Where to see azaleas in May? Five must-visit destinations recommended
Azaleas are the "Xi Shi among flowers," with delicate, gorgeous colors and extraordinary beauty. May has arrived, bringing the peak bloom season for azaleas once again. Every place in the country famous for azaleas is packed with crowds during the May Day holiday, which shows just how much people love them. Today let me introduce some places in China that are relatively well suited to viewing azaleas. If you didn't manage to go during May Day, there's still time to see them if you go this month.
Bijie, Guizhou: Baili Rhododendron, where one tree bears different flowers, with a bloom season from mid-March to mid-May. Baili Rhododendron Forest Park is the largest known area of native azalea forest in China, and enjoys the reputation of "Azalea Kingdom." The most special sight is probably "one tree, different flowers" - on a single azalea tree, flowers of different varieties magically bloom, and at their most spectacular there can be as many as 7 kinds. That's why it ranks first, and it's well worth a visit. It's very convenient for friends from the south to get there.
Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang: Yunjin azaleas, a thousand flowers to enchant you, with a bloom season in May. The azaleas here can be considered the oldest, tallest and largest "king of azaleas" in the world, growing on Huading Peak in Tiantai Mountain at an altitude of 1200 m, across nearly 300 mu of mountain terrain. The azaleas high on the mountain are shrouded in mist and clouds that never disperse all year round, with clusters of flowers appearing and disappearing, as if you have entered a fairyland. This is the place I most want to visit, so it ranks second. It's very convenient for friends from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai to get there.
Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia: Located at 50 degrees north latitude, Hulunbuir sees spring arrive late, but because azaleas bloom all over the mountains and plains, May plays the most resounding song of spring. On the hillsides, in the valleys, and across the Xing'an Mountains with their layered green ridges and surging seas of forest, azaleas bloom proudly in dense profusion, vying in beauty, while the yet-unmelted white snow reflects the fiery red azaleas, painting a rare and sacred scene on earth.
Macheng, Hubei: A sea of azaleas, with a bloom season in May. In the Guifeng Valley of Macheng, the total area of azalea communities reaches more than 100,000 mu, with contiguous growth covering more than 10,000 mu. This primitive ancient azalea forest, with a growth cycle of millions of years, is remarkable for its vast area, great age, high density, beautiful scenery and excellent preservation, embodying the harmonious coexistence of environment, vegetation and azaleas. It can be called unmatched in central China and is rare nationwide as well.
Yunwu Mountain, Hubei: Beauty stretching to the horizon, flowers flying like blossoms, with a bloom season from late March to early May. The largest and most beautiful scenic spot in Yunwu Mountain must be "Ten-Li Flower Mountain," and the main flower on Ten-Li Flower Mountain is the azalea. Every year from late March to early May, the azaleas of Ten-Li Flower Mountain spread across the mountains and plains, opening in succession, some brilliantly colorful, some as white as snow, rushing into visitors' eyes.
These are all beauties bestowed by nature. Many flower lovers don't have the time to go to these places to admire the beauty of azaleas, and growing azaleas at home in home gardening is now very popular too. In the next share, I'll introduce some azalea varieties suitable for growing at home.