Gardens destroyed, Baguio sells cheaper flowers for Undas

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Flowers are cheaper for All Souls’ Day this year, as towns around Baguio City are forced to sell them at much lower prices after typhoons devastated their greenhouses and rose gardens in late September and October.

Roses, for example, are selling at P10 per stem, compared to P60 last year.

Many Baguio residents have also opted to go environment-friendly this year, bringing flowers in pots to cemeteries instead of the arranged cut flowers.

These options, aside from being green, are cheaper as well. (READ: 10 ways to observe garbage-free Undas)

At the People’s Park, more people are buying African daisies, Malaysian mums, chrysanthemums, and stargazers in pots, which they intend to bring to tombs and then back to their homes. 

The flowerpots sell from P60 to P180 each.

“It was actually the request of many of our buyers last year that they would rather bring flowers in pots,” said vendor Rosita Dino. 

“Sa sementeryo kasi, hindi ka lang nagkakalat kung magdadala ka ng flower arrangement. Kung minsan ninanakaw ng mga bata at tinitinda uli,” she said. (At cemeteries, you don’t just contribute to garbage when you bring flower arrangements. Sometimes, kids steal them for re-selling.)

A pot of 12 mums sells for P120 at Dino’s booth. At another booth that gets supplies from King Louis Farm in Tuba town, a pot of 3 stargazers sells for P60. – Rappler.com