This is China. There are Garden Plant Nurseries in China, lots of them, especially here in Guangxi Autonomous region - But not as we know them Jim…
Yes, as previously shown in earlier posts, some are extremely well organised (on the surface) and take on the appearance of any Plant Nursery you might find in Holland, for example. No real surprise as these have been modelled on those in Holland, America etc.
As far as I can ascertain, these better run examples are in some way Government funded. Whether regional or national, I'm not sure.
The plant nurseries in Nanning supply most, if not all the plants used for display within the city.
Plants can be purchased from these establishments but quite honestly, I have found the range from them a little limited. They are geared up for huge volume supply, displays etc. (Nanning is known as the Green city and has huge floral displays, ever changing, all year round)
These plant nurseries are not in existence to supply the local plant shops.
It's the other plant nurseries that supply most of our needs, the ones probably run by a Chinese family or two and primarily there to supply anyone that wants to buy from them.
Often a mish-mash of plants of extremely varying type and quality.
Takes me back to the 60's and early 70's when the UK horticultural trade first 'took off' and plants suddenly had a value and almost overnight stopped being supplied in 'Old Paint cans' and found themselves plonked in poly bags, which
later gave way to rigid plastic pots.
Here in Nanning China supplied plants are at the poly bag stage and will probably remain at this stage in the most part as plastic is a valuable commodity now and is reflected in the price of rigid pots here, quite expensive by comparison.
I suppose the main issue for me has been lack of variety of plant material but variation in quality has been difficult to get to grips with also.
Here we are living in a sub-tropical region in an area famous for plants and trees and yet strangely, not much of a choice.
The reason for this, I have learnt is simple.
These Chinese nurserymen do not grow plants for the love of it or because they love gardening, they do it to survive.
So, if it sells, grow it…
If you grow it and it sells, keep growing it and only it.
No need to try anything else, no real need to experiment and explore new varieties, they are unproven, they won't put a meal on the table.
Makes sense but doesn't do much for the introduction of anything new in the China plant world.
The problem for my wife in her shop is mainly volume of customers or should I say, lack of volume.
Unlike the Old Flower market where customers are in plentiful supply, so lack of variety plays no real part in the process in the OLD market as there is always demand for the same plants.
And the buyers with their own limitations are always happiest with plants they recognise and know.
After much searching, we have managed to track down one or two interesting plant suppliers here in China Nanning, those that do have the courage to at least try something new.
On the plus side for the shop, it is situated in a fairly affluent area, a lot of middle class, young Chinese that lack some of the shackles of the old ways and are searching for something new and interesting.
We try to accommodate this new garden plant demand with slightly different from the normal plant varieties and as always the case, quality, no matter where you are in the world will always find a buyer.
Ok, so we have our customer base and have found the suppliers.
The next bit is the most painful though.
For me a westerner, that with a simple phone call can have plentiful supply of plant material delivered to my door in my own country, here in Nanning China it is another matter entirely…
The getting of the plants from the nursery back to the shop which involves both negotiations with Nurseryman to purchase in the first instance and then finding and arranging a suitable transport provider of the plants has often left me and the wife, not talking...
Photo's show some of our plant suppliers in China.
To be continued...
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