Blooming Seasons, Flowering Periods, and Viewing Locations for Plum Blossom, Orchid, and Chrysanthemum as the Four Gentlemen

“The Four Gentlemen” are a traditional subject in Chinese painting, referring to plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum as the Four Gentlemen. They are traditional symbolic motifs. So in which seasons do plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum bloom? How long are their flowering periods? What are the viewing locations? They are organized as follows:

In which seasons do plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum bloom?

Plum blossom:

In Haikou it is December, in Guangzhou and Taiwan, China it is January, in Xiamen and Yunnan it is January to February, in Chongqing and Sichuan it is mostly early February, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River such as Wuhan and the two lakes region it is February, in the lower reaches such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai it is February to March, in Henan and Shaanxi it is early to mid-March, and in Hebei and Beijing it is late March to mid-April.

Orchid:

Different orchids bloom at different times. Cymbidium goeringii blooms from January to March, Cymbidium sinense from December to February, Cymbidium ensifolium from May to October, and Cymbidium faberi from March to May. Cymbidium kanran blooms from November to January. Among tropical orchids there are also different varieties that bloom at different times; for example, spring Dendrobium blooms in spring, autumn Dendrobium blooms in autumn, and Phalaenopsis normally blooms in summer, but through greenhouse regulation it can also be made to bloom during the Spring Festival.

Chrysanthemum:

There are many kinds of chrysanthemums, and they are grown in a very wide range of regions, with no fixed blooming time! Most bloom in autumn, but there are also chrysanthemums that bloom in summer and winter. Under normal natural conditions, they can be divided by flowering period into summer chrysanthemums (blooming May-September), autumn chrysanthemums (blooming October-November), and cold chrysanthemums (blooming December-January).

However, some, due to human intervention and painstaking cultivation that changes the daylight conditions, also include May chrysanthemums that bloom in May, July chrysanthemums that bloom in July, and August chrysanthemums that bloom in August.

How long are the flowering periods of plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum?

Plum blossom

There are more than 300 total varieties of plum blossom. Plum varieties suitable for viewing include Dahong Mei, Taige Mei, Zhaoshui Mei, Lü'e Mei, Longyou Mei and others. Ornamental plum blossoms are mostly white, pink, red, purple, and light green. In southwest China they bloom from December to January of the following year, in central China from February to March, and in north China from March to April. From first bloom to full bloom is 4~7 days, and to final bloom 15~20 days.

Orchid:

The flowering period of orchids spans all four seasons, and this is also true within a single genus, seemingly without a fixed rule. For example, Cymbidium goeringii mostly blooms in early spring; Cymbidium faberi blooms in late spring; Cymbidium ensifolium blooms in summer or sometimes in all four seasons, hence it is called the four-season orchid; Cymbidium kanran blooms in late autumn and early winter; Cymbidium sinense blooms in winter, hence it is also called the year-reporting orchid. But looking at the Orchidaceae as a whole, the flowering period is closely related to climate. Taking the orchids produced in Yunnan, China as an example, the flowering period is mostly between February and April. The rainy season in Yunnan is from May to October each year; from February to April not only do many orchids bloom, but other plants do so as well, which appears to be an adaptation to the climate. This is precisely the late dry season, which may be favorable for insect pollination activity and can also avoid rain soaking or damaging the flowers. In addition, flowers fertilized at this time ripen their fruit in the next dry season, which also facilitates seed dispersal.

Chrysanthemum:

There are many kinds of chrysanthemums, and they are grown in a very wide range of regions, with no fixed blooming time! Most bloom in autumn, but there are also chrysanthemums that bloom in summer and winter. Under normal natural conditions, they can be divided by flowering period into summer chrysanthemums (blooming May-September), autumn chrysanthemums (blooming October-November), and cold chrysanthemums (blooming December-January). They generally last about 20-35 days.

Chrysanthemums are short-day plants; by extending day length with electric lighting, or shortening day length by shading with black cloth, year-round chrysanthemum production can be achieved. Classified by photoperiodic response, varieties that reach full bloom with a short-day period of only 6, 7, 8, 10 or 11 weeks are early-maturing varieties, while varieties requiring short days of 12, 13, 14 or 15 weeks are late-maturing varieties; generally commercial cultivars are mainly varieties of 9~11 weeks. Growers should record each farming operation, such as planting, lighting cutoff and harvest time, in order to calculate the planting and harvest periods.

What are the viewing locations for plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum?

Plum blossom:

1. Beijing: Lingfeng Plum Grove, Beijing Botanical Garden, Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills plum blossoms.

