangping flower market only moved here from Jingjiawan last year, and many people still do not know about it. As the New Year approaches, flower dealers have also launched some discount activities to attract customers to come and buy.
Guo Jinhu, seller at Hezhuangping Feifei Flowers: If you buy more, or buy a large one, you get a small one free, and we give a little gift, hoping to bring a bit of good luck in the new year, wishing them a better and better new year, and hoping they have smooth work and good health in the new year.
Dendrobium officinale potted plants may become a sales hotspot in the flower market
Following small potted flowers such as succulents (potted succulent plants), mini roses (potted miniature roses) and pothos, starting from the end of 2015, potted Dendrobium flowers, mainly Dendrobium officinale, are expected to become another highlight product in the small potted plant market, taking the lead in entering mainstream domestic markets such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. A wave of potted Dendrobium consumption is about to arrive.
Dendrobium officinale, called the “immortal grass of the human world,” was once all the rage among high-end consumers in China because of its health benefits such as nourishing yin and moistening the lungs. Therefore, within the past three or four years, in Yunnan, Fujian and other places, the planting scale of Dendrobium officinale expanded rapidly, and countless Dendrobium officinale growers, processing enterprises for products such as Fengdou, and seedling producers appeared across the country. According to incomplete statistics, the total area of medicinal Dendrobium (Dendrobium officinale and Dendrobium nobile) nationwide is about 120,000 to 130,000 mu, among which Yunnan has the largest planting scale, accounting for 60 percent to 70 percent of the national share. From Pu'er and Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan to Longling in Baoshan and Dali in western Yunnan, and even areas such as Anning City and Yiliang County in central Yunnan, as well as parts of northeastern Yunnan farther away, it is planted, with a production area reaching 70,000 to 80,000 mu. However, since 2013, the market for Dendrobium officinale products has fallen sharply. At present, the price of fresh stems has dropped to 150 yuan to 300 yuan per kg, only 1/10 of the highest level. The transformation of product functions is urgent, and “turning medicinal Dendrobium toward potted ornamental flowers” has become one of the hot topics of general concern.
The characteristics of Dendrobium, such as being easy to keep at home and having good ornamental value, have laid the foundation for the development and application of potted Dendrobium. From an ornamental perspective, potted Dendrobium placed on a courtyard balcony or in an office is more elegant and beautiful than pothos, and can rival Chinese orchids. Its ornamental value when blooming in spring is second only to other tropical orchids, and besides being ornamental, the pot full of small pale yellow flowers can also be picked to make an infusion, clearing the liver and brightening the eyes, while the branches and leaves can be cut at any time to steep in water or use as ingredients for soup, still exerting their medicinal health benefits, so both ornamental and edible uses are obtained.
“This year, our potted Dendrobium officinale had a good response in trial sales in Guangzhou, and next year we plan to develop more products to supply the market.” Chen Meili, general manager of Anning Xingqi Company, said: “Potted Dendrobium flowers are convenient to transport. We use the same cartons as for Cymbidium, and each carton can hold 14-16 pots.” It is understood that in 2016, the total output of potted Dendrobium officinale produced in Yunnan was more than 500,000 pots, with nearly 10 production enterprises including Yunnan Yingmao, Anning Xingqi, Suilan, Yuhui and Xinshengyuan. In the next two years, this type of producer will continue to grow rapidly.
At present, Dendrobium officinale is still in the trial sales stage, the consumer group is relatively small, and the market situation is not very clear. For products in 6.5-inch pots, with 20 stems per pot and stem lengths of 10 cm to 30 cm, the wholesale price per pot ranges from 20 yuan to 40 yuan, while large-specification potted products sell for about 60 yuan. The flowering period of these products is mainly around the Spring Festival, lasting about one month. When in flower, they can be viewed for their blooms; when not in flower, they can be enjoyed as green plants.