Rhododendron, which has the reputation of "Lotus in Flowers" and "King of Woody Flowers", is a general name for Rhododendron plants in the Rhododendron family, with a huge system and complex classification. According to the classification of commodities, it can be roughly divided into Belgian rhododendron, Oriental rhododendron, alpine rhododendron, deciduous rhododendron, Gaoyue rhododendron, etc., among which Belgian rhododendron, Oriental azalea, alpine rhododendron are the hot flowers in the New Year market.
It is worth mentioning that some merchants have developed potted products from the national second-class protected plant Xing'an Rhododendron and supplied it to the 2024 supper market for the first time, providing consumers with more diverse choices.
Fujian Yongfu is known as the "hometown of Chinese rhododendrons", and is the largest potted rhododendron production base in the country, with a national market share of about 80%, with a total sales volume of 120 million pots and sales of more than 2 billion yuan in 2023, of which the New Year's market accounts for six or seven percent. "We are full of confidence in the 2024 Azalea New Year Market, although the price has dropped slightly compared to previous years, but the goods are flowing smoothly, and the products are exported abroad, and they are widely acclaimed. Chen Qingshan, secretary general of the Yongfu Rhododendron Industry Association in Zhangping City, Fujian Province, told the China Flower News.
Oriental cuckoo's home application
The category is rich and the market is stable, and there are many selling points of emerging products
Belgian rhododendron is the largest sales of rhododendron category in the New Year's market, common varieties are 'bayberry red', 'cherry red', 'Xima', 'colored diamonds', etc., because of its cold resistance, heat resistance performance is not strong, so the application of outdoor planting is limited, practitioners mainly position it as an indoor potted plant, and the main New Year's market, the product is mainly small specifications, the price is relatively low, most of the unit price is about twenty or thirty yuan.
Belgian rhododendron 'bayberry'
Oriental cuckoo is the second best-selling rhododendron category in the New Year's market, the main varieties are 'red coral', 'pink coral', 'red reunion', 'pink reunion', 'blue cherry', 'rouge honey', etc., the product specifications are diverse, and the price is tens of yuan to hundreds of yuan.
Abundant varieties of Oriental cuckoos
Jiangsu Yuhua Rhododendron Planting Co., Ltd., which focuses on Oriental Juan, has a production area of 1,200 acres. "We have more than 300 varieties of Oriental cuckoos, and more than 10 are produced on a large scale. According to Li Xiaoqin, deputy general manager of sales of the company, mainly in the rhododendron special garden, villa garden, indoor balcony and other multi-scene applications, this year's supply of the New Year's market is expected to have thousands of pots, due to the late flowering period, the product will be listed in 10 days, the market is expected to be good.
Alpine rhododendron is an emerging rhododendron New Year category in recent years, with an annual output of 200,000 to 300,000 pots, focusing on the mid-to-high-end market, with a unit price of hundreds to thousands of yuan. Although the price is high, compared with other rhododendron varieties, its flowering balls are quite spectacular and have an irreplaceable ornamental effect, so they are very popular in the market.
"This year, the company has 30,000 to 50,000 pots of alpine rhododendrons for the New Year market, and 60% to 70% of them have been booked, mainly for first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. At present, the crown width of 50 to 60 centimeters of 'Guifei' sales are the largest, and the market unit price is 980 yuan. Liu Juan, general manager of Hongmei Horticulture Guizhou Company, said.
Red Plum Gardening is a permanent stall selling alpine rhododendrons in the Qingzhou Flower Market
高山杜鹃'贵妃'
As a pioneer and one of the most well-known brands in domestic horticultural retail, Hongyue Flower Co., Ltd. has made great contributions to the terminal marketing of rhododendron. Hongyue Rhododendron has a very rich product line, supplying Belgian Rhododendron, Oriental Rhododendron, Alpine Rhododendron and the newly developed independent brand "Anku" Rhododendron in recent years.
Hongyue's alpine rhododendron and "Anku" rhododendron are mostly pre-sale orders, the shelf life is throughout the year, and the varieties and specifications sold at different stages are different.
