How big is the difference in plants between North and South? What is a treasure in the North may be a weed in the South

Growing flowers in the North and South is like living in two parallel worlds. Some "weeds" that grow casually by the roadside in the South can sell for a gold-level price in flower markets in the North; conversely, flowers that Northerners tend like treasures may grow so wildly in the South that people want to pull them out. Take Bougainvillea, Monstera deliciosa, water hyacinth, and pennywort, for example. Their treatment in the North and South differs so much it can make people laugh out loud.

Bougainvillea:Anyone who has spent time in the South knows that this thing needs no care at all. At the foot of walls, beside roads, as soon as spring arrives it can cover half a wall, and when it blooms you see only flowers, not leaves, with purple, red, and pink piled into a waterfall. The most exaggerated one I have seen was a single Bougainvillea that wrapped the entire outer wall of an old building, so that walking past in summer felt like entering a flower cave. But in the North, Bougainvillea immediately becomes a "glass beauty": in winter it must be moved into a heated room, too much water rots the roots, too little sun makes it drop leaves, and flower market owners even have to specially label it an "imported variety," with one pot selling for several hundred. The neighbor lady brought one back from Hainan last year, wrapped it in a quilt and put it on the balcony in winter, and it still froze until all its leaves fell off.

Monstera deliciosa:Speaking of Monstera deliciosa, friends in the South may think this plant is too ordinary. It is everywhere in neighborhood green belts, its leaves are so large they can be used as umbrellas, and when it grows wildly it has to be cut back regularly, otherwise it can break through second-floor windows. But in the eyes of Northern flower lovers, Monstera deliciosa is the representative "internet-famous green plant." The more symmetrical the leaf splits, the more valuable it is. Having a large Monstera in the living room is a symbol of being an expert grower. To make his Monstera grow faster, my colleague put it on the air conditioner outdoor unit in summer to "sunbathe," and as a result half the leaves were scorched. He still feels heartbroken about it now.

Water hyacinth:Even funnier is water hyacinth, which is what we call water hyacinth. In southern waters, this thing is simply an "ecological nightmare." In less than half a year it can cover an entire pond, and it cannot be fully removed no matter how much you try. Fishermen get headaches as soon as they see it. But in the North, water hyacinth becomes a "delicate guest" in aquariums, sold by the plant in flower markets, and in winter it still has to be placed near heating to keep warm; if it gets slightly cold, the roots rot. My uncle kept two in a fish tank and hoped every day that they would bloom, only to have a Southern friend laugh when he heard about it: "This stuff? We throw it away as a weed here!"

Pennywort:Finally, let's talk about pennywort. In a southern yard, just dig up a little soil and water it, and it will grow densely; it is hard to remove completely. But Northern flower lovers raise pennywort almost like caring for a baby. In summer they fear it will wilt from the sun, in winter they fear it will freeze, watering must use settled tap water, and fertilizing must be diluted into a very weak nutrient solution. Even so, it often turns yellow. Last year my mom bought "special soil for pennywort" online, and when relatives from the old hometown came and saw it, they said: "Isn't this just the mud from beside our field ridges? Want me to dig some for you, is that enough?"

Actually, plants are not high or low, noble or humble. It is just that when they are moved somewhere else, you have to learn their temperament all over again. The North's "treasure" becomes "grass" in the South, and the South's "grass" becomes a "treasure" in the North. In the end, they are all favorites in the eyes of us flower growers. After all, no matter where we are, the joy of watching green plants sprout new leaves and bloom small flowers is the same.