Lu Dehua, a native of Rugao, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province has made successful business out of growing flowers, and helped locals get involved with the flower and bonsai industry.

Rugao has been dubbed China's hometown of bonsai flowers and trees, and its flower and bonsai industry has been thriving of late.

Huayuanqiao community, with strong transportation infrastructure and many flower varieties, is where Lu's flower garden is located. Lu now boasts regular customers in many surrounding areas, including Haian and Rudong.

Lu's garden contains many herbal flowers because of their short cultivation cycle and high market demand. "Now my garden can produce more than 40 million pots of flowers a year, and the annual turnover can reach 23 million yuan ($3.61 million)," Lu said.

Workers grow flowers in a green house in Lu Dehua's garden. [Photo/ntfabu.com] 

In addition, the garden has provided many jobs for locals, with more than 80 residents in Huayuanqiao community working there for a daily salary of 80 to 100 yuan per person.