What’s a spring yard without flowering tree
Nothing prettier than an ornamental flowering peach
I was born in a country where flowering peach trees bloomed early in spring and are symbolic of good life.
I have created my flowering peach garden away from my native homeland to rejoice in the nostalgic and beautiful blooming of the trees.
You are invited to view pictures taken from my Flowering peach garden in Paris suburbs .
ORNAMENTAL FLOWERING PRUNUS PERSICA
Dao Hoa multipetalled flowering Prunus Persica
The genus prunus is comprised of approximately 450 species which are spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. They include peaches, plumbs, cherries, nectarines, apricots and almonds in the rose family : The botanical name Prunus Persica refers to Persia (Iran) from where it came to Europe.
Peach trees are excellent small trees for the home garden, growing to around 4mx8m.
Double petal flowers are available in red, white and pink for flowering peach trees.
Flowering peach tree is often seen as a center piece in oriental garden designs for its graceful appearance.
Fruiting peach trees and flowering peach trees are symbolic in many cultural traditions in Asia.
Genetic studies suggest peaches originated in China where they have been cultivated since the early of chinese culture cir. 2000BC. The peach was brought to America by spanish explorers in the 16th century,eventually made it to England and France.
Peach trees are grown primarily as a fruit tree, however great interest in flowering peach tree was shown by President Thomas Jefferson who planted a double flowering peach tree that spectacularly bloomed at his home in Virginia in 1805 : Flowering peach trees rate high and desirable for planting. These ornamental flowering peach trees are fewer or sterile in fruit production and bloom in spring. They are multipetalled flowering trees and available for planting and flowering with colors of red, white and pink.
Fruiting peach trees are loaded with colorful clusters of single flower peach petals. They are planted for their sweet and juicy, fleshy fruits.
Ornamental flowering peach trees are grown for their beautiful double flowered peach petals. Their colored flowers are pink, red and white depending on the variety. They are planted for their beautiful and eye-catching multipetalled flowers.
Definition and description of the ornamental flowering peach
Any of various peach varieties grown primarily for their ornamental flowers which may be red, pink and white and are often double flowered peach petals.
The lifting flagrance of early flowering peach trees tease the air : flowering peach trees bloom very early in the spring and the flowers of red, white, pink are the most common colors. Ornamental flowering peach trees produce flower displays that arguably rival of cherries.
For the flowering tree to remain healthy and produce its flowers, it needs to grow in a sunny location in a fertile moist well draining soil.
Flowering peach blossom includes two ranges of petals (double petals or multipetalled) and numerous tiny hairlike stamens.
The flowers are born singly on the branch twigs, although many flowers can occur all along the branch to make it look like it is clothed in blossoms.
Blooming time depends on local climate peach tree : in Paris suburbs, peach tree blooming starts in mid March, lasts 3 weeks and ends in April. Over the course of 15 to 21 days, flowers are open on the various branches on a peach tree.
Warmer spring temperatures hasten or shorten the flowering season whereas a cool weather regimen prolongs the gradual display of flowers.
Flowering peach trees are very sensitive to late spring frosts and freezes : Peach trees may bloom too early and the flowers could be killed by frosts or freezes.
It’s hard to forecast the blossom of peach trees this year 2016 as last winter was warm, but this spring is freezing (in Ile de France) which damages the buds and flowers.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICATIONS OF FLOWERING PEACHES
Attaching symbolic value to plants, flowers and trees is phenomenon common to all languages and cultures.
In Asia the cultivation or appreciation of plants and flowers is something that began thousand of years ago. From those times, asian people had endowed many plants with significance.
Writers, poets and painters have long depicted flowers and trees in their artistic pursuits.
Overtime, the symbolism of plant has become a complex part of a national culture.
Historically, plants have also been thought to embody certain spiritual features that have shaped the custom and character of a country.
In Asia, peach blossoms are thought to represent pretty ladies. In Vietnam people calls "Dao = peach flower" which means girl. Peaches ares symbolic in many cultural traditions such as arts, paintings and folktales as peach immortality.
