NDS Trial Results

5 comments for “NDS Trial Results”

1. Thanks Malcolm and Rozanne & J. McL.

   I find it interesting that Yellow/Red flowers never seem to do well in these ‘polls’.  We found the same thing some years when conducting similar exercises. Is our constant pursuit of ever deeper coloured flowers really what the public wants??? I was once told at a growers meeting in Lincolnshire that the public only wanted ‘YELLOW’ daffodils to which I replied “It’s all they are ever offered!!! Thankfully at least one major cut glower grower in England is extending the range – and  Graham Phillips and John McLenan seem to be doing a good job in New Zealand offering a wide range of types. I hope the buying public responds well.

   Brian

2. All the books I’ve seen that feature “English Gardens” all picture color palettes of soft grey greens, pinks, blues, lavenders, and purple with only a hint of strong color in an OCCASIONAL burgundy or deep red flower such as a hollyhock for an accent.  I think this choice of muted tones blends well with the sky in Great Britain which is often grey.  Gardens with this palette are not nearly as attractive in areas of the southern United States where the sun is brighter and more intense.  In these areas people know better than to plant pale flowers that will be washed out by the midday sunshine.  Here in the US we are told to avoid white flowers unless they will be viewed at the end of the day when sunlight is waning.  Plant white and pale pink flowers where they can be enjoyed as the moon comes up and they stand out against the darkness.
   I think most of us also have a tendency to decorate the insides of our homes taking into account what the view out the windows will be.  That being the case, if I had a soft English palette going on in my garden, I’d probably want a similar color scheme of soft colors on the inside so they would blend.  And if I went to market and had a choice of a bunch of brilliant Gold and RED/ORANGE daffodils, or a bunch of lemon yellows, I’d pick the yellows every time.  They might compliment the blues and lavenders and  pinks and greens in my home. 
   I suspect people buying cut flowers have no appreciation for the individual flower as we who exhibit do.  They just want to put a little bit of the outdoors in their indoor space at the end of a long winter. 
   So Brian, if you want them to buy orange and red, you are going to have to first sell them a new sofa and chairs in rich hot colors and get them to paint their walls in bold hues.  Oddly enough, MANY of those of us who do exhibit have an odd tendency to worship at the test tube of all white flowers.  Why is that?  Somebody tell me the theory behind that?  I personally don’t get it.  Nothing against all white flowers, but I’m not IN LOVE with them like a lot of people. 
   Chriss

3. Interesting the results of the polls at the flower shows,but are these polls a true indication of the consumer public who purchase flowers/bulbs or a selected group.

   From my experience as a cut flower grower and a person who sells my daffs at a farmers market all yellow daffs out sell most other colours.For the last month I have been mainly selling doubles in a vary of colours, i.e. y/y ,y/o ,y/r ,w/p ,w/r ,w/w, w/y.The y/y always sells out first followed by the w/p ,w/w, w/y.Always the y/r and the w/r are the last to sell out.People have a choice and still yellow/yellow daffodils are the favourite

   To me the farmers market, where different age groups and cultures purchase indicate better what the consumer wants,not what the growers/breeders, florists or wholesaler forces on to them.

   Colin

4. Hi Colin every area in NZ will come up with different results often depending on what choice you have and indeed how they are marketed and what other flowers are available .In my experience some consumers not only purchase daffodils but a range of other flowers as well and will often purchase the colored daffodil that will blend in with those other flowers e.g. blue, yellow or white iris..

   Having done some research and trials in a supermarket with 30,000 customers walking through the door weekly we could in that store alone by smart marketing  increase sales of which ever division and color you wished to push.

   An example I took some lovely Div 8 red/yellow with strong scent with a range of all other colors that were available including Neavesville gold and with clever ticketing we were able to sell the Div 8 first, the trick was to market it with clear instructions that if you were looking for fragrance then this is your best option.

    

   Customers when they see daffodils often pick them up smell them, hello no fragrance so they put them back.

   Neavesville were a close second with a white double a close third then a mixture of 2yr with the yellow trumpets fourth then the 1YW. Whilst the Div 6 attracted a lot of interest however they were slow to sell.

    

   Colin you are correct to a point with your last paragraph however I would have to say that anything new such as some of your lovely split coronas with bright colors  definitely have a place in retail sales in preference over yellow trumpets especially towards the end of the season.

   One thing is for sure the consumer will always dictate the way daffodils are purchased and these surveys are a clear indication of the people’s choice based purely on what they see in front of them.

   Interesting at the Turners and Growers flower market in Wellington early in the season when the well known Kiwi Solstice hit the market it sold at a premium of up to $2.0 over any other daffodil at the auction.

    

   From my personal point of view I would use this information and do what I think that would work in my area and would accept totally that different areas will have different tastes just like beer. In the Deep South your preferred poison is Speight’s Lower North Island Tui and further North DB

   Will catch up with you on the weekend and swap some notes.

   Regards.

   John

    

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5. Hi Colin,   I think John Hollever has expressed the answer to your comment well. I would add that people buying flowers to take home consider that all daffodils are yellow. One purpose of the NDS exercise was to gauge the public’s response to the way we stage our shows. It is interesting that the pattern of votes at Hawera and Christchurch was very similar.   Dave

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