Top 5 lucky plants for Chinese New Year, and why they are considered auspicious

The stalks of the lucky bamboo are braided to form the shape of a pineapple, which represents prosperity. Photos: Sheela Chandran

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and nurseries are seeing some increased business as people look for auspicious plants to welcome the Year of the Ox.

While plants that look good on Instagram are usually more popular, for the New Year, many look for those with symbolic meanings.

Since Monday, Kuala Lumpur-based nursery owner S.L. Lee, 60, has seen a steady increase in customers. This comes after the government revised its CNY SOP protocols, allowing family reunion dinners but limited to 15 people living within a 10km radius.

The jade plant's thick leaves can retain water, symbolising good fortune and wealth.

“More people are coming out to buy their favourite festive plants, but business hasn’t been as good as previous years. Hopefully, things will look better for everyone after the Lunar New Year and vaccinations, ” said Lee, who has over 20 types of auspicious plants, including pussy willows, orchids, kalanchoes, twisted bamboo, kumquat and jade plants.

Here are the five most auspicious plants for the New Year.

Jade plant

A succulent, the jade plant's thick leaves can retain water, symbolising good fortune and wealth. With a miniature tree-like appearance and small pink or white flowers, it is popular as a decorative houseplant.

Twisted bamboo

One of the must-haves for the Lunar New Year, twisted bamboo is an evergreen plant which symbolises that you can twist your luck from bad to good. The bamboo is braided to resemble a pineapple – or ong lai in Hokkien – which means "prosperity comes".

Gold chrysanthemum flowers represent wealth, while auspicious red symbolises prosperity.

Mini chrysanthemum

These plants come in vivid hues, including purple, yellow and pink. Chrysanthemum represents longevity, while plants with gold blooms are believed to usher in prosperity.

Placing a couple of kumquat trees at your doorway during Chinese New Year is believed to usher prosperity.

Kumquat trees

Another popular New Year plant is the kumquat. These fruit-bearing plants resemble a tree of gold coins, symbolising wealth. The word ‘kum’ rhymes with the Cantonese word for gold while ‘quat’ sounds like the Cantonese word for luck, making it a very auspicious plant to have at home.

Bromeliads

Bromelaids symbolise good fortune and protection.

These bright-coloured plants are part of the pineapple family, hence representing good luck and prosperity. Due to the green foliage that surrounds the red- or yellow-coloured leaves in the centre – often mistaken as the plant's flowers – bromeliads also represent protection.