Ornamental plant growers rush towards Lunar New Year

As Tet (or Lunar New Year) festival draws closer, ornamental plant growers in Hanoi have received a raft of orders for pomelo, peach blossom, and kumquat trees. Ornamental vases come in all shapes and sizes, meeting the varied demands of consumers.

With more than 500 laden kumquat plants, Phan Thanh Quang’s garden in Tu Lien ward, Tay Ho district, welcomed many buyers these days. Quang said in the past two to three years, customers’ demand for ornamental plants has been rising.

A kumquat garden in Tu Lien ward of Tay Ho district, Hanoi.

“I have even sold some plants during the recent Christmas holiday period. Twenty out of 50 full-grown kumquat trees have been sold. The rest are for Lunar New Year celebrations. For the remaining 500 bonsai kumquat trees, there have been lots of orders too,” he added.

In order to meet the ever-increasing demand of customers, ornamental plant growers have come up with various eye-catching designs, including delightful pigs, which is the animal featured to represent the upcoming lunar year according to Eastern belief.

Nguyen Xuan Loc, who also resides in Tu Lien ward, said: “My plants come in hundreds of designs as many consumers want their plants to be one-of-a-kind. They often come here in groups and bring home distinctive vases.”

For Ma Cong Bom, caring ornamental plants takes a lot of effort.

“We have to take intricate care of them from their first sprouts to eventually shaping them into our designs. Some patterns require highly meticulous work.”

Besides kumquat trees, ornamental garden owners have also turned to pomelo trees with selling prices ranging from 450 to over 1.000 USD.

Thuy, 49, who has around 30 years of work experience, said that during these days, she has to hire 10 employees to take care of the peach trees and transported peach trees and branches for customers.

However, kumquats and peach blossoms are still people’s favorite for Tet holiday.

Nguyen Minh Quang, in Hoang Hoa Tham street, Tay Ho district, said he often goes for kumquat and peach blossoms for Tet and there are numerous designs for him to choose.

Tu Lien ward can be considered an ornamental plant kingdom in Hanoi. Visiting the place these days, people get a feel for the upcoming Tet season.