Year of the Snake Seems like a Tough Sell

It's a tough sell to get customers to buy flowers for CNY

Although Chinese New Year is only days away, in Hong Kong, vendors selling flowers and potted plants at the flower market in Victoria Park are reporting sluggish sales.

While there are a lot of people checking out the fair, which has 395 stalls this year, flower sellers like Lee Siu-ming, owner of Chun Shing Flowers Trading, which specialises in orchids, are reporting business is down by 30 percent.

"People aren't willing to spend," he said. "I am negotiating prices with them till my gums bleed, but some of them still aren't convinced."

There are 395 stalls at Victoria Park this year

Lee said the reasons were because of the slow local economy and people going to Shenzhen and other places in China to shop.

However, stalls selling snaked-themed products seemed to do well, like snakes on cushions and stuffed toys. 

One stall vendor observed that while many mainlanders came to the fair, they were more curious about what was available and hesitant to buy anything. 

"They're more interested in sightseeing and taking pictures," said Terrence Lo, who was selling books.

"The language barrier and concerns about customs regulations deter them from buying books."

In addition, local customers aren't buying as much either.

"The older generation who are often our most loyal customers, are becoming more selective," Lo said. "They're looking for bargains and are less likely to make impulsive purchases."

Sounds like the Year of the Snake is going to be a tough one, much like the Dragon before it...

A Warm Visit to Bloedel Conservatory

The Bloedel Conservatory this afternoon

It's been a miserable several days in Vancouver with rain and cold temperatures, but today the sun peeked out of the clouds and they were blown away to reveal and gorgeous blue sky.

I took a friend for lunch to celebrate her birthday at Seasons in the Park and the view of the city was so clear. 

Afterwards we took a stroll around the quarry garden before checking out the Bloedel Conservatory, a large domed indoor tropical garden. 

Valentine is a charming parrot

It was named after Prentice Bloedel, who was co-founder of Macmillan Bloedel, British Columbia's biggest forestry company in the mid-20th century. He pitched in C$1.4 million to build the conservatory, fountains and surrounding plaza.

The "triodetic" dome design was inspired by the Expo '67 dome in Montreal. Its diameter is 140 feet across and was made from aluminium pipe triangles and 1,500 plexiglass bubbles. The design was conceived in 1966 and was officially opened in 1969. Over half a million people visited it the first year.

In 2009 the Parks Board voted to closer the conservatory because of low attendance, but with the Winter Olympics coming up, several groups formed to save it. The following year it was taken under the wing of the VanDusen Botanical Garden, which is why VanDusen members can go into the conservatory for free.

Inside there was lots to see, from lots of plants and flowers to birds, particularly parrots and cockatoos.

There were lots of hydrangeas and posies, but also orchids that flourished in the warm and humid environment. Looking up there were banana trees with their large rectangular-shaped leaves and their trunks were very smooth to the touch!

Lovely orchids in the indoor garden

We also enjoyed watching the various birds in the domed garden. A few were allowed to roam around freely, though the parrots were either chained to their posts (with umbrellas nearby to block the sun). Carmen and Maria are colourful green-winged macaws, while Kramer is a lovely dusted pink cockatoo. 

Valentine is another parrot who showed off his wings to us, while Rudy is an African grey parrot who who made wolf whistle sounds to my friend! We tried to teach him wei? in Cantonese but he didn't seem to pick it up!