Perfect gift: Ng choosing a bunch of dragon head bamboo plants for his customer.
JOHOR BARU: The dragon head bamboo, a plant that is believed to bring good luck, has been in high demand as Chinese New Year approaches.
Nursery owner Ng Kok Yeo, 46, said the plant, which looks like the head of a dragon, has been selling very well this year.
“The dragon head bamboo, which is imported from China, has always been a popular plant for Chinese New Year, but it is even more in demand this year as this is the Year of the Dragon.
“Many believe that getting nine canes of the bamboo plant will bring good fortune and prosperity to its owners, especially this year.
“Most of my customers buy it to decorate their homes, but there are also many who are getting them as gifts for family, friends and even business partners.”
Kok Yeo said that apart from the dragon head bamboo, other plants such as orchids, cherry blossoms and lime trees are also selling fast this year.
“These are among the plants people will typically buy to decorate their homes or shops during Chinese New Year.
“For the past few years since the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for such plants was pretty low as people were not really inclined to do much decorating to welcome the festival.
“However, this year, we can see things starting to get back to normal,” he said, adding that sales have gone up by 40% this year.
He added that businesses selling plants were also more confident in making bigger purchases from their suppliers this year.
Echoing a similar sentiment was another nursery owner Ng Meng Hak, 76, who said he had also ordered more plants for his shop this Chinese New Year.
“I ordered more plants, especially lime trees, this year, as I can see that people are getting more excited about the festival this time around,” he said.
He added that sales of lime trees this year had been the best since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
