The Peach Blossom, or the blossoms from a peach tree, belongs to the Rosaceae family of plants. The leaves are elliptical and lanceolate, and the drupe is nearly spherical. They are primarily divided into two categories: fruit peaches and flower peaches.
Peach blossoms originated in central and northern China, but are now widely cultivated in temperate countries and regions around the world, mainly propagated through grafting. Varieties include deep red, scarlet, pure white, and mixed red and white colors, as well as double petals and heavy double petals.
Peach blossoms can be made into peach blossom pills, peach blossom tea, and other food products. They are highly prized for their ornamental value and are a common theme in literary works.
In addition, elements in peach blossoms have medicinal value for opening up the meridians and moisturizing the skin. The flower language and representative meaning of peach blossoms is “captive of love. Every year from March to June, different peach blossom festivals are held in various places, using peach blossoms as a medium.
Morphological Characteristics
The peach blossom is a deciduous tree.
The leaves are elliptical and lanceolate with coarse serrations along the edge, and are hairless. The petiole is 1-2cm long. The tree can grow to a height of 3 to 10 meters. The leaves usually have one to several glands; the leaf blades are elliptical-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, with fine serrations along the edge, and are hairless on both sides.
The flowers usually grow alone, blooming when the leaves unfurl, with a diameter of about 2.5-3.5cm, and have short stems; the calyx has 5 segments, which are fused at the base to form a short calyx tube, and are hairless. The petiole is 7-12mm long and has glandular dots.
The trunk is gray-brown and rough with holes. The young branches are red-brown or brown-green and smooth. The flowers grow alone and come in white, pink, and red, are double or semi-double, and bloom from March to April.
The drupe is nearly spherical, yellow-green, and densely covered with short velvety hairs. Depending on the variety, the fruit matures from June to September. They are mainly divided into two categories: fruit peaches and flower peaches. Varieties include deep red, scarlet, pure white, and mixed red and white colors, as well as double petals and heavy double petals.
The more important varieties include: oily peach, flat peach, longevity peach, and green peach. Both the oily peach and the flat peach are cultivated for their fruit, while the longevity peach and the green peach are mainly used for ornamentation.
The longevity peach can also be used as a dwarfing rootstock for peach trees. The tree is 4 to 5 meters high. The one-year-old branches are red-brown. The leaves are mostly lanceolate, with serrations along the edge, and the base of the petiole often produces nectaries.
There are two types of flowers: rose type and bell type. The drupe, except for the flat peach, is mostly round or oblong, and the surface of the fruit, except for the oily peach, is covered with downy hairs.
The fruit flesh is white, yellow, or blushed red, with a few being red; the texture is soft, crisp or dense and tough. The surface of the pit has different groove patterns, which are important for the classification of species and varieties.
The peach blossom is a traditional garden plant in China, with its graceful tree shape, spreading branches, plump flowers, and bright colors, making it one of the important flowering tree species in early spring.
The fruit of the peach is a famous fruit; peach pits can be pressed for oil; its branches, leaves, fruit, and roots can all be used for medicinal purposes; the peach wood is dense and hard, and can be used for carving.
Growing Environment
The peach tree loves light and requires good ventilation; it prefers well-drained soil, and is drought-resistant; it fears water logging, if waterlogged for 3 to 5 days, it will lose its leaves or die. It is cold-resistant, and can overwinter outdoors in East China and North China.
Peach blossoms prefer light loamy soil, and the moisture should be maintained at half-dry. They cannot tolerate alkaline soil, nor do they like soil that is too heavy. They are not picky about fertilizers, and their other ecological habits are similar to those of plums.
However, their growth and branching strength are stronger than those of plums, but they cannot last long, and they start to decline around the age of 20.
The tree can generally live for 20 to 40 years. Peach trees start to flower and fruit early. Usually, 1 to 2 years after planting the grafted seedling, they start to flower and fruit, and they enter the flowering and fruiting peak period 3 to 5 years later.
They grow rapidly, and can sprout 2-4 times a year. The root system is well developed, especially the fibrous roots; they are easy to transplant. The flower buds have 1 to 3 flowers per node, almost stalkless. The flowers and leaves sprout at about the same time, but the leaves mature after the flowers.
