Mother's "must have" kumquat

Nurseries are enjoying brisk business in recent weeks due to the approaching Lunar New Year.  Flowers and and plants that have certain symbolic meaning are now in great demand.

One of these is the Mandarin orange kumquat plant.  Mandarin oranges are called ‘kum’ in Cantonese, the pronunciation similar to that for the word ‘gold’. Kumquat, therefore, is symbolic of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity.
 

Sister and I visited the nurseries nearby today. We were both reminded of how our late Mother used to ensure that a pair of kumquat plants were bought and placed at the entrance door every Lunar new year. CNY had not been the same anymore without Mother.