Floral e-commerce blooms

There was a time when November was a dull period for florists in China - sales were sluggish, supplies bleak, and even weather seemed to make the goings on boring.

Not anymore, thanks to the advent of the Nov 11 Singles Day online shopping festival, and the culture of creative consumerism it has spawned, market insiders said.

Now, November tends to be the peak season, the favorite month of florists in China, even though the preceding October has the Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, and the succeeding December boasts Christmas and New Year's Eve - all occasions that traditionally spurred sales of flowers and bouquets.