Wilting sales for Hong Kong florists ahead of Lunar New Year as interest in festive blooms fades
Flower sellers are resigned to lower takings this year, but at least one is still trying to liven up a long-standing tradition with a Japanese orchid plant costing over HK$20,000
While Lunar New Year decorations typically include plants and flowers that symbolise luck and good fortune, florists in Hong Kong expect overall sales to droop compared to last year, with some estimating earnings to fall by up to 30 per cent.
Those who spoke to the Post attributed the drop to dwindling interest in festive blooms, cheaper imports from the mainland, and higher greenhouse costs due to the prolonged cold snap in the city.
The purchase of lucky shrubs and flowers – such as potted citrus plants for good fortune and peach blossoms for prosperity – usually begins about one month before the Lunar New Year. With this year’s holiday starting on February 16, sales would be expected to peak next week, after 15 festive fairs open for business this Sunday.
Hong Kong florists sow seeds for timely Lunar New Year blooms, as warm weather causes flowers to blossom too early
But at Sum Kee Yuen, a 37-year-old flower trading company, manager Bonnie Ng said she was not hopeful that sales would pick up.
The Mong Kok shop’s largest single sale this past week was worth less than HK$2,000, even though their biggest customers were corporate clients who would usually spend on potted plants for their offices.
“Our sales won’t take a U-turn and go up next week,” Ng said, “Overall revenue from this new year’s sales will be 20 per cent to 30 per cent less than last year.”
While real estate management companies or owners’ corporations used to buy citrus or peach trees that would reach waist height for their buildings, they were now buying smaller plants and spending less on flowers, Ng said.
“They told us that bigger plants were now not as preferred because it would be difficult for them to dispose of the ‘trash’ properly after the festive period – they couldn’t just dump it outside their buildings and there are few recyclers they can turn to,” Ng said.
