Roses may be red and violets may be blue, but the really hot bouquet right now is all about bamboo.

The tall, slender stalks have been sprouting up everywhere, from grocery stores to garden centers, usually labeled as “lucky bamboo.” Except they’re not bamboo. The plants are actually dracaena sanderiana, a member of the agave family.

It doesn’t matter, though, because people seem to be more interested in the “lucky” part of the equation, which has its roots in traditional feng shui practices. The plants are thought to promote wealth and prosperity.

“It’s a symbol of great power, growth and good fortune, because it’s so flexible,” said Amy Mims, co-director of the New England School of Feng Shui in Connecticut. “The significance of bamboo is that it grows very tall but it’s still very flexible, unlike an oak tree, which grows very tall but is rigid. In a storm, the oak tree can snap, whereas the bamboo is flexible, so it will bend in the wind, but it won’t break.”

As people have increasingly incorporated elements of feng shui into their homes, bamboo’s popularity has skyrocketed.

“It’s the thing,” said Mary Lou Hoskins, who owns Greencare in Hermon. “It’s become quite a fad.”

Greencare offers bamboo by the stalk or grouped in threes in glass vases, which have rocks at the bottom and a red ribbon tied around the top.

“Red represents power,” explained Marilyn Soper, who works at Greencare. “Most often we put them into clay or glass containers, which represent the Earth element.”

It’s all very symbolic, but aesthetic, too. The glass containers, with rocks or glass marbles at the bottom, show off the plant’s shape and the roots, which thrive in water. They also represent the Earth element in feng shui, which promotes wealth. The bamboo itself represents the wood element, which promotes health and prosperity. Groups of three are considered powerful as well.

Garden centers often sell curly bamboo, which has been raised in the dark and trained to grow in the direction of a single beam of light. These stalks are sometimes grouped into elaborate, sculptural arrangements.

Regardless of how the plants are grouped, they’re extremely easy to take care of. Simply submerge the roots in an inch of water and surround them with marbles or rocks for support. The plants prefer low light conditions as well.

Basically, the plants are foolproof. Maybe that’s why they’re considered lucky.