The Old Days of Dyeing Nails with Balsam: More Nostalgic Than Spending 500 Yuan on Fancy Manicures

Shaoyao's love for plants and flowers began at a very young age. When she thinks back on her childhood, many plant-related stories come vividly to mind.

For example, the familiar green foxtail grass, which can be woven into rings and little rabbits; secretly calling friends to climb low hillsides to pick wild jujubes; in autumn, when golden osmanthus flowers fall all over the yard, Mom would use glutinous rice flour and sugar to make osmanthus cake...

But of all her childhood memories, what Shaoyao loves most is still the garden balsam. As a vain little girl, I loved using it to dye my nails. A tiny bit of red on the fingertips could make a little girl happy for many days.

Little Princess

 Lost Childhood Whispers of the World (Part 1)

Dawn Light Corridor 

00:00/12:06

{Shaoyao Girl Vol.865 }

x

Childhood Memory: Garden Balsam

I believe every girl who loves beauty played with garden balsam as a child:

Pick a few of the most vibrant garden balsam flowers from the roadside,Pluck off the petals and grind them finely, mix in a little alum, carefully apply to all ten nails, wrap them with ramie leaves, and bind tightly with cotton thread,Go to sleep with a nervous and excited heart, and the next day the nails turn a dazzling red.

Image from Guokr.com

Patient girls would dye them several times in a row, making the red even more brilliant. Sometimes the skin would accidentally get dyed red too, and it would take several days to wash off.

This is Shaoyao's earliest memory of garden balsam. Because it is born with the magical ability to dye nails, garden balsam is also called "nail flower."

Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous plant,

The native garden balsam grows in upright clusters,

Its shape closely resembles a feather duster,

With lush blooms opening amid the screening green leaves.

Because the petals resemble a phoenix spreading its wings to fly,

People named it "phoenix flower" (garden balsam).

Its colors are mostly bright and eye-catching,

Red, pink, purple, white,

When blooming in masses, it is a spectacular sight.

Garden balsam likes sunlight, tolerates heat but not cold,

And thrives in loose, fertile, slightly acidic soil.

She is a tenacious girl,

With very strong adaptability,

Easy to transplant and quick to grow.

Besides "nail flower,"

It has another nickname called"Impatient One"。

The ripe fruit has five seams,

And at the slightest disturbance,

The fruit wall suddenly bursts open,

Firing out black "cannonballs,"

Spreading the seeds to farther places.

As early as the Tang and Song dynasties,

China had records of cultivating garden balsam.

A garden balsam "flower fanatic" of the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Xuemin,

Compiled the "Garden Balsam Manual," which included 183 different varieties of garden balsam.

The Yuan Dynasty female poet Lu Xiuqing wrote a poem titled "Drunk in the Shade of Flowers,"

Depicting a woman dyeing her nails with garden balsam.

"After the balsam flowers bloom by the winding railing, they are pounded into the golden plate, thin.

Silver nails are briefly loosened and removed, dyed onto spring-slender fingers, deep red through the night."

After modern breeding, the garden balsam family has become even larger,

With more than 900 different varieties,

Giving rise to many different forms.

According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica,"

The petals of garden balsam are sweet in taste and warm in nature,

And have the effects of promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, dispelling wind, and relieving pain.

In summer and autumn, fresh flowers are picked and dried in the sun,

And once dried, they can be used as medicine.

When I was young, garden balsam in my heart

Was just an inconspicuous wildflower,

On the walls of farm courtyards, along deserted roadsides,

Its figure could be seen everywhere.

Even if no one cared for or cherished it,

Garden balsam still bloomed in full fiery splendor,

Spreading everywhere in brilliant colors,

Burning its own beauty without the slightest stinginess.

Later, I discovered by chance

That on balconies and in gardens in Europe,

There was unexpectedly garden balsam too,

This is a kind from Africa,Sultan's garden balsam。

Walls whitewashed,

Square and neat windows,

Dazzling garden balsam growing freely,

Making the originally dull windowsills full of life,

Filled with a rich European flavor.

Plant the small front yard full of garden balsam,

Pick fresh flowers to make wreaths,

Place a pot of garden balsam in front of the steps,

The windowsill likewise cannot lack its figure,

Isn't this just an ordinary people's version of a European-style garden~

Only then did I realize that I had underestimated garden balsam before,

Whether in a farm courtyard or a European-style garden,

It always blooms passionately, consistently,

As long as there is soil, sunlight, and rain and dew,

Everywhere is a stage for it to bloom.

In urban landscape design,

Garden balsam is often put into flower pots and suspended in the air,

With white decorations as the background,

Creating a style that is romantic yet still wild.

In flower arrangement works,

Garden balsam is brightly colored but small in size,

So it is better suited as a filler flower material,

Setting off a more delicate and eye-catching main subject.

But Shaoyao still loves the way it grows in the wild,

Unrestrained, vigorous and grand,

Not caring at all about others' eyes,

Only being its own protagonist.

Shaoyao likes garden balsam,

Before, because she loved that it could dye nails red,

Now, because she loves its passionate and optimistic character.

Time flies, the flowers still bloom as always,

But people can only sigh that pure childhood has gone far away.

Now we can spend 500 yuan to get exquisite manicures,

Yet we begin to miss the days of dyeing nails with garden balsam...

END

The images in this article are from Visual China, and the illustrations are from @ZhaXiaoZha