It was strange that last year in HCMC, I didn't notice any of the pink flowered peach blossoms, but just the gold Hoa Mai blossoms. And in Hong Kong it's almost impossible to find the gold Hoa Mai.

this site suggests checking in northern Vietnam for the peach blossoms though.

Momij, you may be able to get peach trees in northern region of Viet Nam. You can also try online and see if there are any online store that would ship it to you. You may want to do a Google search of "Dwarf Peach Tree" and see which nursery carries it.

Daai_tou_laam, Hoa Mai (yellow apricot blossoms) is a tropical plant. It won't grow in cold climate such as Hong Kong. Peach blossoms are totally the opposite. For this reason, in Viet Nam, you mostly see Hoa Mai cultivated in the South and Peach blossoms in the North. Although, since the end of the war in 1975, during our Lunar New Year, you may see both sold at the flower markets.

By the way, in the US, many of us in warmer climate are able to grow Hoa Mai. Although, it is a different variety of the same family of the one we're used to see in South Viet Nam. It's common name is the Mickey Mouse Plant because when the yellow petals of the flower fall off, "the black fruits are held erect on a waxy Red base formed by the enlarged Sepals". We get to enjoy the flowers twice, once in yellow and next in red :) See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Ochnaceae/Ochna_thomasiana.html

Ntt - i will definetly have to visit northern vietnam one of these days. Was going through the web link that Daai Tou Laam pasted above and was suprised to see that for Vietnamese new year you also grow the Shui Sian (Narcissus) - I was in Vientaine Laos, and saw a few places with the narcissus. I guess they must have come from vietnam, as it is too hot to be cultivated in Thailand.
By the way, I am guessing that the Hoa Mai is an Ochna species and I think i have the same one growing in my garden. I am guessing it drops all the leaves and is covered in yellow blossoms correct?- My plant was given to me from a friend who took it from Vietnam.
I guess this can be grown in HK as long as you give it a dry period. During Dec-Jan i reduce watering, then when i want the plant to bloom i strip all the leaves off and the whole plant would be in bloom about 2 weeks after doing this. I will post a pic of it in the tropicals forum.
Yood

ntt_hou,

I had one of the US versions of the hoa mai back in Boston given to me by a Vietnamese women living on the Gulf Coast . I had it in a pot that got caught outside in a surprise early season overnight snowstorm. I retrieved it in the morning and brought it inside. Died back to the ground, but came back from the roots in the spring.

Unfortunately for me I had to leave the plants behind in the move here, but there is always hope to find a cutting or small plant and defy the growing zones.

And this is the first time I've been told that Hong Kong is a cold climate. *lol* Might not be truly tropical, but having only localised valley frosts once every four years isn't my idea of cold.

Yood, yes, cultivating the Narcissus (US-Daffodil) is considered a high skill hobby among the Vietnamese. Mostly are done in water and not in soil. It is a difficult technique as I was told by my parents. It's considered to be a hobby among the prestige. You're right about how to force Hoa Mai to bloom. Since in south VN, it is the main decorated plant for the Lunar New Year, most of the time we force it to bloom in time for the New Year. Lucky you that it only takes 2 weeks in your area to force it blooms. For us here in the US, it takes 6-7 weeks for it to bloom. Then again, it could be due to a different hybrid than the one you have.

Daai_Tau_Lam, I didn't mean Hong Kong to be cold such as freezing temperature but isn't the climate is subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall? This is almost the same as of North Viet Nam. South VN is very tropical. There is no cool weather at any time of the year with the exception of Da Lat because it's in higher altitude. Let's put it this way, we have rain forests in the south. I guess when it comes to plants, there is a big different between tropical and subtropical climate. Plants are very picky, aren't they? Hoa Mai may be one of them. It may not grow easily under Hong Kong climate. Maybe, that's why you don't see them? Or, is it perhaps, because there's not enough demand for it so nursery don't bother to grow it? Hey, but like you said, if you're able to provide the perfect condition for the plant, you can grow it. Heck, there're plants that are grown in space and in moon soil even.

Personally, I want to grow so much more than I have place and physical strength for. Aren't we all?!? I have burst of interest of a certain kind of plant every season. Then if it doen't work out, my burst of interest change. Last year, it was orchids; this year, it's roses.

Love our discussions :) It's so interesting since we live in 3 different parts of the world. Well, I need to visit the Rose forum now and learn some more :)

Ciao, til later!

Dai Tau Laam - how i wish i can have HK's climate for growing plants, as you would get the best of both worlds temperate and tropical as opposed to tropical only! Where else can you get peach blossoms and daffodils next to palm trees!

Yeah, well the daffodils are forced.

And without that truly tropical climate of Thailand, Hong Kong wouldn't get all of those yummy durians.

If you want to buy potted peach tree, please go to Houston, 2 Vietnamese nurseries: J& R and Joseph both sell lots of them, beautiful, with different colors and forms. You can even graft many kind together in one tree. K.

Kquat, can you tell me the address, in Houston, for J&R and Joseph nurseries? Also, I would like to buy some Thai Basil plants, have you seen any?

http://www.jrnnursery2.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.jrnnursery2.com/