SEREMBAN – Come Chinese New Year, the homes of the Chinese community will normally be adorned with potted plants of oranges and brightly coloured flowers as a symbol of rebirth, joy and luck.
Potted lime or lemon trees, chrysanthemums and orchids are among the auspicious plants of choice in the list of home decor items for the new year celebration.
A survey by Bernama at florists and nurseries here found that the demand for ornamental lemon trees is still high among the Chinese community, although preparations for the festival have not been as merry as in previous years due to the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Seremban Landscape & Nursery Sdn Bhd manager Nixon Lau Tian Soon said he has received orders for more than 1,000 ornamental lemon trees for the upcoming celebration, most of them from his regular customers.
“The implementation of the MCO has affected the sales of ornamental lemon trees slightly. However, the response is still encouraging and this year we are targeting sales of 1,000 trees, compared to 4,000 last year.
“My customers are from all over the state, but this time around, the orders are mostly from my customers in Seremban,” he added.
According to Lau, who was born in Seremban, there are two types of lemon trees sold at his premises, namely the local ornamental lime tree, which sells between RM68 and RM438 each, while the potted mandarin orange tree from China is sold between RM800 and RM1,400 each, depending on the size of the tree.
The trees are obtained from his farm in Tapah, Perak.
He said that lime and orange plants are of significance to the Chinese community because they symbolise luck, as well as providing the atmosphere of celebration during Chinese New Year.
Housewife Chong Chin Yee, 33, said it has become a tradition for her family to buy the potted plants as decoration to welcome the new year.
“It also livens up Chinese New Year celebrations. This ornamental lemon tree can only be found once a year,” she added.
Meanwhile, a survey by Bernama at Sg Ujong Walk along Jalan Murugesu here found that the area is not as busy and lively as in previous years. The atmosphere was quiet and several rows of shops were closed.
Trader Kenneth Low, 41, who sells Chinese prayer paraphernalia, said sales have been relatively slow this year.
“Normally, we are able to get sales of RM3,000 to RM5,000 a day, but this year we barely get RM3,000 a day.
“This year, the response has been lukewarm and it is not as merry as previous years. I believe it is because of the current situation, where many people choose to stay home and not go out,” he said. – Bernama, February 7, 2021