CHINA
Peach blossoms are highly prized in China culture. The ancient chinese believed the peaches to possess more vitality than any tree, because their blossoms appear before leaves sprout.
In China, peach flowers are sure the best choice for your home as they bring strong healing energy of new beginning, a sense of freshness and innocence. Most often, the image of peach blossom is used as a symbol of love and health.
Chinese also nicknamed peach tree, the tree of life because it symbolizes longevity and fertility.
Ancient chinese artwork going back as far as the 10th century BC shows the peach as a symbol of longevity, female sexuality, purity and truth; It is the YIN.
A peach with the leaf attached symbolizes the union of the heart and tongue hence truth. Peaches are mentioned in chinese writings as far back as the 10th BC and were a favored fruit of king emperors.
Peaches play an important role in chinese mythology and history and were said to have magical powers.
Peaches are mentioned in ancient pieces of chinese literature and art such as Tao Yuanming's, the tale of the peach blossom spring. Chinese classical literature is also filled with peaches.
Chinese poetry is also full of allusions to peach flowers. Here's one from Li Bai (Lý Bạch) poems :
Conversation on the Mountain - Li Bai
You ask for what reason, I stay on the green mountain,
I smile, but do not answer, my heart is at leisure,
Peach blossom is carried far off by flowing water,
Apart, I have heaven and earth in the human world.
JAPAN
The cherry symbolize the national character of Japan. This is because the short life of the cherry blossoms became allegory for the short life of a feodal samurai could be expected at any time to sacrifice his life for his master! A saying the japanese is that the cherry is among flowers as the samurai is among men : the cherry have become a large part of culture of that nation.
Cherry blossom has become the national flower of the country.
For that reason the peach blossom has never attained the fame in japan art or among their poets and seems to be very little warm in a japanese house all through the long, regulated to secondary rank by the artist as a decorative motive and material.
There are quite a few japanese proverbs that include flowers.
FRANCE
Peach leaf curl is the common disease of peach trees that develops mainly in regions of the northern two thirds of France where the cold and humidity are conductive to the development of fungi.
Most cases, peaches found in orchards or home gardens are fruiting trees. They are planted for their delicious fruits.
The last peach orchard of Paris
Parisian "Pêchers" of Montreuil became famous within high society even the Queen of England, the Prime of Wales and Russian Tsars came to the peach orchards of Montreuil to taste the unique varieties of parisian peaches.
Paris became home to a thriving peach trees : Established during the seventeenth century of the eastern edge of Paris known as Montreuil, a 300 hectare maze walls and agricultural plots provided an unique microclimate for the trees normally suited for cultivation in warmer areas.
The peculiar architecture known as "Murs à pêches" walls for peaches served to protect trees planted near the walls and adapt them to a much colder environment.
Cultivars were single petalled fruiting trees : They were planted for their fruits (not for their ornamental flowers).
Paintings of flowering peaches
A series of paintings which artist Vincent Van Gogh executed in Arles in southern France in the spring of 1888 : Van Gogh arrived in Arles in February 1888 and the peach trees were in blossom.
Appreciating the symbolism of rebirth, Van Gogh worked with optimism and zeal on about fourteen paintings of flowering trees in the early spring.
Flowering peach trees were special to Van Gogh ; they represented awakening and hope.
He enjoyed them aesthetically and founded joy in painting flowering trees.
Peach flowers seem to be forgotten for home decoration by the french people. They often confuse them with cherry blossoms.
VIETNAM
Peach trees are said to be native to China, but I'm convinced that there are varieties of peach trees native to Vietnam, in the highland areas :
Il existe dans les massifs montagneux de l'Indochine,dans le haut du Tonkin et dans les parties de la Chine qui confinent ce pays, un assez grand nombre de fruitiers qui méritent l'attention non seulement pour leur utilisation en Indochine, mais aussi en Europe et dans certaines parties de l'Afrique du Nord.