Most peach blossom varieties flower and bear fruit mainly on long fruit branches, but a few varieties like the “Longevity Peach” flower and bear fruit mainly on short and medium fruit branches. In East and Central China, they usually flower in mid to late March, and the fruit matures from June to September.
Distribution Range
Peach blossoms originated in central and northern China. They have a long history of cultivation, and later gradually spread to neighboring areas in Asia and from Persia to the West.
The Latin name of the peach blossom, Persica, means Persia. They are cultivated in warm regions such as China, France, the Mediterranean, Australia, etc. They are mainly propagated through grafting.
Nitrogen fertilizer is best added in the fall. They are now widely cultivated throughout China.
Major Varieties
Miniature White Peach Blossom: Blossoms are small and white, with elliptical petals. The stems are mostly brown with green spots.
Large White Peach Blossom: This variety has larger white flowers with round petals on green stems covered in fine hairs.
Five-Color Peach Blossom: Also known as the Golden Peach Blossom, most flowers are white or faintly striped with red. Some branches produce pink flowers, or flowers that are half white and half pink. The petals are long and oval, and the stems are reddish-brown.
Thousand-Petal Peach Pink: The flowers are pink, with mostly triple-layered petals. Some flowers are slightly reddish, with red stamens and red-brown stems.
Red Peach Blossom: This variety produces pink flowers that are close to double petals, with red-brown stems.
Purplish-Red Peach Blossom: The flowers are a deep red color, with a purplish-brown calyx. The stems are greenish-brown.
Green Flower Peach: Flowers are light green with inverted egg-shaped petals. The stems are green with red-brown spots. This type blooms later, mostly in the middle of April.
Weeping Peach Blossom: The branches droop, with double-petal flowers in various colors such as deep red, golden, pale red, and pure white.
Other varieties include longevity peach, purple-leaf peach, single pink, five treasure peach, red palm, green calyx weeping branch, two-color peach, chrysanthemum peach, and scarlet peach.
Propagation Methods
Peach blossoms are generally propagated by seeding or grafting.
The main method of propagation is grafting, often using the cutting or shield budding method. Peach trees grafted on peach rootstocks have the disadvantage of being short-lived and prone to pests and diseases.
If apricot rootstocks are used instead, although grafting is more laborious and the initial growth is slightly slower, the tree has a longer lifespan and is less susceptible to diseases and pests.
The best time for sowing rootstock seeds is in the autumn. In spring, the seedlings can be planted at intervals of 40-50 cm, with a row spacing of 10-20 cm and a channel of 5 cm, one seed per site.
Grafting is usually done in July and August. The most suitable rootstock is a robust one-year-old seedling, but a two-year-old rootstock can also be used. The survival rate of the graft is very high, often more than 95%.
Cutting grafting is performed when the buds begin to sprout in spring. The cutting should be 6-7 cm long and have two bud nodes. The rootstock should be one or two-year-old seedlings, older ones are not ideal. The survival rate of cutting grafting is usually 90% or higher.
Cultivation Techniques
Peach blossoms are usually transplanted in early spring or late autumn after leaf fall, planted in a well-drained sunny location. Basic fertilizer should be applied to the planting hole to promote flower bud differentiation.
For young seedlings, bare-root transplanting can be done; for larger seedlings and trees, especially more valuable varieties, it is best to transplant with a soil ball, or at least dip the roots in mud before transplanting to ensure survival.
Pruning should be done to maintain a natural, open-heart shape. More aggressive pruning can be done than for plum trees, including thinning and shortening, and removing delicate, crossing and pest-infected branches. Potted plants can be pruned after flowering.
A base fertilizer should be applied annually in winter, and additional fertilizer should be applied once before flowering and once in June to promote flowering and bud formation. Regular weeding and cultivation should also be done.
Pests and diseases include peach aphid, peach powdery mildew, peach rust, pear borer, peach leaf curl, and peach brown rot, which should be prevented and controlled in a timely manner.
Care Tips
Watering Peach Blossom: Only water when the soil is dry, and be careful not to overwater to prevent root rot. Apply a new high-fat membrane to regulate water absorption. Peach trees are afraid of waterlogging, so drainage should be kept clear in summer, especially during the rainy season.
Pruning Peach Blossom: Peach flowers are axillary buds of one-year-old solid peaches, which differentiate into flower buds in July and bloom the following spring.