Takayama Du Xiao
Although the "Anku" rhododendron is an emerging product, consumers are already familiar with this rhododendron category. According to Zhuo Jingjing, product manager of Hongyue Rhododendron, "Anku" Rhododendron means "Rhododendron that can safely survive the hot summer and harsh winter", and its advantages of multi-season flowering and cold and drought tolerance have helped it successfully open the northern market. "There are not many rhododendron products that can be planted outdoors in the north for wintering, and after feedback from flower friends, 'Anku' rhododendron has been successfully wintered in Beijing, Hebei and other places, and we are proud to enter the northern market. Zhuo Jingjing said.
"Anku" cuckoo
It is worth mentioning that Hongyue has also recently developed a potted Rhododendron of Xing'an that is especially suitable for the northern market this year. "The rhododendron of Hung Yen has the magic of 'dead wood in spring', and as a national second-class protected plant, wild rhododendrons are prohibited from collecting and selling. In order to meet the needs of consumers, we have commercialized wild Xing'an rhododendrons and developed competitive potted products with a unit price of more than 800 yuan, mainly for the mid-to-high-end market. It is also relatively simple to maintain after flowering, and can achieve multi-season flowering. Zhuo Jingjing said.
Hung Yen rhododendron potted plant
The modeling increases the added value, and the sales volume of live streaming is high
Rhododendron plants are beautiful and the branches are highly plastic, so the vast majority of practitioners are enhancing the added value of their products through plastic arts. According to Chen Qingshan, so far, Vinh Phuc has more than 2,000 horticultural varieties of Belgian rhododendron, Japanese rhododendron, American rhododendron, as well as native varieties and self-cultivated hybrids from all over the country.
"Among the rhododendrons in Vinh Phuc, the proportion of modeling rhododendrons is more than 60%, including cliff type, dragon type, mushroom type, cloud type, etc., and different specifications of large, medium and small can be shaped. Chen Qingshan said.
Rhododendron home application
Zhao Shuyan of Dandong Haoran Flower Farm has been engaged in the production of rhododendrons for more than 20 years, and has sold more than 10,000 pots of rhododendron products so far, mainly waxy skin rhododendrons. "This year's sales are relatively good, one of the main reasons is that I am good at making rhododendron shapes, in addition to the traditional cliff shape, jungle type, cloud type and other shapes, I will also design a variety of new shapes, which are very recognized by customers. Zhao Shuyan said.
Live streaming has driven the sales of conventional rhododendron products, and styling cuckoo is no exception. "At present, Vinh Phuc has more than 2,200 flower e-commerce companies, and at the same time built nearly 100 acres of electronic trade parks, with annual sales of nearly 300 million yuan, of which azalea sales account for seventy percent. Chen Qingshan said that some small family workshops in Vinh Phuc specialize in making small miniature bonsai of Belgian rhododendrons, and sell them through live broadcasts, with a single pot priced at about 100 yuan and an annual profit of hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Small miniature shaped cuckoo
Weihai Qicai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has developed Alpine Rhododendron into a long-term product for the annual supply, not focusing on the New Year's market, which greatly saves the cost of flowering, and also sells through live broadcasting, the company not only has its own anchors, but also external cooperation anchors in the base live sales. "In 2023, we sold 40,000 to 50,000 pots of alpine rhododendrons online, mainly small and medium-sized potted plants. Cong Qun, general manager of the company, said.
Rhododendron conservation is not difficult, as long as you master this
For rhododendrons, many consumers "want to raise but are afraid to raise", the reason for fear is that they think that maintenance is difficult and they are worried that they will not be able to feed.
In this regard, Zhuo Jingjing said that it is not difficult to maintain rhododendrons, and the key is to realize one point: it is a fibrous root plant, and the root distribution is shallow. The characteristics of the fibrous root system determine that it is suitable for a small amount of watering many times, and the "lazy" automatic suction basin with cotton rope is more suitable for rhododendrons, which can avoid excessive watering and cause the roots to "suffocate". In the same way, fertilization should also be done in small amounts and many times, otherwise it is easy to burn the roots.
Rhododendron root system display
"Feed the dead and feed the water, and raise the good and the bad to see the fat. Zhuo Jingjing said that the demand for water and fertilizer is not very large, the key is to grasp the degree, to prevent "over" and "not enough", as long as you understand and master this, you can raise the rhododendron well.
(Image source: Hongyue Flowers, Zhicui Notes, Yuhua Rhododendron, Red Plum Gardening, etc.)
(Written by reporter Xue Guangqing)
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