Bac Ninh: Gardeners tend to flowers to prepare for Tet.

BAC NINH - With only about three months left until the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, gardeners in Bac Ninh province are already busily preparing ornamental plants and flowers for the market. After a difficult year due to unfavorable weather, the gardeners are pouring all their heart and soul into caring for their crops, hoping for a successful and prosperous Tet season.

Variety of types

Along the road leading to Gioi Te village, Phu Lam commune, trucks carrying ornamental plants are constantly coming and going. Many people display their plants and tend to the soil right in front of their gardens. In Gioi Te village, out of more than 1,000 households, about 65% are involved in the ornamental plant and flower business. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hiep, a woman with nearly 30 years of experience in growing ornamental plants, is meticulously pruning and shaping a bougainvillea plant that has just been potted. Ms. Hiep said that in the past, she mainly grew bonsai trees worth from several hundred million to billions of dong. However, due to the difficult economic situation in recent years and the decrease in demand for high-end items, she has switched to growing and selling other green, shade trees such as jackfruit and sapodilla. For smaller plants like bougainvillea, camellias, and peonies, her family propagates the seedlings themselves and grows them in their fields. With the local government's support in converting rice land, her family has nearly 6 sao (approximately 0.6 hectares) for growing seedlings and nearly 3 sao for display. Ms. Hiep said: "Currently, we have received orders for ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year). This year, my family is researching ancient, mature tree varieties. I plan to import and sell some small miniature landscapes to cater to the Tet decoration needs of budget-conscious customers."

Workers tending to the phalaenopsis orchid garden of Ms. Do Thi Mo's family (Phu Lam commune).

Not far away, at a renowned high-end orchid garden, Ms. Do Thi Mo and dozens of workers are busily straightening the flower stalks of over 30,000 orchid plants. This stage requires skill and high concentration because even a slight misstep that breaks a flower stalk can ruin two years of care. This year, her family mainly produces Phalaenopsis orchids, including about 6,000 plants of new colors: yellow and velvet purple. Thanks to mastering the technique of producing flower stalks of varying lengths to suit different display spaces, with thick petals and vibrant colors, Ms. Mo's products are always popular with customers. Several regular customers have pre-ordered, mostly choosing high-end varieties, to be potted and taken home around the middle of the 15th day of the 12th lunar month. The expected selling price ranges from about 150,000 to 400,000 VND per plant.

“Investing in orchid cultivation is very expensive, requiring a long care period, from planting to harvesting, about 2-3 years. This is the time when we pour our efforts into caring for the flowers and focusing on controlling the flowering time. Because we produce in greenhouses with a stable temperature and humidity control system, we are not too worried about the weather. We only hope for a good market with stable prices so that the growers can recoup their investment costs and hard work throughout the year,” Ms. Mo expressed.

Wishing for favorable weather conditions.

During this time, most gardeners enter the most crucial stage: regulating flowering and shaping the plants in preparation for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). This stage showcases the experience and "family secrets" of the flower growers. Controlling or accelerating the flowering process ensures the most beautiful product at the right time for Tet. Therefore, gardeners pay special attention to the weather, constantly monitoring it to take timely measures such as shading, heating, or irrigation. Even a single severe cold spell or unusual rain can affect the quality of the plants and flowers, especially after many areas suffered heavy damage from recent major storms.

During this time, most gardeners enter the most crucial stage: regulating flowering and shaping the plants in preparation for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). This stage showcases the experience and "family secrets" of the flower growers. Controlling or accelerating the flowering process ensures the most beautiful product is ready for Tet.

Due to her 4-hectare outdoor cultivation of gladiolus and lilies, Ms. Duong Thi Sao, Director of the Sao Vuong General Agricultural Service Cooperative for the production and supply of fresh flowers and ornamental plants (Bao Dai commune), is taking advantage of the warm, sunny weather to actively fertilize her plants with nitrogen. According to Ms. Sao, this year's weather has been extreme; heavy rain during planting easily causes bulb rot, while the plants need rain when they are flowering and are exposed to dry, sunny weather. Previously, when typhoon No. 11 swept through, her family suffered losses of about 200 million VND, and other households in the Cooperative also lost at least tens of millions of VND. Not to mention, gladiolus bulbs imported from the Netherlands have also increased in price by 10%. To avoid "double" losses, she has to regularly inspect her fields, carefully adjusting irrigation and fertilization for each flower bed.

Although it's also a region known for growing many types of flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year), the area dedicated to flower cultivation in the Kha Le area of ​​Vo Cuong ward is showing a downward trend this year. Many households have switched to growing short-term vegetables due to high prices. Mr. Truong Khac Quan, a garden owner specializing in supplying seedlings, said: “My family has nearly one acre planted with chrysanthemums, peonies, and violets. One acre of chrysanthemum seedlings was damaged by flooding after typhoon No. 11, so now I'm actively tending to the remaining areas, using lights from 6 PM the previous night to around 5 AM the next morning to stimulate rapid growth. At this time, gardeners inside and outside the province are placing quite a few orders to ensure timely planting for Tet. Each day, my family harvests about 20,000 seedlings to send to customers. However, the price of chrysanthemum seedlings this year is lower than last year, only 50,000 VND per bundle of 100 stems, while only the peony variety maintains a price of 200,000 VND per bundle of 100 stems.”

In the adjacent field, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhung worried: “When we were preparing to plant, there was heavy rain, so my family postponed it for a few days to let the soil dry out. This year, I only planted 3 rows of dahlias and violets on an area of ​​about half an acre, and switched the rest to growing short-term vegetables for income. Gardening is a profession dependent on the weather; I just hope that in a few more months, the weather will be favorable with both sunshine and rain, so that we farmers can have a warm and prosperous Tet holiday,” Mrs. Nhung shared.

It can be said that in the last months of the year, the atmosphere of production in all flower and ornamental plant regions is very busy. Gardeners are pouring their efforts into investing carefully in everything from seeds to cultivation techniques. Everyone hopes for a bountiful and profitable Tet flower harvest, ensuring income for the gardeners while providing the most beautiful plants and flowers to adorn each family's Tet celebration.

Huyen Thuong

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bac-ninh-nha-vuon-cham-hoa-don-tet-postid431873.bbg