The scene, from Hamlet, uses the imagery of flowers to sharpen, by contrast, the impact of tragedy.
On the vaster stage of the world, flowers have from unknown ages communicated impelling messages of love, of sympathy, or perhaps respect, or gratitude.
In the single city of Taipei, an estimated 1,000 flower shops and stalls serve up nosegays and bouquets, cut flowers for arrangements, and the arrangements themselves. Two major shops are models in their field.
The association of contrasting flowers and greenery enhances the "show," as people seek nature's touch in city living.
"At the time my father opened this shop thirty years ago, the fresh flower retail shops in this city could be counted on the fingers, I believe," recalled William P.P. Lin, manager of Villa de Jean, one of Taipei's oldest florists.
Actually, thirty years ago, the people of the island were struggling to keep their rice bowls full. Flowers were luxuries for special occasions—weddings, funerals, and important religious rituals. Cut flowers were, otherwise, distant from daily life. The few flower shops were, consequently, on a very small scale, not excluding the exotically-named Villa de Jean.
But still, Villa de Jean was a bit special.
In addition to a right site on prosperous Chung Shan North Road, Wilson T.H. Lin, a retired diplomat and horticulturist, offered flower arrangement classes and sponsored constant flower exhibitions to promote sales. Frequent communications with other florists at home and abroad, culminating 25 years ago in participation in the U.S.-based FTD (Florists' Transworld Delivery Association), gradually established the presence of Villa de Jean in the floral trade, and its business constantly developed. According to William Lin, flower delivery orders from abroad are in near balance with those made here for deliveries abroad.
The colors and textures of flowers and containers set the mood.
To provide an island-wide flower delivery network, Wilson Lin organized the cooperative TFTD . (Taiwan FTD) association, which joins thirty-odd flower shops across the country. A customer in Taipei who wants to send a bouquet to a friend in Kaohsiung, or Colorado Springs, needs only to phone the Taipei shop.
Every other month, the TFTD member florists meet to settle accounts, examine flaws in operations and services, and exchange marketing information. "We have to keep abreast of the times," commented William Lin; "the flower trade is as competitive as any other business."
Since special accessories, such as those involved in flower arrangements, are both imported and exported, and this country exports quantities of fresh flowers, especially chrysanthemums and roses, Wilson Lin also founded the Villa de Jean Trading Co., Ltd. to handle such trade.
Alice Lin, the eldest of three sisters, supervises domestic flower shop operations. Since the local market provides the major business for Villa de Jean, its operations focus heavily on local holidays—the important Chinese folk festivals such as the Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival, Dragon Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival—and the traditional huang tao chi jih (propitious dates according to almanac seers). The busiest times are in October-November—the Chinese marriage boom season—and such special "flora holidays" as Lover's Day, Mother's Day, and Christmas.
How busy are they? "Take Mother's Day for example," said Alice, "when we have to import more carnations to meet the demand."
Accessories of great variety satisfy the whims and tastes of shop owners and their patrons, and are an industry in themselves.
Cut flowers by the piece are the most common household purchase here. But on special occasions, floral arrangements of various kinds are particularly popular. Generally speaking, traditional "auspicious" baskets of red roses are a favorite of the elderly, while younger generations favor light-tinted, multicolor arrangements of roses, irises, dendrobiums, daisies, etc.
To accommodate their arrangements to the hazards of transportation, says Alice, most flower shops prefer Western styles. The reason: Occidental flower arrangements are adapted to a special moistened sponge, wrapped in a piece of tinfoil, and can be packaged quite conveniently and safely, while the delicate Oriental arrangements depend on special containers. Also, the massed "globe formation" of the Western bouquet is more resistant to damage than the Oriental arrangement, which emphasizes the beauty of individual flowers and lines.
Local metropolitan delivery services are efficient, fulfilled within 24 hours, unless the customer requires rare ingredients. Out-of-town orders must be placed a couple of days in advance.
