Chinese New Year Plants With Auspicious Associations
With Chinese New Year just around the corner, business is blooming for nurseries
selling Chinese New Year plants in Singapore. These are plants that are supposed to bring
good luck and prosperity, often symbolised by the literal or phonetic meaning of
the plants' names or by the vibrant colours of the flowers.
Prices usually start or end with the number eight which, in Mandarin, sounds
like "fa", or prosper. The number six is also preferred because, in Cantonese,
it sounds like the word for luck.
The number four, however, is avoided as it sounds like the Cantonese word for
"die".
There are over 20 types of Chinese New Year plants and they come from around the
region, mainly China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Some are also imported
from Europe.
Nurseries also need to be in tune with the latest trends and keep their prices
competitive.
For example, nurseries owner are very pleased with the success of
their "table gardens".
These comprise small container arrangements of plants like the lucky bamboo, crassula
and money plant. The "table gardens" go for $48 to $80, depending on the size
and their business is good.
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