How to grow potted wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) so it thrives

  Wintersweet is a traditional, precious ornamental flowering plant native to China, with a long history of cultivation and a rich wintersweet culture. That well-known poem "Bu Suan Zi - Ode to the Plum" praises it: “A few branches of plum by the wall, blooming alone in the cold; from afar you know it is not snow, for a subtle fragrance comes.” It praises the wintersweet's noble qualities of defying the severe cold, blooming in the chill, and its proud, imposing spirit, as well as its subtle fragrance.

  When does wintersweet bloom? Wintersweet is the dried flower bud of the wintersweet plant of the family Calycanthaceae. When it blooms, auspicious snow is often falling, so it is also called "flower in the snow." It generally blooms from mid-November until around March of the following year. Its blooming period is earlier than that of the plum and lasts longer, so in the cold winter, the wintersweet that "blooms alone in the cold" is also distinctive as a potted specimen and as a vase flower. Placing a few branches of wintersweet in the living room or bedroom instantly fills the room with a fresh fragrance, making people feel relaxed and refreshed.

  Many families grow wintersweet at home. How do you grow wintersweet?

  To understand how to grow wintersweet, you first need to understand its natural characteristics. Wintersweet prefers a warm climate, is relatively cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, and tolerates slight shade; it likes sunlight and dislikes waterlogging. Therefore, it is best to plant it in deep, loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. Heavy clay and alkaline soil are not conducive to its growth.

  In addition, you need to master the cultivation techniques for wintersweet: it is commonly propagated by seeds, grafting, cuttings, and division.

  Seed propagation usually uses seedling transplanting; after sowing, the seedlings are grown for 2 years before being transplanted. For grafting, use seedlings or division-propagated plants as rootstock, and cut grafting and approach grafting work best. For cutting propagation, softwood cuttings in summer are best, and they root more easily when inserted in a shaded plastic film shed. Division propagation is done in February to March by digging up the suckering shoots produced by the mother plant and planting them.

  When caring for wintersweet, two points should also be noted: first, water and fertilize at the right times to promote flower bud differentiation and more blooms; second, prevent and control pests, diseases, and viruses.

  Wintersweet blooms in December and finishes blooming in January. In just two short months it receives people's great affection, but after January it may be forgotten. In fact, after the flowers fade, wintersweet still needs good care to store nutrients for next year's blooming. Let's look at the care methods for wintersweet after the flowers fade!

  Wintersweet is a flower that blooms in winter and symbolizes perseverance. Its flowers are small but numerous, with a fragrant scent that greets the nose. Nowadays many people also grow wintersweet as potted plants at home. Below, the editor introduces the growing methods and precautions for wintersweet.

  Grafting propagation:

  When wintersweet is not blooming, you can use grafting propagation to grow several more plants. After the flowers fade, choose a relatively well-grown branch, strengthen its care, and cut off the tip of that branch so that nutrients are concentrated in the middle section of the branch. After one month, cut off the branch and whittle it into a cut surface, just slightly exposing the xylem, then insert it onto the rootstock. After joining, bind it with a plastic strip, then cover the cut with mounded soil. After about one month, loosen the covering soil and check whether it has survived.

  Temperature requirements:

  Wintersweet likes sunlight and also tolerates partial shade. Although it can grow in the cold winter, it can still be damaged by freezing if the temperature is too low. It can overwinter safely at around -15°C. In areas south of Beijing, the temperature needs to be kept within -10°C during the blooming period, otherwise the flowers will suffer freezing damage.

  Water in time:

  Potted wintersweet kept at home is mostly placed indoors for flower viewing. In the later blooming period, the plant should be moved outdoors to a sunny, warm place. When the potting soil dries, water as usual: do not water when it is not dry, and when you do water, water thoroughly. Promptly remove faded flowers to prevent them from falling on the ground and breeding bacteria.

  Since ancient times, wintersweet has been regarded as a kind of plum blossom that can withstand the test of severe cold and intense heat, so it should be a very easy flower to grow. People often say that wintersweet cannot be killed by drought, and from this you can see that wintersweet's drought resistance is very good. So a potted plant at home does not need too much water; just water a little, as long as the potting soil is not dry and cracked.

  Fertilizing method:

  Any plant needs a certain amount of nutrients to grow well. Although wintersweet can withstand the test of severe cold, when it comes to fertilizer, what should be given still cannot be omitted. In fact, wintersweet is a flower that very much likes fertilizer. So when growing a wintersweet bonsai, be careful to choose fertile soil, but it should not be too fertile, and wintersweet should be fertilized regularly each time.

  Pruning method:

  The wintersweet people commonly see is generally a fairly large tree, and one planted outdoors in the ground can go without pruning. But indoor potted wintersweet still needs regular shaping. Wintersweet has strong branching ability, and there is a saying that "wintersweet never lacks branches." Pruning at the right time can make wintersweet grow more strong branches and also increase blooming.

  Generally, it is best to prune at the right time after the flowers fade and before the leaves emerge, cutting out dead branches, overly dense branches, crossing branches, and diseased or pest-infested branches, and leaving 2 to 3 pairs of buds at the base of one-year-old branches, cutting off the upper part of the branch to encourage branching.

  Repot at the right time:

  For home potted wintersweet, there is relatively little soil in the pot, and nutrients are easily used up, so the pot and soil need to be changed regularly, generally once every 1 to 2 years. The time is best chosen in March or April when the branches and leaves begin to stir, that is, 2 months after the flowers fade.

  After taking the wintersweet out of the original pot, peel off 30% to 50% of the old soil from the root ball, then shorten the overly long roots and cut off dead, weak, overlapping, leggy, and crossing branches. Move it into a new pot, then add new soil (garden soil or artificial potting mix) and base fertilizer (organic compound fertilizer is best). After repotting, water thoroughly and place it in a cool, shaded place.