Unless it rains, I walk to the market every morning even if I have nothing to buy. It's like a daily routine exercise.
Recently, I notice this pot of Adenium or Desert Rose outside someone's gate. I have been walking this same route all the time and it piqued me that I have not noticed this plant here before.
The lovely flowers are like wide opened trumpets and branches rather scraggly. I have tried growing the plant a long time ago but without success. Maybe it's because I do not possess green fingers or I am simply unlucky. This plant is called Flower of Prosperity by the Chinese. It is very auspicious if the plant blooms; it signifies blessings of good fortune. So it is not surprising that nurseries and farmers' markets would have lots of these plants on sale before the Lunar New Year.
It seems that this Chinese belief has also rubbed on to others. My former boss who is not Chinese has a pot of Flower of Prosperity in his garden.
There was a buffet lunch at his house attended by friends and colleagues. Like a good host that he is, my boss came over to my table for small talk. I admired the huge ring on his finger that I noted to be a numerology ring and we talked about it. He then ushered me to his garden as he wanted to show off his prized plant.
Lo and behold, it's the Flower of Prosperity! My boss said that he has doesn't know its scientific or common name. He just knows that the Chinese embrace the plant as auspicious. He knows that it is true for him revealing that whenever flowers bloom on the plant, he would buy lottery numbers and he is always blessed with a windfall. Really lucky man! He requested that I do not tell anyone at the office.
I have forgotten about this lucky plant and the prosperity it could bestow on you until I saw these reddish pink flowers in front of someone's gate.