Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Tu Lien in Tay Ho district, Hanoi, is a familiar place for many locals every Tetholiday.
Tu Lien kumquat trees are famous for their unique and eye-catching shapes.Every Tet (Lunar New Year), many people are willing to pay from a few millionto tens of millions of dong to buy a tree for their home.
In the past few years, gardeners here have come up with the idea of plantingkumquats in vases, porcelain statues, or art ceramic pots to meet the needs ofcustomers.
These small plants are only about 80 - 120cm tall, suitable for narrow spacesof apartments or offices. The shape and pot of the plant can be customised bythe gardener based on the age and preferences of the owner.
This year, bonsai kumquat trees called ‘Thuan buom xuoi gio’ (Smooth Sailing)and ‘Ma dao thanh cong’ (Win Instant Success) are the most sought after treesahead of Tet.
Hoang Van Luan, owner of Hoang Gia Garden is one of the pioneers to grow thistype of kumquat in Tu Lien.
According to Luan, these kumquat trees are specially designed by artisans forthe Lunar New Year. They are planted in artistic pots to bring a new year ofluck and peace to the owner.
This decorative tree also symbolises Tu Lien craft village's desire to bringbonsai kumquats to the "big sea" and reach more customers, he said.
Luan said that it takes years for gardeners to grow decorative plants.
“The most difficult and time-consuming step is shaping the kumquats and takingcare of them so that they can bear fruit in time for Tet,” he said.
Luan also revealed that, in previous years, kumquat trees were often planted inporcelain pots with shapes corresponding to the zodiac animals of each year butthis Tet, everything had changed.
"2022 is the year of the Tiger and according to Vietnamese culture, no onewants to bring a tiger into their house, especially in the new year, so we donot plant kumquats in a tiger-shaped pot this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, mini bonsai kumquat trees grown in small flowerpots are chosen bymany customers, especially young people because of their low price and smallsize.
Nguyen Quynh Anh, 30, a customer living in Hanoi told Viet Nam News, this yearshe decided to buy a mini tree as a gift for her friends.
“These mini plants are perfect for desk display. They also have strong vitalityand can be grown indoors so I think my friends will love it,” she said.
An indispensable part of Tet
This year, despite the pandemic, gardens in Tu Lien still have a lot ofpre-orders. On weekends, hundreds of locals come here to buy kumquat trees fortheir homes during Tet.
Nguyen Thi Ha, a seller, told Viet Nam News that most of the kumquats in hergarden, which are in good shape, were ordered one or two months ago.
“There were customers coming here to choose kumquat trees from a few monthsago. After choosing a tree that they like, the customer will leave it for us totake care of. It wasn't until about a week before Tet that they returned to thegarden to pick up their trees,” she said.
At Nguyen Tien's garden, 500 out of 600 kumquat trees were sold out in threeweeks before Tet.
Tien said that many people still came to his garden to buy kumquats becausethey believed that a beautiful tree would bring prosperity to the owner in thenew year.
“Kumquat and peach trees are indispensable things in Vietnamese houses during Tet.It is believed that the more fruits there are on a kumquat tree, the more luckwill come to the owner. So even though people are not making much money thisyear, they are still trying to buy a perfect kumquat tree for their home,” hesaid.
Kumquat trees are an indispensable part of Tet. With the creativity of Tu Liengardeners, they have become more and more unique in shape, bringing bright andradiant spring colours to everyone./.
VNA
