(VOVWORLD) - As Tet, the Lunar New Year, approaches, Binh Khe commune in Dong Trieu town, a major flower growing area of Quang Ninh province, becomes busier. Local farmers put all their effort into tending their flowers and ornamental plants to get them to bloom in time for Tet.
 Dong Trieu town in Quang Ninh has 260 hectares of flower and ornamental tree growing area. Binh Khe commune alone has 185 hectares. |
From early morning, flower farmers in Dong Do hamlet are busy in the fields, meticulously fertilizing, watering, and pruning kumquats, peach blossoms, lilies, or daisies.
Local resident Truong Thi Thuy said her family's 1,500 square meters of ornamental kumquats are growing well and traders have placed deposits on half of them already at a price higher than last year.
“A tree costs anywhere from 15 to 35 USD. It takes us a year to grow an ornamental kumquat tree. We want more people to know about the Binh Khe flower growing area which offers beautiful trees at a reasonable price,” Thuy told VOV.
 Do Van Cuong of Doc Man hamlet in Binh Khe commune feels happy because the new gladiolus variety produces high yield and profitability. |
Binh Khe has 185 hectares of flowers, the largest growing area in Dong Trieu town. In addition to daisies, gladioluses, lilies, violets, peach blossoms, and ornamental kumquats, Binh Khe flower growers have recently piloted new varieties of higher yield and profitability.
Over the past 4 years, Do Van Cuong has bred a new gladiolus variety to sell to other areas.
Cuong said, “This is a Vietnamese gladiolus variety. We buy and multiply the seeds and sell them at half the original price. The seeds are strong. Only one plant in 100 is unhealthy.”
 Ornamental kumquat trees are ready for the upcoming Tet celebration. |
Pham Van Phong, Chairman of the communal People's Committee, says Binh Khe has a specialized area for ornamental plants. Most of the cultivated land grows rice most of the year. Flowers, which are grown for Tet, have become the main source of income for the farmers.
“Over the last 3 years, we’ve introduced new varieties to increase people's income. Binh Khe has a specialized area for ornamental kumquat, apricot, and peach trees, which produce large profits. We teach the locals special techniques to ensure the flowers bloom in time for Tet,” said Phong.
Flower growers in Binh Khe have high hopes for this year's flower crop. Most of their ornamental kumquats have already been ordered by traders at a price 30% higher than last year.