A flower more worth growing than pothos and spider plants: easy to care for, long blooming period, and with a subtle, far-reaching fragrance

Introduction

Green plants and potted flowers are essential decorations for home life, beautifying the room while also lifting the spirits and nurturing the character. Keeping some plants and flowers at home brings many benefits. "Flower Sound Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1042" introduces you to a flower very much worth getting.

Today's featured plant

Summer is not a good season for growing flowers. Many plants "struggle through summer," such as succulents, Rieger begonias, and small hibiscus, all of which are hard to care for in summer. In June and July there are not many varieties to choose from, mostly green plants like pothos and spider plants. The flower introduced in this issue is just the opposite: the hotter the weather, the better its condition, making it suitable for growing right now.

Banana shrub

This flower is called banana shrub (Michelia figo), an evergreen woody plant widely distributed across the southern provinces of China, while in the north it is mostly grown as a potted plant. Its flower buds are as smooth as jade, pale yellow with edges sometimes red or purple, and the petals are fleshy and rather thick, with a sweet, intense fragrance similar to the scent of bananas, very pleasant to smell, famous since ancient times for its floral scent.

An extremely long blooming period

Banana shrub originates from southern China, with wild populations distributed in Dinghu Mountain, Guangdong. It likes a growing environment with ample light, warmth, and humidity. The hotter the weather, the better the plant's condition. It can be cultivated in all four seasons, with spring, summer, and autumn being the best. It is very easy to keep alive, and the difficulty of care is not great. It is also quite shade-tolerant, so an indoor potted plant at home is no problem either.

Easy to care for

In its natural state, banana shrub generally begins blooming in spring (in southern China) and can continue until late summer; the farther north, the shorter the blooming period. If grown as a potted plant, with no external temperature interference, it will bloom continuously as long as there is ample light, and it can bloom normally even in winter (commonly seen indoors in Northeast China where heating is on), with an extremely long blooming period.

Worth having

Compared with traditional green plants like pothos and spider plants, banana shrub has leaves that stay evergreen all year round and an extremely long blooming period. It can serve as a green plant for its foliage and also has flowers to admire, and it gives off a rich fruity fragrance. An old saying describes the banana shrub: "Only this flower cannot be stolen, for no one knows where it suddenly sends its fragrance." When it blooms, the whole room is filled with its scent, and it is very easy to grow, so it is very much worth having.