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I post a lot of Japanese apricot photos during Morning Eye Candy, or at least more than amounts to fair and proper representation for all the Garden’s flowers. But just look at this picture:
Prunus mume ‘Matsurabara Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Nearing spring, we find plenty to be excited about as we walk through The New York Botanical Garden’s outdoor collections. Not that there isn’t a faint sense of curiosity, too; as Sonia Uyterhoeven has explained before, the weather patterns this winter have tricked certain plants into breaking dormancy early, resulting in a few blooms that will end up missing their spring date. But regardless, we appreciate the beauty whenever it happens to come around. And many of these flowering plants are proving right on time.
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Many a blossoming tree on Garden grounds originates in Asia, and each–at least to me–carries with it a familiar air of eastern aesthetic. I suppose we owe that to the centuries of botanical imagery recorded in the artistic traditions of places like Korea, China, and Japan. The Japanese apricot (also Chinese plum, or simply “plum blossom”) is something of an archetype.
In this case, beauty isn’t fleeting: there’s a plum blossom tree in China that’s still flowering after 1,600 years.
Prunus mume ‘Peggy Clarke’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
The Japanese apricot flowers out in our Home Gardening Center are seasonally deceptive with those warm colors, aren’t they? But don’t fret–not all is misleading. Our Caribbean Garden opens later this month!
Prunus mume ‘Matsurabara Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen