Apricot Blossom as an Ornamental Tree: Color, Blooming Season, Symbolism and Poems
Apricot blossom, also known as apricot, is a plant of the genus Prunus in the subfamily Amygdaloideae (Prunoideae); both its flesh and kernel are edible. It can be planted in front of courtyards, at wall corners, beside roads and by the water, and can also be planted in groups or masses on hillsides and watersides. It is a major ornamental tree species of spring. So what color is the apricot blossom? In what season does it generally bloom? What does it symbolize? What poems are there about apricot blossom? According to Rosaceae information, apricot blossom has the characteristic of changing color: when the buds are about to open, each flower is brilliant red; as the petals stretch out, the color gradually fades from deep to light, and by the time they fall, they become a sheet of snow-white. It is said that in ancient China, apricot blossoms even came in multiple colors, such as: pink, plum red, red, and so on.
In what season does apricot blossom generally bloom?
Apricot blossom opens in the Gregorian months of March—May, and in the second month of the lunar calendar.
In the north, apricot blossom opens earlier than both pear and peach blossom; with the willow wind that no longer chills the face, the apricot blossom is undoubtedly the earliest messenger to bring us the meaning of spring. Every year in March-April, apricot blossom festivals are held in various places, offering good destinations for outings, excursions and photography. The apricot blossom is an ancient flowering tree; it is recorded in the Guanzi, which appeared several hundred years before the Common Era, so it has a cultivation history in our country of at least two to three thousand years. It can both bear fruit and be enjoyed for its flowers, holding an important place in fruit production and urban beautification.
What does apricot blossom symbolize?
In Tang poetry, the apricot blossom is the flower of light sorrow and faint joy, the flower of tangled emotions, the flower that is frivolous and quick to fade, and the flower of a beauty growing old.
In the lives of modern people, the flower language and symbolic meaning of the apricot blossom are: a young girl's longing, bashfulness, and doubt.
Appendix: Poems about apricot blossom
1. In a small tower, all night listening to spring rain; in the deep lane, at dawn, they sell apricot blossom. —— Lu You, Clear Weather After Spring Rain at Lin'an
2. Sorrowful light cold, a snipping wind; small plum blossoms drift like snow, apricot blossoms red. Deep in the night, slanting against the swing rope; the tower and pavilion dim in misty rain. —— Han Wo, Deep in the Night
3. The apricot blossom has nowhere to escape the sorrow of spring, and so it blooms beside the wild mist. —— Song dynasty, Han Yuanji, Good Things Near
4. Day after day the spring light vies with the sunlight; on the slanting road of the mountain town, apricot blossom fragrance. —— Li Shangyin, Day After Day
5. Beyond the woods the turtledove calls, the spring rain has stopped; above the house the first sun, apricot blossoms in profusion. —— Northern Song, Ouyang Xiu, The Farm Family
6. At Qujiang, spring is half over, the days grow long; it is just the time when the noble youth gazes out in disappointment. The apricot blossoms have all fallen, and he does not return; on the river the east wind blows the willow threads. —— Wen Tingyun, Two Poems on a Late Spring Evening in Chang'an
7. Peach blossoms in full glory, apricot blossoms sparse; the spring scenery stirs the heart, and one cannot bear to do it. —— Lu You, Jiannan Poems: Five Miscellaneous Chants of the Mountain Garden
8. The whole stair is green with fragrant grass; a single stretch of apricot blossom fragrance. —— Liu Tong, Immortals by the River
9. Warm air quietly urges spring on in turn; the plum blossoms have faded and the apricot blossoms are new. Half open, half fallen in the idle garden; how is it different from the flourishing and withering of people in the world? —— Luo Yin, Apricot Blossom
10. I do not chase the floating clouds nor envy the fish; I live facing the sun in an apricot blossom thatched cottage. The crane cries at the ornamental column and should pass on the message; the wild goose crosses the frosty sky, too lazy to send a letter. —— Liu Shang, Two Poems on Returning to the Mountains, Left for My Sons and Nephews