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| Peach blossoms in the gardens of Ly Trach flower village have bloomed before Tet - Photo: HL |
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, many peach blossom gardens in Ly Trach flower village have already bloomed brilliantly. The vibrant pink blossoms cover the pathways, creating a scene of early spring. However, behind this beauty lies the worry of peach growers that the flowers will not bloom at the right time to serve the Tet market.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong's family, residing in Hamlet 6, is one of the long-standing peach tree growers in the area. Previously, his orchard had nearly 400 peach trees. However, after the recent floods, only over 150 remain. Despite putting in a lot of effort to care for them in the hope of recouping some of the costs, almost all the peach trees in the orchard have bloomed by the time Tet (Lunar New Year) is just around the corner.
"This year, I was lucky to earn about 5 million dong. In previous years, the income from the peach orchard was between 40 and 50 million dong," Mr. Phuong shared sadly.
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| The leap year, coupled with unusually warm and sunny weather, caused peach blossoms to bloom out of season for Tet (Lunar New Year) - Photo: HL |
It's not just Mr. Phuong; many peach growers in Ly Trach flower village are also feeling anxious as the flowers bloomed prematurely. Mr. Nguyen Huu Khieu's family in Hamlet 3 has two peach orchards with about 500 trees. Since the beginning of December in the lunar calendar, the peach blossoms have been in full bloom and are now almost gone. Mr. Le Van Duc's orchard in Hamlet 6 has about 100 peach trees, and by this time, nearly half of them have already burst into bloom.
“Every year, just before Tet (Lunar New Year), peach blossoms begin to bloom profusely, fetching high prices and bringing significant income to growers. This year, the peach blossoms bloomed too early, resulting in losses. Compared to previous years, some households have lost hundreds of millions of dong,” shared Mr. Le Viet Chung, another peach grower in Hamlet 6.
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| Mr. Le Viet Chung takes care of the remaining peach trees in his garden after this year's floods - Photo: HL |
According to flower growers, the main reason for the early blooming of peach blossoms is that this year's lunar calendar has two leap months, coupled with erratic weather patterns—prolonged warm sunshine interspersed with unseasonal rains—altering the tree's growth cycle and stimulating early bud formation and flowering. This is a very difficult factor to control, even for those with many years of experience in growing peach blossoms.
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| Some garden owners sell tickets for visitors to come in, tour, and take photos - Photo: HL. |
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, in previous years, around the 15th day of the 11th lunar month, peach growers had to proactively strip the leaves to ensure the trees bloomed in time for Tet (Lunar New Year). However, this year, many peach orchards shed their leaves and buds spontaneously, catching growers off guard. Some technical measures such as slowing down the growth, digging around the roots, and limiting watering can only be applied when the peach trees show signs of early blooming, about 10-15 days prior. Once the flowers have bloomed profusely, growers have almost no way to save them.
"All efforts to delay the blooming of the peach blossoms to coincide with Tet have been ineffective due to the extremely unpredictable weather. This year, the income from the peach orchard is essentially a total loss," said Mr. Nguyen Huu Khieu.
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| Many people flocked to early-blooming peach orchards to take photos and capture moments amidst the spring flowers - Photo: HL |
Faced with this situation, to mitigate losses, some garden owners have been forced to open their gardens to the public for visits and photos, or rent them out as check-in spots, hoping to recoup some of their maintenance costs.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong To, residing in Dong Hoi ward, said that upon hearing the news that the Ly Trach peach blossom garden had bloomed early, she and her friends came to visit and take photos as souvenirs.
"Knowing that peach growers suffer many disadvantages because the flowers bloom early, we also try to support them and contribute a small part to share with them," Ms. To said.
The Lunar New Year is approaching, but worries remain for peach blossom growers in Ly Trach flower village. The early blooming of the flowers is not just a matter of weather, but also a precarious livelihood issue, highlighting the increasing risks faced by flower growers due to the unpredictable changes in nature.
Huong Le
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202602/hoa-tet-no-som-nha-vuon-that-thu-d403e19/
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