The plum blossom, revered as the premier flower among China’s ten most famous blooms, is grouped with orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums as the “Four Gentlemen”. Together with pines and bamboo, it forms the “Three Friends of Winter”.
Defying severe cold, the plum blossom is the first to bloom, heralding spring. This small tree or shrub typically reaches a height of 4-10m. Its bark is remarkably smooth, exhibiting a light gray or slightly green hue. The leaves are oval or elliptical with sharp serrations along the edges, and possess a distinctive grayish-green coloration. The flowers emit a powerful fragrance and bloom during winter and early spring.
Plum trees are small, rarely shrub-like, standing 4-10 meters tall. Their bark is smooth and light gray or slightly green, while the twigs are green, smooth, and glabrous. The leaves are oval or elliptical, often featuring small sharp serrations, and display a grayish-green color.
The flowers are solitary or occasionally paired within a single bud, measuring 2-2.5 centimeters in diameter. They possess a strong fragrance and bloom before the leaves emerge. The calyx is typically reddish-brown, though some varieties exhibit green or greenish-purple calyces. The petals are obovate, ranging from white to pink in color.
The fruit is nearly spherical, 2-3 centimeters in diameter, yellow or greenish-white, covered with soft hairs, and has a sour taste. The flesh adheres to the core, which is elliptical and slightly flattened on both sides. Flowering occurs in winter and spring, while fruiting takes place from May to June.
Originating in southern China, plum cultivation boasts a history spanning over 3,000 years. Numerous varieties exist for both ornamental and fruit-bearing purposes. Many types are not only cultivated for their aesthetic appeal but can also be grown as potted plants and fashioned into plum piles.
Fresh flowers can be used for essence extraction, while the flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds have medicinal applications. The fruit is edible and can be pickled or smoked into black plum medicine, which is known to relieve cough, alleviate diarrhea, promote saliva production, and quench thirst. Plums also demonstrate resistance to root-knot nematode damage, making them valuable as rootstocks for stone fruit trees.
Plum blossoms, a traditional Chinese flower, are primarily categorized into ornamental and edible varieties, with further subdivisions. Common types include apricot plum, beauty plum, jade butterfly plum, green calyx plum, red plum, cinnabar plum, and palace pink plum.
The Palace Pink Plum belongs to the true plum series of straight-branch plum types. Its flowers are double to multi-petaled, displaying deep or light red hues. This ornamental variety is characterized by dense blossoms of light pink color and a notably strong fragrance, a rare trait among plum blossoms.
The Cinnabar Plum, also from the true plum series of straight-branch types, features straight or oblique branches rather than drooping or twisted forms. The calyx is dark purple, and flowers can be single, double, or semi-double petaled with deep red coloration. New branches exhibit a deep red woody portion.
Red Plum is versatile in landscape design, suitable for gardens, green spaces, courtyards, and scenic areas. It can be planted individually, in clusters, or groups, and is often used to create plum ridges, peaks, gardens, creeks, and paths. This deciduous small tree reaches about 10m in height, with a brownish-purple stem marked by vertical mottling and green small branches.
The Big Red Plum, a member of the Rosaceae family and apricot genus, features erect or oblique branches similar to the Palace Pink type. It is distinguished by deep red flowers, particularly dense blooming, and a very strong sweet fragrance. This variety is often used in bonsai cultivation.
Zhaoshui Plum is a high-quality fruit-bearing variety primarily grown in Yunnan province, China. It is characterized by strong growth, a tall and open crown, and dense foliage. The flowers are white with five petals arranged in a single layer, and the fruit is known for its large size, small core, and excellent edible qualities.
Also known as Sour Plum or Black Plum, this variety is native to southwestern China and Taiwan. It is distinguished by its green or greenish-purple calyx, which contrasts with the typical reddish-brown calyx of other plum varieties. The flowers have a strong fragrance and bloom before the leaves emerge.
Jade Disc Plum is a perennial shrub reaching 4-10 meters in height. It features smooth, light gray or slightly green bark and green, glabrous twigs. The flowers are solitary or paired, strongly fragrant, and bloom before leaf emergence. This variety has over 30 cultivars, including Jade Disc, Pink Disc, and Purple Stem White.
Golden Stamen Plum is renowned for its unique sprinkling gold formation. The flowers range from single to multi-layered, primarily white with red streaks or dots on each petal. This variety is particularly suitable for potting and cut flower arrangements due to its compact branch structure and densely arranged flowers.
Winter Sweet, also known as Golden Plum or Wax Plum, is a deciduous shrub of the Winter Sweet family. It blooms in late winter before leafing out, producing fragrant flowers 2 to 4 centimeters in diameter. This hardy plant symbolizes resilience and determination in Chinese culture and has various ornamental and medicinal uses.
Beauty Plum is a deciduous small tree or shrub introduced from France, resulting from a hybrid of double pink plum blossoms and red leaf plums. It features light purple, double-layered flowers that bloom before the leaves emerge. This variety is excellent for garden displays and environmental greening, preferring sunny, well-ventilated locations with rich, well-drained soil.
The plum blossom, or “mei hua,” is native to China and has been introduced to Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. It is cultivated throughout China, most extensively in provinces south of the Yangtze River. Some varieties are also found in northern Jiangsu and southern Henan, with successful introductions in North China.
Plum trees are small deciduous trees or occasionally shrubs, ranging from 4 to 10 meters in height. The bark is light grey or greenish and smooth, with green, smooth, and hairless small branches. Leaves are ovate or elliptical, 4-8 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, tapering at the tip, with a broad wedge-shaped or rounded base.
