Gardening
12 Lucky Plants You Should Add to Your Home
Everyone can use a little extra good fortune. Take a page from the annals of mythology and add a few plants to your landscape for good luck.
Nandina
Nandina, or heavenly bamboo, is a favourite in the southern U.S., due to its pinkish-white flowers and bright red fruit. While the species is considered invasive in some states, there are plenty of well-behaved, sterile cultivars available—some with a compact habit worthy of containers. According to folklore, a nandina is supposed to bring good luck when planted by the front entrance.
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Rowan Tree
The rowan tree (Sorbus) appears in a number of ancient mythologies—Greek, Norse and Welsh, to name a few—and parts of the tree were once used to ward off evil. Rowan trees were also planted in churchyards as further protection.
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Sage
Sage earns its “good luck” stripes by keeping bad influences away. It is said that burning sage can rid a property of evil spirits—or at least give the devil the heebie-jeebies.
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Passion Flower
Also known as passion vine (Passiflora), this vining plant was named for the Passion of Christ. The beautiful, intricate flowers have five petals and five petallike sepals to represent the 10 apostles who remained faithful to Jesus throughout the Passion. The circle of thin rays above the petals symbolizes the crown of thorns Jesus wore during the crucifixion.
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Yew
Yew is known as the tree of immortality because some specimens live for hundreds, even thousands of years. You will find old specimens of yew (Taxus) growing contentedly and without care in cemeteries and churchyards everywhere as a good luck charm to ward off evil.
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Oak
Beloved throughout the world, “the mighty oak” is the United States’ national tree. Its influence on humankind dates back thousands of years—and it is significant to many cultures. The oak (Quercus) was sacred to Zeus, king of the gods, in Greek mythology. In Norse mythology, oaks were sacred to Thor, the god of thunder. People today still hold the oak in high regard as a symbol of strength and endurance.
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Clover
A four-leaf clover is a well-known symbol for good luck, but St. Patrick used the more common three-leaf configurations found in white clover (Trifolium repens) to explains the mystery of the Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland. The shamrock plant (Oxalis) is a similar-looking good luck charm that can be grown indoors as a houseplant.
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Persimmon
The botanical name for persimmon, Diospyros, means “fruit of the gods.” With a heady connotation like that, you can see why you’d be fortunate to have one growing in your yard. Actually, make it two because female trees need a male pollinator to set fruit.
Jasmine
With its intoxicating fragrance, jasmine attracts plenty of people as well as pollinators. It’s also said to attract love and money when grown in the home landscape.
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Money Tree
Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) is an outdoor dweller in Zones 10–11, where it reaches 60 feet tall. Elsewhere, you can bring the luck indoors and grow it as a houseplant or even bonsai. Many money tree plants are sold with braided trunks that look quite appealing.