China green thumb culture blooming again - Flowers, plants retail and online business flourishing

SHANGHAI: Chinese consumers have been increasingly buying flowers and plants to buoy emotions and beautify living spaces as they pursue more diversified and niche varieties, fuelling rosy business growth for retailers.

So far this year, more than 100 million people have purchased flowers, plants and related gardening goods on Alibaba’s eCommerce platform Taobao, with nearly 60% of such customers being female.