Must-Have Plants For CNY
By NYL

Bandar Seri Begawan - As a symbol of growth, plants are a must-have in many homes during the Chinese New Year. The range of Chinese New Year plants for the home keeps growing every year. While traditional favourites like kumquat plants and pussy willow will never go out of style, nurseries are always introducing new varieties for those looking for something to wow visitors and enhance the festive mood at home.

The beloved kumquat (traditional orange) is considered to be the luckiest plant because its Chinese name 'ju' sounds like the word for prosperity. `Kumquat' is often used loosely in the market to refer to a number of plant varieties. They come in many different sizes. You can get one for your table at home or tall ones for your driveway. The fruit can be round or oval, as small as a ping-pong ball or as big as your palm. However, do not eat the plants. These plants meant for display are usually pumped with chemicals to keep the fruit from falling off.

Pussy willows are very popular because they are easy to care for and are fairly inexpensive. With fluffy white blossoms looking like pieces of silver, they symbolise prosperity. In the past, the stalks of blossoms were displayed unadorned but it is now usual for them to be festooned with ornaments like a Christmas tree.

The pretty pink flowers of cherry blossom which bloom at this time of the year symbolise life and growth. They are not suited to our climate however, so they do not last long. Get them a week before Chinese New Year.

Originating from Taiwan, the lucky bamboo is supposed to usher in good fortune as its name implies. A few years ago, someone hit upon the novel idea of coaxing the bamboo to grow spirally. It was marketed as `turn-luck bamboo' for people who want to turn their luck around. Bamboo now comes in all kinds of shapes matched with auspicious Chinese names.

As with many Lunar New Year plants, what makes a plant popular during the festive season depends on whether there is any auspicious symbolic meanings associated behind it. In the case of the pitcher plant, the Chinese believe that the pitchers attract and accumulate all the good luck and fortune that the Year of the Rat brings. The more pitchers a plant has, the more luck and fortune you are likely to accumulate.

The Zamioculcus plant is another favourite plant. Usually marketed as the 'gold tree' because its shiny angular leaves are shaped like gold ingots, this sturdy plant became popular a few years ago. A very hardy plant, the 'gold trees' need watering only once every two weeks.

Commonly known as 'money plant', the Pachira is usually kept around the house for good 'feng shui'. It is supposed to attract wealth and prosperity, which are trapped symbolically in its braided trunk. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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