Unique fruit arrangement to welcome Mid-Autumn Festival

Chestnut branches, custard apples, melons, mini pumpkins or wild bananas are being sought after by many families to decorate during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

At the end of August, Ms. Hoang Thi Ngoc Anh (36 years old) in Hoang Mai district (Hanoi) ordered a bunch of chestnut branches to put in a vase. "I am passionate about arranging flowers and unique fruit branches, so when I saw someone selling imported fresh chestnut branches, I immediately ordered them," Ms. Anh said.

The price of chestnut branches is about 180,000 VND for a small bunch (about 5 branches). The owner said that the way to arrange fresh chestnut branches is similar to other types, but the fruit has many sharp thorns, so you need to pay attention when pruning. After two or three days, the leaves begin to wither, the fruit gradually dries and cracks, revealing the plump, dark brown seeds inside.

"This type of branch is quite durable, but the most interesting thing is being able to watch the whole process from when the fruit is fresh until it dries and the seeds fall, so it's worth a try," said the 36-year-old woman.

In addition to chestnut branches, Ms. Ngoc Anh also tried to arrange lantern fruit branches (rose hips), because the red and orange colors are very suitable for Mid-Autumn decoration. The selling price is about 145,000-160,000 VND for 5 branches.

This type of branch can be planted for one to three weeks. To avoid root rot, Ms. Anh said that players need to plant it with a moderate amount of water and change it daily.

Imported tomato branches or mini pumpkin branches ( pumpkin on stick ) with beautiful red and yellow colors, suitable for autumn weather, are also sought after by many people to decorate their homes.

"Tomato branches can easily wither when left for a long time, but still retain their fresh, beautiful colors, bringing a feeling of abundance, warmth, and fullness," said Ms. Ngoc Anh.

Painter Nguyen Hoang Anh in Long Bien (Hanoi) is looking to buy a large star apple branch (1.8 m high, 2 m wide) to decorate his living room.

"I personally love to arrange fruit branches, especially Vietnamese agricultural products. Not only is it visually beautiful, but it also makes me feel like I'm living in nature and have more unique observations, creating inspiration for my compositions," said Mr. Hoang Anh.

Compared to the persimmon, peach, or apricot branches that the artist has played with, the star apple branch is more difficult to arrange because of its large size, forcing him to choose the right shape and position in the house. However, this type of branch is highly durable, and the fruit when ripe has a mild fragrance, creating a feeling of relaxation.

The male artist once tried to arrange branches of the Northwestern mountain hawthorn. Not only is it a hobby and a way to beautify the living space, Mr. Hoang Anh said that arranging fruit branches also helps the people in the mountainous areas increase their income and easily sell low-quality fruits that are picky about buyers.

As a long-time fruit-planter, Ms. Tran Thi Dinh in Ha Dong District (Hanoi) also tried planting melon branches. Each bunch of fruit costs about 60,000-70,000 VND.

According to Ms. Dinh, the melon branch is hard and has a large trunk, so it must be placed in a heavy vase to avoid falling or shifting. The secret to keeping it fresh for a long time is to wash the base of the branch and change the water every 5 days, helping the branch to stay fresh for 10-15 days.

Always fond of collecting unique fruit branches, Ms. Dinh also ordered wild lemon branches to decorate her home. "This is a lemon tree that was damaged by worms, people had to cut it down, I felt sorry so I bought it. Luckily, when I put the branches back in, the fruit was fresh and could be enjoyed for a whole month," she explained.

Decorating the lemon branches in the house, Ms. Dinh said she was very pleased with the greenness from the leaves to the fruit, and the gentle, fresh fragrance spreading throughout the room.

In Hai Phong, Ms. Thao Linh ordered coffee fruit branches for 120,000 VND on September 19. To arrange them in a vase, she divided the bunch into large and small branches and individual leaves, then used a wire mesh to place them diagonally around the outside and chose large branches to place in the gaps. Finally, she placed the leaves around the vase to create softness.

Talking about the special feature of the fruit vase, Ms. Linh said that it is the combination of colors from green, yellow and red on the same branch when the coffee fruit is ripe. "Compared to other types, the coffee branch is very durable, I put it in two weeks and it is still beautiful. After the fruit withers, it does not fall off but dries on the stem, very easy to clean," she said.

Nearing the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mr. Nguyen The Hoang (29 years old) in Thanh Hoa also ordered wild banana flowers and a bunch of fruit from Tuyen Quang, because he wanted to decorate his living and working space in a traditional style.

Mr. Hoang said that to arrange a "huge" vase of banana flowers, he had to buy a large, heavy bell-shaped vase to avoid tilting or breaking. After receiving the flowers, he started peeling off the leaves and damaged or bruised fruits to clean them. Next, he filled the vase with water and added a packet of nutrient solution to keep the flowers fresh for a long time, prevent the stems from getting waterlogged, and limit the bad smell.

Regarding care, Hoang said banana flowers do not absorb much water, and every 5-7 days the flower roots must be cleaned, damaged parts cut off, and the water changed to ensure durability for three to four weeks.

"Looking at the beautiful pink-colored wild banana flowers and the bananas ripening day by day is really pleasing to the eye," said Mr. Hoang.

Quynh Nguyen Photo: Character provided

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