Deciduous shrub wintersweet seed planting method and symbolism, can it be brewed as tea?

Wintersweet, also known as: golden plum, wintersweet, wax flower, yellow plum blossom. Belonging to the genus Chimonanthus in the family Calycanthaceae, it is a deciduous shrub that is good for courtyard planting and also suitable for old-stump bonsai and flower arranging and styling art. So do you know what the wintersweet seed planting methods are? Can it be brewed as tea? What is its symbolism?

Wintersweet seed planting methods

1. Preparation work

Besides buying wintersweet seeds on the market, you can also collect them yourself. Every year in July-August, when the wintersweet fruit turns yellow, you can collect the seeds. At this time, take out the seeds and store them properly in a relatively dry environment.

2. Sowing

When are wintersweet seeds sown? The sowing season for wintersweet seeds is always spring. Before sowing, soak the wintersweet seeds in warm water for 24 hours, put them into a germination box for sprouting, then place them in sandy soil for drilling sowing, water them enough, and maintain such conditions; in just about 15-20 days they will sprout. One thing to note is that in different regions, the germination time of wintersweet also differs. Generally speaking, in South China and Central China, they will sprout in April. At this time, do not relax either, and remember to fertilize in time, as this will promote the growth of wintersweet seeds. After wintersweet seeds sprout, they can be planted into the soil, and after patiently waiting for a period of time, they will bloom.

Wintersweet seeds can also be sown in autumn, preferably in July-August. Take the wintersweet seeds out of the ripe fruit and sow them directly. Wintersweet seeds germinate very quickly and will sprout in about ten days. When the wintersweet seedlings grow to 20 cm, they can be planted into the soil, with the method as above.

3. Watering

Wintersweet does not like waterlogging. An overly wet environment will affect the growth of the wintersweet roots and even affect wintersweet flowering, so it should be watered less. It should be noted that for wintersweet planted in the open air, during the rainy season, pay attention to preventing water accumulation. In spring, maintain a frequency of watering once every half a month. Of course, if there is a spring drought or a windy season, the watering frequency can be more frequent, maintaining once every 2 to 3 days. In summer, do not water often; just keep the soil moist. Winter is even simpler: just keep the soil slightly moist.

4. About pest and disease control

a. Insect pests

In summer, with high temperatures and frequent rain, wintersweet is prone to scale insects. Scale insects can be controlled through manual intervention, and the method is also very simple: you can spray with 50% pirimicarb 3000-fold solution to eliminate scale insects.

b. Diseases

The high-temperature season is very harmful to wintersweet. Also in the hot season, wintersweet is prone to black spot disease. At this time, we can spray with 65% zineb 500-fold solution or 0.3 Baume lime-sulfur mixture for treatment; at the same time, there is also anthracnose, which can be sprayed with thiophanate 800-fold solution for treatment.

Can wintersweet be brewed as tea?

The flower of wintersweet is also an important one. Its flower has many medicinal substances, for example, it contains many kinds of volatile oils, carotene and other beneficial substances, and can lower blood sugar, clear heat and detoxify, and relieve heat dizziness and other symptoms, so wintersweet flowers can be brewed as tea.

How exactly should wintersweet flowers be brewed as tea: first, you can buy directly processed wintersweet flowers, then rinse them with boiling water, and in about 10 minutes it is ready.

Second, you can also pick wintersweet yourself, then dry the wintersweet flowers in the sun until they are dried, and then rinse them with boiling water. Because wintersweet flowers themselves are slightly bitter, you can add granulated sugar or honey, mix and stir well, and in about 10 minutes you can drink it.

The effects of wintersweet flower tea: it can clear heat and detoxify, and prevent and treat wind-cold infection and colds. Its flower buds can also relieve summer heat, stop coughing, and treat vomiting and dizziness, etc.

Wintersweet flowers can also be mixed and drunk with bitter gourd tea, roses, honeysuckle, reishi, osmanthus, etc. Not only are they delicious and refreshing, they can also strengthen the body and improve health. They really have many effects.

What symbolism does wintersweet have?

All along, plum blossoms have always been regarded as a symbol of strength and nobility. Ancient poets often

compared winter plum and snow, which shows that in ancient times, plum was already regarded by the ancients as unafraid of the cold.

Unique beauty

Rationality in the face of change, the power of thought, constant self-reflection

Rich in compassion. Wintersweet flowers are golden yellow like wax, facing frost and defying snow, blooming against the cold at the start of the year, lasting a long time without withering, blooming even earlier than plum blossoms. Truly light yellow dotted with snow, frozen berries holding frost, with a fragrance rich yet clear, beautiful yet not vulgar. There was once a poem praising it: "The branches stretch across jasper, naturally slender; the stamens cling to broken gold, extraordinarily fragrant." Wintersweet blooms in deep winter. If you can buy a few branches from a flower shop, put them in a vase, and place them on a desk, their delicate fragrance fills the room, making people feel a penetrating subtle scent and refreshed and happy. Or give them to a kind elder, and the symbolism is even more profound.