Flowers for the New Year
Every year, before the Chinese New Year, we would buy some flowers to decorate the house. Blooming flowers during the Chinese New Year means you will have wealth and social position (花開富貴). In the past, we always bought narcissus (水仙) and peach blossom (桃花), the typical festival plants/flowers. We would also get Mandarin Orange (年桔/四季桔). Other festival plants include Peony (牡丹), Chinese Herbaceous Peony (芍藥), and the funny looking plant with a sensitive name - Nipple Fruit (五代同堂), but the Chinese name is very meaningful - gathering of 5 generations.
My aunt got some flowers 2 days before the Chinese New Year, and I think they are chrysanthemum (菊花), and they look mums to me, and sword-leaved cymbidium (劍蘭). It’s dark orange color with hint of yellow, big and round. Just take a look a the pictures.