The leaf edges often have small sharp serrations. Young leaves are greyish-green and covered with short soft hairs on both surfaces, which gradually fall off as the leaf matures, sometimes remaining only in the vein axils on the underside. Leafstalks are 1-2 cm long, initially hairy but becoming hairless with age, and often have glandular bodies.
Flowers are solitary or occasionally paired within a single bud, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, highly fragrant, and bloom before the leaves emerge. The flower stalk is short, about 1-3 mm long, and often hairless. The calyx is usually reddish-brown, but can be green or purple-green in some varieties. The calyx tube is broadly bell-shaped, hairless or sometimes covered with short soft hairs.
Sepals are ovate or nearly circular with blunt tips. Petals are ovate, ranging from white to pink. Stamens are short or slightly longer than the petals. The ovary is densely covered with soft hairs, and the style is short or slightly longer than the stamens.
The fruit is nearly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter, yellow or greenish-white, covered with soft hairs, and sour in taste. The flesh adheres to the stone, which is elliptical, rounded at the top with a small pointed tip, and tapers to a wedge shape at the base. The stone is slightly flattened on both sides, with a blunt ventral ridge. Both the ventral surface and the dorsal ridge have obvious longitudinal grooves, and the surface has honeycomb-like depressions.
Flowering occurs in winter and spring, with fruiting from May to June (extending to July-August in North China).
Plum blossom cultivation can be categorized into open-field cultivation, cut flower production, potted plants, and bonsai cultivation.
Open field planting requires loose, well-drained, ventilated, and sunny high ground. After establishment, watering is generally unnecessary except during drought. Fertilization occurs three times annually:
Each fertilization should be followed by watering. In northern regions, appropriate winter protection measures should be implemented.
Pruning and shaping are crucial for field-planted trees. Proper branch pruning helps control plant shape, improves light penetration, and promotes early flowering in young trees. Thinning is the primary pruning method, aiming to create a pleasing, natural heart shape. Light pruning of branch tips is preferable, as heavy pruning can lead to excessive growth and reduced flowering the following year.
Prune dead, diseased, and excessively long branches in early winter, and shape the whole plant after flowering. Routine management should include weeding, watering, weed control, and pest and disease prevention.
In northern China, potted planting is more common due to harsh winters. Plum seedlings can be potted after one to several years of open-field cultivation.
Pot soil should be loose, fertile, and well-draining, with sufficient base fertilizer applied at the bottom. Potted plums are sensitive to water conditions:
Water management should follow a “dry and wet” cycle, avoiding both drought and waterlogging. Adjust watering based on growth stages:
Fertilization for potted plums should be moderate:
Potted plums require ventilation and sunlight. Proper pruning is essential for shape control and early flowering. Prune according to the “sparse, slanted, curved” principle without appearing contrived.
Repot and change soil every 1-2 years after early spring flowering and pruning. For specific blooming times (e.g., Spring Festival or May 1st), adjust temperature and light exposure accordingly.
Cut flower cultivation typically involves open-field planting with smaller row spacing (3×3 meters) and low main trunks (about 30 cm). Regular pruning, increased fertilization, and annual short-cutting of new branches promote shrub-like growth suitable for cut flowers.
Apply sufficient fertilizer after leaf fall to restore tree vigor, and focus on phosphorus-rich fertilizers after flowering the following year. Varieties suitable for cut flower cultivation include palace pink, jade disc, and green calyx types.
Potted landscapes can be grown in open air or containers. They require careful water management to avoid waterlogging and root rot. Regular misting of leaves and dry branches helps nourish leaves and protect roots in older specimens.
Bonsai cultivation involves heavy pruning to create dwarf forms. Thin branches can be shaped with brown silk, while thick branches may require carving, axing, and heating to achieve desired shapes. Grafting onto old fruit plum rootstocks allows for the addition of multiple branches before shaping.
Regardless of the cultivation method, proper watering, adequate light, regular fertilization, and pruning are essential for maintaining healthy and beautiful plum blossoms.
Grafting is a widely utilized method for propagating plum blossoms in China. This technique produces saplings that grow rapidly, flower early, and maintain the superior characteristics of the parent plant. Various rootstocks can be used, including peach, wild peach, apricot, wild apricot, and plum seedlings. Peach and wild peach seeds are particularly popular due to their availability and adaptability to grafting.
While peach and wild peach rootstocks promote quick growth and abundant flowering, they are more susceptible to pests and diseases, resulting in a shorter lifespan compared to apricot, wild apricot, and plum rootstocks. For optimal results, it’s advisable to use 1-2-year-old seedlings from the latter three species as rootstocks.
Grafting techniques vary by region and cultivation goals:
Bud grafting, another common method, is usually carried out in July-August (late August to early September in Northern China). This economical and straightforward technique is ideal for small rootstocks and scions, often utilizing the “T” bud grafting method. The process involves:
Post-grafting care is crucial:
Propagation by cutting has a lower success rate but can be improved by:
Varieties like palace pink, green sepals, and bone red root more easily, with survival rates between 30% and 80%.
Layering is suitable for small-scale propagation:
High-pressure layering: During the rainy season, scar or girdle chosen branches, cover with soil-filled plastic bags, and maintain humidity. Check for roots after a month, then cut and transplant.
Simple layering: In early spring (February-March), choose 1-3-year-old vigorous branches. Scar or girdle the branch, bury it in a trench, and gradually separate it from the mother tree once rooted.
Seed propagation is primarily used for rootstock or new variety development:
Seedlings grown from seeds develop slowly and flower late, with variable offspring traits.
Plum trees offer diverse values:
Plum trees are versatile in landscaping, suitable for:
The diverse applications of plum trees in horticulture, medicine, and environmental monitoring highlight their significance in Chinese culture and agriculture.
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”. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about flowers, feel free to contact Peggie.
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