2. Zhejiang Province: Chaoshan in Yuhang County, Lingfeng, Xixi Wetland Plum Garden, Gushan

3. Jiangsu Province: Plum Blossom Hill, Yuhuatai, Guangfu Plum Garden, Gulin Park.

4. Sichuan Province: Xingfu Plum Grove, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Tazishan Park.

5. Yunnan Province: Black Dragon Pool Park

6. Shanghai: Grand View Garden, Qingpu Plum Garden, Xinzhuang Park, Oriental Land Plum Blossom Path

7. Guangdong Province: Liuxi Lake in Guangzhou

Orchid:

1. Lanxi City, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. The orchid is one of China's top ten famous flowers and enjoys a high status among flowers. Lanxi is China's hometown of orchids, and the orchid is the city flower of Lanxi. In order to promote Lanxi's traditional orchid culture, Lanxi built Orchid Village at the foot of Lanyin Mountain, where Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty once personally inscribed “Deep in the Orchid Shade”.

2. Nanjing County, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. Nanjing has been one of the main production areas of Cymbidium ensifolium and Cymbidium sinense in China since ancient times, and in ancient times it was called “Lanling” and “Lanshui” because it produced many famous fine orchids. The territory has many mountains and dense forests, fertile soil, a mild climate, abundant rainfall, a long frost-free period, and long sunshine hours, suitable for the production and reproduction of various orchids. Wild orchid resources are very rich, and the orchids produced in the territory are of many varieties and excellent quality.

3. Yunnan Province. Baoshan, anciently called Yongchang, has long been known as the Orchid City and is one of the most important main production areas of Yunnan orchids, especially Cymbidium tortisepalum;

Among the wild orchids in Jianchuan there is no lack of world-class famous orchid varieties; some varieties in the genera Paphiopedilum, Pleione, Dendrobium, Cymbidium and Huoshao are Class I nationally protected plants, making it a natural gene bank for orchid cultivation.

Weishan, anciently called Menghua, has a history of orchid cultivation of more than 1,300 years. Famous orchids such as Daxuesu, Xiaoxuesu and Zhushalan are renowned at home and abroad, among which Zhushalan was a tribute item in the Ming and Qing dynasties and is called the holy orchid. Weishan's orchid culture is in the same line as Yunnan orchid culture and has a long history.

Binchuan has the reputation of a “natural greenhouse”, and the county has relatively rich orchid resources. For example, in the area of the Jizushan scenic spot, large numbers of Cymbidium goeringii, Duoduo Xiang and Cymbidium faberi var. rubrifolium grow, along with a small amount of Cymbidium tortisepalum and Huoshao orchids; in the area of Naijian Mountain and Dahei Mountain in Daying, large numbers of Huoshao orchids and Cymbidium faberi var. rubrifolium grow; in the Xishan area of Pingchuan, large numbers of Cymbidium tortisepalum and Cymbidium goeringii grow; historically, famous orchid varieties such as Jinxiangyu and Lüguanyin were cultivated here.

4. Leye County and Napo County, Baise City, Guangxi Province. In April 2008, the China Wild Plant Conservation Association awarded Leye County and Napo County the title of “China's Hometown of Orchids”. In addition, this place also has the country's only wild population of Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum, numbering more than 100,000 plants.

Chrysanthemum:

1. Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival

The chrysanthemum is the city flower of Kaifeng. The people of Kaifeng love chrysanthemums, and every household has the tradition of growing and viewing chrysanthemums. The people of Kaifeng love chrysanthemums not only for their gorgeous and varied blooms, but even more for their character of budding forth in the cold and blooming proudly in frost, which is precisely the best symbol of the Kaifeng people's resolute, tenacious and enterprising spirit.

2. Tongxiang Chrysanthemum Festival

In the harvest season when the golden wind brings coolness, the vast Hangzhou white chrysanthemums in the fields roll in silver waves under the blue sky and white clouds, a truly beautiful sight, like a white expanse.

3. Dongliu Chrysanthemum Festival

The great poet Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty once wrote: "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I gaze leisurely at the southern mountains." The great poet Tao loved chrysanthemums all his life, and Dongliu Town also got its name from Tao Yuanming's fine line "By day stationed at Pengze, by night lodging at Dongliu." Tao Yuanming often came here to plant, view, pick and write poems about chrysanthemums, and Dongliu is honored as the "Chrysanthemum Town".

4. Beijing Chrysanthemum Festival

When the season arrives here, red leaves and autumn chrysanthemums vie in beauty. The sky is high and the clouds are light, the shimmering autumn waters brightly reflect the pavilions, red maples and yellow leaves dye the mountains, and the gorgeous, otherworldly autumn chrysanthemums sway in varied grace. Beijing's Chrysanthemum Festival is held every year, and viewing chrysanthemums has also become a choice for people enjoying autumn.