The New Taipei City Environmental Beautification Bureau on Saturday offered suggestions for people wanting house plants to spruce up their homes and which carry symbolic significance for the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Guiana chestnut is a good choice, as it favors a drier environment and only requires watering once every one to two weeks, the bureau said.
The Guiana chestnut is very adaptable and should be placed in a well-ventilated area that is not directly exposed to sunlight, the bureau said.
Photo: CNA
Most people keep them in pots, but some have also begun using hydroponics when growing them, it said.
The Zamioculcas zamiifolia has oval leaves that are covered in a sheen reminiscent of coins, which is why the plant is colloquially called the coin tree, the bureau said.
The coin tree grows slowly and is resistant to heat and cold, it said.
Photo: CNA
In the winter, the plant only needs to be watered every two weeks, but it should be watered every week in spring and fall, and once every three days in summer, the bureau said.
A pot of ringed bamboo tied together with a red bow connotes prosperity and possible promotion, the bureau said.
Colloquially, it is called Fugui bamboo (富貴竹, “wealthy bamboo”), but its scientific name is Dracaena sanderiana and it belongs to the Asparagaceae family, it said.
If grown using hydroponics, the water should be changed weekly and should cover the roots, the bureau said, adding that if raised in a pot, the plant should only be watered when the top layer of soil has become dry.
The bureau also suggested Dracaena trifasciata, or Saint George’s sword, as the lighter tint on the outer edges of the leaves resemble gold and are believed to attract good luck and fill the area around the plant with positive energy.
The plant is known to absorb more than 80 percent of harmful fumes and heavy metal particulates, the bureau added.
Meanwhile, the Christmas kalanchoe, or Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, symbolizes health, longevity, prosperity and peace, the bureau said.
The plant should be placed in the sun, but not for overly long periods, and does not require a significant amount of water, it said.
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