Promoting traditional crafts
In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the residential areas in Trung Son ward, known for their peach blossom cultivation, are busier than ever. Dozens of cars of all sizes line the main roads, loaded with peach branches and trees for sale. Along the main streets, numerous colorful advertising signs for the peach orchards of local households create a vibrant and lively atmosphere.
Previously, consumers near and far knew the peach blossom trees from the Ninh Binh hills and gardens by the familiar name of Dong Son peach blossoms. Through the skillful care of peach growers, from slender branches sprouting dense clusters of young buds, they bloom in vibrant colors during Tet, showcasing their pure and sturdy beauty. Dong Son used to have 10 traditional peach blossom growing villages. Today, due to administrative reorganization, the old Dong Son commune has merged with several other localities to become the bustling Trung Son ward, but it still retains the beauty of the traditional peach blossom growing region.
At the peach orchard of Mr. Dong Khac Khoat's family in Group 5B, Trung Son Ward, these days are bustling with customers choosing high-quality peach blossom trees to decorate their homes for Tet (Lunar New Year). The orchard is distinctly different from other hillside orchards in the area because Mr. Khoat's family has researched and grafted peach trees to create unique, shaped trees to cater to consumer demand.
Mr. Dong Khac Khoat said that his family has been growing peach blossoms for two generations, with about 30 years of experience. After completing his military service, Mr. Khoat returned to his hometown to continue pursuing the peach tree cultivation. In the peach orchard inherited from his parents, Mr. Khoat researched and brought back peach tree saplings from Son La to graft onto the Nhat Tan peach variety. To date, after 5 years of cultivating the unique "hanging" peach tree style, his family's orchard has provided a stable income. Currently, the orchard maintains over 1,000 peach trees of various sizes and styles, but the most numerous are the unique "hanging" peach trees.
This year, for the Lunar New Year season, Mr. Khoat has meticulously pruned and shaped 500 peach blossom trees, ensuring they reach their full height before harvest. Mr. Khoat shared that, although he has only been cultivating them for a few years, his family's brand of peach blossom trees has already become well-known to customers near and far. He expects to sell all 500 trees to customers in a few days.
Sharing about the income from growing peach trees and branches in the cascading style, Mr. Khoat said that planting and caring for them is more complicated, but the revenue generated is greater than that of traditional round-shaped peach trees and branches. The selling price of these peach trees at the garden usually ranges from over 1 million VND to 3 million VND.
Not content with just doing manual labor, Mr. Dong Khac Khoat also serves as the head of Neighborhood Group 5B. As the first to adopt new production methods and accumulate experience, he readily shares his knowledge with fellow peach growers in his neighborhood by guiding and assisting other households in developing and caring for the traditional peach blossom variety.
Diverse range of products
Also in Residential Area 5B, the peach orchard of Mr. Pham Van Phong, owner of Phong Xuyen peach orchard, supplies the market with bonsai-style and ancient-style peach trees. The peach trees from Phong Xuyen orchard are usually cared for and pruned for many years before being sold. Therefore, the product quality is relatively consistent, with strong, healthy trunks and sturdy petals, while still retaining the traditional pink color of the peach blossom.
Sharing with us, Mr. Phong said that this year his family plans to sell about 100 peach blossom trees with trunk diameters ranging from 10 to 20 cm, priced from 5 to 6 million VND per tree. Exceptionally, some trees that are meticulously cared for and have beautiful shapes will fetch higher prices. With the planting and care methods of Phong Xuyen peach blossom garden, the trees can be enjoyed for many years, as they are all sturdy, meticulously cared for, and free from pests and diseases.
Mr. Pham Van Hung, from Trung Son ward, a regular customer of the peach blossom gardens here, said that every year his family visits the gardens to choose beautiful peach blossom branches that suit their home's space. He is amazed by the new peach blossom shapes meticulously cultivated by the garden owners; they are all very beautiful and suit consumer tastes. Although the market offers many different peach blossom shapes and flower styles, Mr. Hung is particularly impressed with the peach blossoms from his hometown, with their pale pink petals and the right density of flowers interspersed with leaves, creating a unique and traditional look.
Discussing the economic development direction of peach blossom cultivation in her hometown, Ms. Le Vu Hao, from the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Trung Son Ward, said that currently, there are 10 craft villages in the ward, belonging to 10 residential areas, that have been recognized by the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee as peach blossom cultivation villages. This year's weather has been favorable for the peach trees, resulting in large flowers with vibrant colors, meeting the increasing demands of consumers. Over the past time, the local government has always paid attention to creating favorable conditions for people to produce and develop peach blossoms, ensuring that peach blossoms remain a key crop with high economic value, contributing to increased income for the people, and preserving and developing the traditional beauty of peach blossoms during the Lunar New Year.
The area dedicated to harvesting peach blossoms in the locality currently reaches 125 hectares with over 900 households growing peach trees, supplying tens of thousands of trees/branches per season to the market. The local government has organized training courses on scientific and technical knowledge transfer and coordinated with relevant agencies and units in organizing models and projects to develop the peach-growing craft village. Products such as peach blossoms and peaches are also being used by businesses to make beauty care products.
In recent Lunar New Year peach blossom seasons, many households have been actively applying scientific and technical methods to production. New peach blossom styles have been introduced to replace traditional ones, such as cascading peach blossoms, gnarled peach blossoms, and ancient tree-shaped peach blossoms, which are very popular and in high demand. In the future, local authorities will continue to support people in developing beautiful new peach blossom styles for the Lunar New Year and expand the model to help people increase their income and develop the craft village.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/da-dang-san-pham-cay-dao-phai-phuc-vu-tet-20260205172941226.htm
