Buying Chinese New Year Flowers and Plants 2012 - Lot 61 Paling at Selangor Green Lane

1.

If I don't have any idea and wondering what plants and flowers to buy for Chinese New Year, I'll make a trip to Selangor Green Lane at Jalan Subang-Sg Buloh.  Here are some highlights of my stopover at Lot 61, Paling Horticulture Sdn Bhd, a wholesaler and supplier of plants and flowers. You can expect the plants to be in good condition since they are still "fresh from the oven", having just arrived from wherever they are sourced.

To get location map, contact details to Selangor Green Lane, click here.

Looking at the entrance itself can put anyone on the mood for Lunar New Year 2012! There's the Chinese New Year music blaring from speakers, red lanterns, dragons in various shapes, forms and bright colours of red, yellow and gold are everywhere.   It is now quite crowded during the weekends with whole families coming over to have a look and feel. Some come in four wheelers and flashy cars, yet others have their own vans and pick-ups. I have to load all my purchases (not that many anyway, lol) into the car boot and whatever empty space left among the seats.

2. Plum blossoms Chaenomeles speciosa (Flowering Quince)

Flower Street vendors are telling me that plum blossoms (mei hua) will arrive approximately 10 days before Chinese New Year. So, I can't believe my eyes when I see this here in Malaysia for the first time in my life, haha. Yes, it is real, I mean the plum blossoms - flower buds and blooms among bare and brown branches. I didn't buy this because it exceeded my budget but a couple told me they are buying it and bring it home for their 'first time experience'.

There are quite a number of workers in attendance, who seemed to know their stuff. They also know how to properly pack the items purchased before helping to load into our 'carriers'.

3. Pussy Willows

Pussy willows in multi-colours but I still prefer the original looking ones of pure cottony white.

3a - Solanum mammosum

Solanum mammosum's auspicious name is "Five Generations Under One Roof" (五代同堂) - "Wu Dai Tong Tang" in mandarin or "Ng Toi Tung Tong" in Cantonese and mandarin - indicates great prosperity and longevity with abundance of offsprings enjoyed by a united family living together in peace and harmony.

The potted Four Seasons Citrus Lime (四季吉) plants are just behind.

5. Camellia flowers

6. Adenium obesum - Desert Rose

Prosperity flowers - 富貴花 (fu gui hua)

7. Ornamental Chili

Ornamental chilli plants to usher in some good fortune during the lunar new year 

- zhao jai qin bao (招財進寶)

8. Guzmania

These plants are called pineapple flowers or "Ong Lai Hua" (黃梨花)
- meaning is "good luck and fortune is coming your way".

9. Azaleas

Blooming azaleas for a sea of red. This year they have red, pink as well as peach (most expensive) coloured ones. Some are in bigger pots and in tiers.

Azalea is "ying shan hung" (映山红 ) meaning "a glowing mountain of red".
Another nickname is "shan shan de hong xing" (闪闪的红星) meaning "gliterring red stars".

10. Dracaena sanderiana - Lucky Bamboo

Lucky bamboos or "fu gui zhu" (富贵竹) braided and weaved - in the shape of a pineapple, curly or spiral with some looking like rising dragons. This year spiral/curly bamboos are called "dragon bamboos".  The pineapple or vase shapes ones are like wealth cages. These are called "zhu long jin shui" (竹笼进水) meaning water entering into the bamboo cage. Some are arranged in boat shape with the words "yi lu shun feng" (一路顺风) to wish for a safe and smooth journey. 

There are also the upright ones and lotus bamboos. Many choices in many prices to suit everyone's budget. Plants are in good condition.

11. Lucy Bamboo and Money Plant gift sets

Containers with dragon motifs, dragon ball/pearl and auspicious words for this year.
2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon.

12. Braided Money Plants

Money, money, money...

in a rich man's world.

13. Auspicious flower pots

Dragon flower pots.

13a. 

Those plants with rounded tops on the right of the picture are Euodia ridleyi, common name Evodia. It is called "A Bucket of Gold" (一桶黄金 or yi tong huang jin) for Chinese New Year.

15.

Other flowering plants include asiatic lilies, kalanchoes, chrysanthemums, orchids and bulbs such as hippeastrum lilies and hyacinths. The popular types and attractive ones are usually displayed at the entrance.