The Perfect Holiday Gift: Lucky Bamboo

Forget the kitschy holiday sweater and give the gift that everyone on your shopping list will appreciate — energy and luck!

Lucky bamboo is quite possibly the perfect holiday gift. Easy for you, it’s just a quick jaunt to your local garden center or florist, and even better for the recipient.

Dracaena braunii, or lucky bamboo, is not even remotely related to bamboo but it is an eye-catching, easy-care houseplant. It is is said to attract positive energy or chi into the home and the number of stalks determine which area of your life will be affected by an abundance of luck.

A single stalk brings meaning to a simple life, while a two-stalk plant represents double luck and makes a great gift for couples. A plant with three stalks brings happiness, longevity and wealth, and is one of the most popular choices. Five stalks bring academic achievement or the meeting of goals, six represent harmony, and seven stalks generate good health.

If you are fortunate enough to receive a huge lucky bamboo with a multitude of stalks, (21 is the ultimate) every aspect of your life, from emotional to physical and spiritual, will be blessed.

According to the rules of feng shui, placement of the plant is important also. To avoid a fitful night’s rest, never place lucky bamboo in the bedroom. Display your plant in a central location or a place of honor so that everyone can enjoy its beauty; a room with a south- or eastern-facing exterior garners the most energy. They do best out of direct sunlight and can be grown in water or in soil.

There will be no re-gifting this year when you give the gift of positive healing energy and luck!

What about the number four? The number four in the Chinese language is associated with bad luck, even death! A bamboo plant of four stalks would be considered extremely rude and offensive. —Karen