A mom and her kids smell some orchids in a greenhouse. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]
The flowers and green plants in Xinghua – a county-level city administered by Taizhou, in East China's Jiangsu province – are really in high demand during the run-up to the Spring Festival's holiday, because of their beauty and calming quality.
On Jan 13, many locals were out buying flowers and green plants at the general market in the Jiahonghaoting community in Xinghua. One merchant, Wu Xiaofang, said those with especially bright colors and those with meanings were selling well, so she prepared a full supply early in the morning and placed them in the best locations.
Although market demand overall is steadily rising, the prices of the most popular species have remained stable compared with previous years, she added.
Besides brightly colored flowers, elegant orchids are also popular. Businesswoman Gu Dongqin, who runs the Tianhe orchid store, said there were more than 300 kinds of orchids in her store and one kind – named the Spring Orchid – will bloom during the holiday, making it sell well.
Great sales have helped those in the flower trade become more prosperous. One merchant, Yao Gehua, said that she planned to build a 300-square-meter greenhouse, specializing in cultivating hot varieties to further expand her profits.