Ces espèces qui pour la plupart, au moins en Indochine, n'ont jamais été greffées, ni sélectionnées seraient sans doute améliorables. Plusieurs, grâce à leur rusticité et à leur résistance aux maladies, pourraient fournir des portes greffes intéressants.
Enfin, la plupart pourraient être le point de départ d'HYBRIDATIONS permettant d'améliorer la pomologie générale.
Le pêcher est très répandu au Tonkin et dans le haut Laos. On ne le greffe jamais de sorte qu'il est rare de rencontrer de bons fruits. La forme que l'on trouve habituellement dans les jardins annamites porte un mamelon pointu au sommet du fruit (variété mamose Hort), mais on trouve aussi des formes à fruits parfaitement sphériques. La chair est ordinairement dure, peu aqueuse et très adhérente au noyau.
Enfin dans les régions élevées du Tonkin et du laos, on rencontre en pleine brousse, des pêches à chair mince et inmangeable qui paraissent bien spontanés. Mr. Miéville s'est servi de ces plantes ou du pêcher annamite pour greffer les pêchers de France.
Auguste Chevalier
Revue de Botanique appliquée et d’Agriculture coloniale - Année 1923 - Vol 3 n° 17 - pp 28-37
Le Nord de l'Indochine dans la région montagneuse au dessus 800m d'altitude est un pays de prédilection pour la culture du pêcher qui existe dans tous les villages Mường, máns, mèos. On l'observe fréquemment à l'état sauvage dans la forêt secondaire et jusque sur les rochers inaccessibles. Il en existe diverses variétés sauvages.
Auguste Chevalier
Revue de Botanique appliquée et d’Agriculture coloniale - Année 1942 - Vol 22 n° 251 - pp 363-391
Flowering peach trees of Vietnam : A successful combination of technical skulls and cultural factors
In developing countries, ornamental culture is usually export oriented. In vicinity of large town in Vietnam, flowering peach trees are produced for local market only. They represent an interesting aspect of the temperate germplasm of Vietnam and a special economic strategy is implement : Very tiny fields can yield a high income which has promoted the development of a real flowering peach industry especially around the capital of the country.
Red peach flowers are essential for the traditionally celebrating Têt, the vienamese new year. This factor has led to the economic success of close to town horticulture. No parts of the overcrowded Red River delta close to West lake in the capital of the country are wasted.
Patrice Blanchet
CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL CHARACTERS OF FLOWERING PEACHES IN VIETNAM
The warm pink red of peach flowers symbolizes the admiration and gratitude of the vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors and demonstrates their aspiration for a life of plenty.
Visitors are engulfed in an ocean of colorful peach flowers during the traditional Têt festival.
People say that peach flower blossoms in spring during Têt Holiday while most other flowers still stay dormant symbolize the strong vitality.
Displaying flower branches of peach tree in the house during the Têt New Lunar Year has become a cultural tradition among vietnamese.
Vietnamese people has used to display bud and flower sticks of flowering peach tree to celebrate the upcoming new Lunar Year with all family members.
Prayers to ancestors and best wishes to parents and bonus for children are common acts during the traditional vietnamese Têt festival.
The presence of the flowering peach blooms amplify the solidarity atmosphere of family reunion.
The Têt of the Lunar Year is above all an opportunity to invite and welcome deceased ancestors back for a family reunion with their descendants to join the family Têt celebration.
This custom has become sacred and secular and therefore, no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances, family members find ways to come back to meet their loved ones, gather for a diner of traditional foods : flowering peach trees, symbol of life and good fortune are used for decoration of the family reunion room.
Tenderly in my garden away from my homeland, my flowering peaches are smiling at spring breeze.
Nguyen Dinh Mao
Dao Hoa Flowering peach garden
http://vuondaohoa.blogspot.com
DAO HOA FLOWERING PEACH GARDEN STOCK PHOTOS
