On Page 1 we began our brief sampling of plants from China, i.e., types of trees, shrubs, vines and perennials whose origin -- either wholly or in part -- is Chinese. On the current page I list a few more examples.
Forsythias are one of the harbingers of spring. The spring landscape wouldn't be the same without their delightful yellow blooms. But as much as we in the West take them for granted, they are not native to Western lands: forsythias, too, are on the list of plants from China.
Read article: Forsythia Shrubs
These plants of China are evergreens from zone 7 south, where they are very popular. The white-flowering variety has been grown in the U.S. for some time, but the craze now is for the cultivars that boast pink or red blooms. Loropetalum is best known for its delicate, fringe-like petals.
Read article: Loropetalum
Chinese wisteria vines are beautiful, but waiting for them to finally flower can be just too long a wait for some folks. These plants from China are also invasive. If you live in North America, you may want to buy American wisteria vines, instead. Not only will the latter be less invasive for you, but they also bloom faster.
Read article: Wisteria Vines
For hundreds of years, long before garden catalogs, from one corner of the globe to another, peony plants have been grown and admired. The Chinese have even used them medicinally. The attractiveness and heavenly scent of their large blooms make peonies a must-have flower.
Read article: Peony Plants
Plants From China: Symbolic Value
For the Chinese themselves, the plants from China hold a value that goes beyond the beauty they add to the landscape. In addition to the medicinal uses to which they have been put in their native land, many of the plants from China are rich in symbolic value. An especially noteworthy quartet are the so-called "four men of virtue" or "four men of honor," to each of which is ascribed a particular virtue:
- Plum blossoms (braveness)
- Chrysanthemum Flowers (modesty)
- Orchids (leisure)
- Bamboo plants (integrity)
Plants From China: Their Westward Journey
I've provided examples of plants from China used extensively in Western landscaping. But you may be wondering how they originally reached Western lands. Well, we have the famous plant explorers to thank for that. There were many such collectors, but a listing of "four men of honor" will be sufficient for this brief introduction:
And lest you think that collecting plants from China was purely a male endeavor, let's also pay tribute to Marianne North.
