Dangwa, the Flower Market

Buying flowers and doing your own arrangement is fun and exciting. I've started doing it since grade school which eventually turned out to be profitable for me until now since my relatives started to place their orders with me for they departed loved ones. I usually go to "Dangwa" at around 4am, a day or two before the first of November to buy the flowers that I would use in my arrangements. But I usually go there as early as September to buy some of the stuff that I need for future arrangements other than the flowers like vases/flower pots, floral foams, twigs and all the other design materials as they are more cheaper to buy as early as possible. They can be stored for future use and these are also the items that are quite heavy and will add up to the weight to carry if you include them on your flower shopping before all saint's day.

And even though I don't get to see the vendors as often, like as if I am really their "suki," I still managed to get the flowers that I want a much lower price than the rest of the buyers. First thing to take note is to know what you're looking for and knowing what you want to buy. So before heading to Dangwa, be sure you already have a theme or design concept in mind so you won't end up buying all the flowers that would look appealing to your eyes as it can be sometimes overwhelming to see all the pretty flowers scattered every where. You don't want to end up with an arrangement like you're sporting a united colors of Benetton floral theme.

It would be very helpful to know the names of the flowers and foliage that you want to buy as you will sound someone in the know. And that's one of your edge among the regular buyers giving you the chance to bargain and get the items at a much lower price. Instead of just asking "how much are these." then you can say "how much are those hydrangeas, anthuriums, gerberas, liliums, etc."  I even had once instance that the vendor do not even know the name of the flower that I was asking for when it was just right behind her. 

Avoid getting fooled by a few selling low priced bunch of flowers. Try to examine the stems carefully and their petals. Most likely they are not of good quality. Like for anthuriums, the entire bunch may look very pretty but there might be cases that the stems are actually damaged or to soft that it would be very difficult to arrange. Or may be cut to short that you can't do a big potted arrangement. If you're planning to buy gerber daisies, liliums tulips, and lilies, examine each head is still intact. Some may use  floral wires or even the old fashioned clear "scotch" tape to attach some damaged heads because of their fragility. And because they are very fragile, buy them last after you have bought all the other things you need. You may also request the vendor to remove the pollens from stargazers if you want as they may stain the petals along the way or even you.
   

For mums, chrysanthemums and the like, some varieties would be the ones with only a few flowers per stem but would look very full as they were presented by the dozen. You may want to opt for the ones with a thick and longer main stem as they will surely have several small stems with several flowers each as compared to the thin short stemmed but low priced. You'll just end up having a small arrangement if you get them. 

You can also buy foliage or leaves to accentuate your arrangements or you can just simply check your home garden if you can use whatever you have available. But remember, not all greens are suitable for arrangements. Most of them are the woody type and not the herbaceous type as the latter will easily wilt when used for potted or sympathy arrangements.

You can get some good buys from those small stalls rather than those with big spaces. Of course, the bigger their space, the greater overhead they'd have that will be added to the price of their items. But there are also instances where I was able to get a good price especially when they had too much of those items but are not really selling quite good most likely because of competition from the small vendors nearby. What's good about the items from big operators is that their flowers are more fresh looking and sometimes of better quality because they have ample space for display and storage. 

Then I also try to stroll the entire streets of the area before I decide to buy. I know how the flowers are actually priced on regular days so I know if one vendor is actually trying to markup on sales or if I can bargain. There are still a few vendors who would still give a much lower price than others who are taking advantage of the season. So better if you can ask the price on every stall you prefer to compare the prices. You will be surprised how the range differs from one stall to another.

And one more thing, don't wear something fashionable and do not bring too much valuables if necessary. I don't even bring my mobile phone whenever I go there. Wear something very very casual and comfortable as the place can be very crowded even before sunrise. Put your money not just in one area but in different pockets. Having a few 20 and 50 peso bills can also be helpful when bargaining. You can get an instant 10 peso discount without exerting too much effort but you can put to good use some of the acting skills you've learned from your grade school days.

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