Q: I keep seeing small bunches of a plant called “Lucky Bamboo”. It is usually three to five green stems in a jar of water with glass beads or rocks. The sections have small roots and usually one sprouting of leaves. Can I cut some bamboo grown locally and do the same thing?

A: The plant isn’t bamboo at all. It’s a dracena, Dracaena sanderiana. Practitioners of Feng Shui believe the plant brings calm into a room. I have seen very decorative arrangements in which the branches were contorted into fantastic shapes. I am told that it may take years to accomplish the most intricate bends and curves.

You can buy this particular species of dracena in any garden center, wash the soil off the roots and put the roots in a glass bowl to make your own display. Let me know if you feel any calmer after the process.