Florists like Villa de Jean, characterized by long histories, traditional skills, and experienced, family management, contrast with a new type of flower shop, accentuating design and creativity, which has popped up in Taipei in more recent years. Tracy's Flower Designs is a good example.
An easy-style—tea booth at the entrance and multifarious potted plants, arranged under pergolas or spread out on shelves in the front courtyard—makes Tracy's Flower Designs seem more a garden than a florist's shop.
"We do not want visitors to feel pressed; nor do we want to create a compelling buying mood," asserted proprietor Tracy Wang. "For example, a young couple came to us twice before the actually became customers, and we talked with them like friends. They failed to buy anything, twice. But they are happy now to come back to us again and again."
A low-key, friendly atmosphere is, of course, only an element of the shop's success. Tracy's also boasts special artistic talent—Tracy Wang for floral arrangements, and Yang Chorng-shyan for potted plants and courtyard design.
Yang talked about the shop's beginnings: "When Tracy was running a small flower shop in an arcade, several suffering little African violets there caught my attention. I am an expert and collector of African violets, and I wanted to help her with those poor plants." So he initiated several discussions which expanded until, in October last year, they finally joined together to found Tracy's Flower Designs.
Everything in the shop's courtyard is under Yang's charge, and he is, also, consulting "doctor" for customers with plant problems.
The interior of the shop is Tracy's world, one of baskets, vases, and other flower containers, of figurines, of fancy ribbons in tints of pinks, purples, blues, light greens, yellows, etc., and of beautiful cards. And also birds—entertainers for both the attendants and the clientele.
"The greatest delight in my job stems from the variety in customers and designs—which vary according to the customer," volunteered Tracy.
Putting the assorted items together for specific people and occasions requires special talents.
In designing a floral arrangement, Tracy must stay within the "budget"—the customer's price—and consider such background factors as ages, status, special fondnesses, etc. of those involved, as well as the occasion for which the arrangement has been ordered. If indicated, fruits, candies, wines, candles, and other accessory items can be incorporated.
Tracy was affixing miniature floral bouquets to two beautifully wrapped gift boxes lying on a desk. "Ordered by the secretary of a pretty big company," she said; "I designed an arrangement of ferns and purple dendrobium, and another of pink roses and purple statice: Simple and delicate."
An inverted-T-shaped flower basket on a shelf held yellow chrysanthemums, purple dendrobium and liatris, green ferns, and snow-white starry baby's breath. I thought it nicely suitable for a birthday or engagement—though older people might not like it too much, because yellow and purple are not traditional Chinese auspicious colors.
Tracy pointed out a luxurious, all-yellow arrangement in a rattan basket. Lush ferns added green life to fresh yellow roses, sword lilies, chrysanthemums, and statice, while baby's breath sprinkled white starred highlights across the radiant yellow.
If the intended recipient was a prominent older citizen, the design would be totally different. A tri-element composition of two potted foliage plants and a basket of red flamingo flowers and white calla lilies, for example, was ready to congratulate a general on his sixtieth birthday.
Cut flowers of the less-rare sorts are very cheap in Taiwan, but special arrangements can be costly. Indeed, the major patrons for Tracy's floral designs are large companies, luxury hotels, well-to-do families, and wedding parties. Recently, young people have been joining their funds to order special arrangements, rather than giving individual bouquets.
I asked if the daily-more-popular and better-made artificial flowers might one day be a formidable threat to fresh flowers? "Impossible," responded Tracy, almost at the same moment, "the natural colors, qualities, and sense of life offered by fresh flowers can never be replaced by any synthetic thing."
The climate of this island is more mild, and thus more favorable than that of flower-famed Holland for growing many types of blossoms—all four seasons are flower seasons. So far, high-quality roses are centered around Taichung, chrysanthemums at Changhua, baby's breath at Puli, and gladiolas at Houli.
The nation's prospects for becoming an ever-growing flower supplier for the world, and an even more intensive flower fancier at home, one might say, are blooming.