Therefore, pruning is important. After flowering, timely pruning should be carried out on the branches that have flowered, leaving only two or three buds at the base and removing the rest.
Repotting Peach Blossom: The pot should be changed once a year in spring.
Disease and Pest Control
Peach blossoms are susceptible to leaf curl disease. To prevent this, apply a Bordeaux mixture to the trunk every half a month when the disease first appears.
Pests such as aphids, thorns moths, and longhorn beetles can be manually captured or killed with pesticides. Peach blossoms make great indoor vase decorations for the Lunar New Year. To ensure they bloom during this time, they can be treated to encourage blossoming. After the leaves fall, move the pot to a cool place below 7°C.
One to one and a half months before the Lunar New Year, move the pot indoors and gradually increase the room temperature. In an environment of 20-25°C, the blossoms will open after 15 to 25 days. Peach shot hole disease, peach anthracnose, and peach gummosis are the three most common peach blossom diseases.
Peach Shot Hole Disease
This disease mainly affects the leaves, but also harms the shoots and fruits. There are two types of shot hole disease: bacterial shot hole caused by bacteria and fungal shot hole caused by fungi.
Warm and rainy seasons promote the occurrence of bacterial shot hole, a common disease in peach blossoms. Fungal shot hole is more likely to occur in similar conditions, with peach blossom plants that are weak, have poor drainage, or lack light and ventilation being more susceptible.
The main method of preventing shot hole disease is to strengthen management, apply base fertilizer, improve the soil, enhance the plant’s vitality, and improve its disease resistance. Diseased remnants should be pruned to reduce re-infection.
Peach Anthracnose
This disease primarily affects the fruit, but can also infect leaves and new shoots. It’s more likely to occur if the weather is cold and rainy when the peach blossoms are blooming. The main prevention method is to eliminate infected shoots, dead branches, and mummified fruit to reduce the overwintering fungal source.
Peach Gummosis
This disease mainly harms the trunk and can be especially severe in older plants. The main prevention method is to strengthen the management of peach trees, enhance their vitality, improve resistance, and control trunk pests in a timely and effective manner.
Depending on the specific situation, appropriate insecticides and fungicides can be chosen.
Main Values
Ornamental Value
Taking a stroll down Wenzeng Road to admire the peach blossoms is a simple, romantic micro trip. With cherry blossoms adding variety, bees buzzing around, and a intoxicating floral fragrance in the air, the garden becomes an irresistible spring color palette, attracting lots of newlyweds to take their wedding photos. The bride looks exceptionally beautiful against the backdrop of red flowers and green leaves.
Medicinal Value
The beauty benefits of peach blossoms come from the phenols, coumarin, trilobatin, and vitamins A, B, C they contain. These substances can dilate blood vessels, smooth circulation, moisturize the skin, improve blood circulation, promote skin nutrition and oxygen supply, accelerate the excretion of lipofuscin that promotes aging in the body, and prevent chronic deposition of melanin in the skin.
Therefore, they can effectively prevent chloasma, freckles, and dark spots, while also keeping the skin moisturized, bright, and glossy. Peach blossoms are also rich in plant proteins and free amino acids, which are easily absorbed by the skin, effective in preventing and treating dry, rough skin and wrinkles, and enhancing the skin’s disease resistance.
Therefore, they can prevent and treat skin diseases, seborrheic dermatitis, purulent dermatitis, scurvy, and other conditions, greatly benefiting the skin.
Peach blossoms taste sweet and spicy, and are slightly warm in nature. They have the effect of activating blood and beautifying the skin, promoting diuresis and relieving pain. Peach blossoms contain phenol, carotene, vitamins, and other ingredients, among which phenol has a good cosmetic and skincare effect.
Peggie was once a high school mathematics teacher, but she set aside her chalkboard and textbooks to follow her lifelong passion for flowers. After years of dedication and learning, she not only established a thriving flower shop but also founded this blog, “Flowers Library”. Here, Peggie shares the art and science of floristry, offers practical tips for nurturing plants, delves into the captivating histories of various species, and provides insights into running a successful flower shop. She hopes that everyone can take a moment now and then to immerse themselves in the world of flowers. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about flowers, feel free to contact Peggie.
