Wintersweet is an excellent tree species for winter flower viewing

Ecological habits Wintersweet is also known as huangmei and huangmeihua. It belongs to the genus Chimonanthus in the family Calycanthaceae. It is a deciduous shrub, about 3 m tall, with simple opposite leaves. The leaf blades are elliptic-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate at the apex, rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, 7-15 cm long, entire, with a rough surface; the flowers are bisexual, solitary in the leaf axils of one-year-old branches, with very short pedicels, yellow, waxy, and fragrant, blooming from December to March. Cultivated varieties include Qingkou wintersweet; Chaiyouxin wintersweet; and Gousheng wintersweet. Wintersweet originated in central China. It prefers sunlight but is also slightly shade-tolerant, relatively cold-tolerant, and drought-tolerant, hence the saying "wintersweet that cannot die of drought." It has no strict requirements for soil texture, but well-drained light loam is preferable. Propagation and cultivation 1. Propagation Wintersweet is commonly propagated by sowing, division, layering, grafting, and other methods. Sowing is mostly used for rootstock propagation and the breeding of new varieties. However, in recent years, seedling wintersweet plants have also been used more often directly for garden planting. From June to July, when the outer shell of the wintersweet achene turns from green to yellow and the inner seed is brown-black, it can be harvested. Remove the seeds, dry them in the shade, and store them, then sow them in a seedbed in late March of the following year. One-year-old seedlings reach about 20 cm tall, and can bloom in the cultivation year. In recent years, seeds are often sown immediately after being collected in summer; fresh seeds emerge quickly, and in winter they must be covered to prevent freezing. Before sowing, the seeds need to be soaked in warm water for 24 hours to promote germination. Division is carried out after leaf fall in autumn and before budbreak in spring. Dig out the wintersweet, shake off the soil from the roots, and use a sharp knife or pruning shears to divide it into several small plants. Each small plant must have 1-2 main branches, which are cut back to 10 cm, and then planted. By autumn, apply 1 light fertilizer application, and it can bloom in the following year. The division propagation method is simple and convenient, but its drawback is a low propagation rate. Layering can be divided into ordinary layering, mound layering, and air layering, etc. In the plum rain season from May to June, using rice hull ash as the medium, carry out air layering, and promptly pot or plant in the ground; it can bloom in the same year. Grafting is the main propagation method for wintersweet, using Gousheng wintersweet or poorer-quality seedlings as rootstock. There are three methods: cut grafting, which is suitable when the wintersweet leaf buds begin to swell in spring; too early or too late makes survival difficult. The optimal period is only about 1 week, and the highest survival rate can reach 80%-90%. Approach grafting can be carried out in spring, summer, and autumn, with the best results from May to June. Side grafting uses 1-2-year-old seedlings with a root diameter of 0.5-0.8 cm as rootstock. Make a diagonal cut 3-5 cm above the ground, reaching the xylem, then take a previously prepared semi-lignified one-year-old cultivar scion with 2-3 pairs of buds, cut one side at the base on each of two sides, one long (2-3 cm) and one short, insert the long side inward into the rootstock cut, align the cambium, and tie with a plastic strip. Then use a rectangular plastic film of 10 cm by 15 cm to form a tube around the graft union, tying it tightly at the top and bottom. After 20-25 days the wound heals; remove the plastic film tube, cut the rootstock 1-2 cm above the graft union, and remove the tying material after the new branches unfold leaves. Pinch the new shoots once each time they grow 5-7 cm. Stop fertilizing and watering in September. In the same year, a flowering plant 50 cm tall with 4 branches can be formed. 2. Cultivation Transplanting wintersweet is suitable after leaf fall in autumn and winter and before sprouting in spring. When transplanting, large seedlings should be kept with a soil ball, while small seedlings may be without a soil ball, but the roots must not be exposed for too long. The planting depth should be the same as in the original place. If the soil is too alkaline, use imported soil, or improve it to neutral soil. Wintersweet should be planted in a wind-sheltered place, or windbreak facilities should be added. Pruning should be carried out according to the shape of the crown. Wintersweet has two crown forms, namely the clumping type of seedlings and the single-trunk type of grafted plants. The former has many branches and many flowers, poor ventilation and light penetration, and a messy appearance, so appropriate thinning and shaping are advisable; the latter has fewer flowers, good ventilation and light penetration, and a beautiful form, so pruning should take care to maintain the original characteristics of the crown. Fertilize once each year, after flowering. After October, select wintersweet with plump flower buds, dig it out with a soil ball, plant it in a pot, and place it under a shade shed for care. When equivalent to flowering, move it indoors for viewing. Wintersweet has relatively few pests and diseases. Appreciation Wintersweet is beautiful in color and rich in fragrance, a splendid plant in the cold. In the cold months and early spring, wintersweet braves frost and fights the cold, blooming and releasing fragrance, and is an important flowering tree for winter garden scenery. In gardens it can be planted near tea rooms and restaurants, or mass-planted on hillsides and beside water; scattered planting at bridgeheads and beside pavilions is also suitable. Combined with evergreen plants such as pines and bamboos, it can better express the winter scenery. If mixed with red plum, then the lovely yellow and tender red set each other off beautifully. In courtyards it can be planted at building entrances, in front of south-facing windows, and in inner courtyards. Wintersweet can live for a hundred years; the older it gets, the more extraordinary and precious it becomes. Wintersweet flowers remain long without fading, and the flowering branches are top-grade material for cut flowers. During the Spring Festival, placed indoors, they can add a touch of spring.