During the pandemic, many people are spending more time at home, growing flowers and plants. The boom in home gardening has led to a surge in sales of flowers and plants. 

In recent years, there is a growing trend of home horticulture in Kunming. In addition to fresh cut flower sales in the continued growth, sales of succulent, phalaenopsis orchid, pothos, areca palm, crane flower and many other plants are also significantly increased.

A gardener: more than 100,000 yuan was spent on decorating my garden.

Ms. Wang, a home gardening enthusiast born in the 1970s, said that planting flowers and plants is not only a way of doing exercise, but also good for the mind.

"I have five ginkgo trees, five plums, a bayberry tree, two grapevines, two pomegranates, two passion flowers, a lemon tree, an apple tree, a cherry, a hawthorn and a variety of seasonal flowers in my yard. Now there are hydrangeas, gardenias, straw flowers, common daisies, roses and hundreds of succulents. By August, the largest osmanthus tree in the yard will be in full bloom, and its fragrance will spread far for the neighbors to smell." Ms. Wang said that she can always find peace when she stays in the garden.

Ms. Wang probably spent more than 100 thousand yuan these years. According to her, the most important is to keep learning gardening knowledge and cultivate flowers carefully.

Sellers: sales of succulent and phalaenopsis orchid increased by 30%.

In recent years, phalaenopsis orchid is favored by consumers because of its delicate and beautiful flowers and rich colors. Mr. Zhang, who is in charge of a company in Kunming that plants more than 120 kinds of phalaenopsis orchids and small flowers in pots, said that due to the impact of the pandemic, the offline sales volume of phalaenopsis orchid remained the same as last year, while the sales volume of online platforms such as Wechat Group Purchase, Douyin and Pinduoduo increased by about 30% year on year. Because the price is higher than other flowers and plants, buyers are mainly born in the 1970s and 1980s.

A succulent seller introduced that sales of succulent are considerable this year. Although the price couldn’t go up, the sales increased by about 30% compared with last year. In the past, young people preferred to buy succulents, but now middle-aged and elderly people will also buy it. People born in the 1970s and 1980s have the strongest consumption ability, and the purchase frequency of the generation after 00s is the highest.

Market analysis: Potted plants usher in the peak selling season, hydrangea and Chinese rose are popular.

In Dounan Flower Market, there are a lot of citizens coming to buy flowers. Hydrangea, Chinese rose, jasmine and gardenia are sold well.

"I bought a blue hydrangea and a pink rose for the balcony." Consumer Chen said, “Enjoying flowers every day makes me particularly happy.”

Mr. Kong, who sells potted plants, said that from March to June is the peak season for potted plants selling. Sales of hydrangea and Chinese rose have increased by more than 20 percent compared with the same period in previous years. Most customers are between 20 and 40 years old. In general, plants with a unit price of more than 20 yuan are more popular.

Industry analysis: horticulture industry has entered the stage of explosive growth

Mr. Beard, who loves flowers and plants, has been deeply engaged in home gardening and space design for more than 20 years. In recent years, he has clearly perceived the changes in the industry.

"In recent years, the horticulture industry has entered a period of explosive growth, especially in the last two or three years. Despite the impact of the pandemic, the industry is still growing steadily." Mr. Beard said that his company's orders have increased by more than 50% in the past two years. A recent order was from a client living in a villa area, who spent nearly 600,000 yuan to build a family garden.

Mr. Beard believes that’s because people will pursue spiritual satisfaction as living conditions have improved. And the price is reduced as the production of flowers and plants is greatly improved. Consumers are willing to spend a certain amount of family expenses to buy flowers to enhance spiritual enjoyment. In addition, affected by the pandemic, it is inconvenient for people to travel to farther places, so they spend some of their travel expenses buying flowers in the local market. As they stay at home for a long time, they need some green space to feel the exuberance of vitality and comfort their hearts.

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(Editors: Christine, Lexi)