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Explore Ningbo's Spring Flowers
Source: Ningbo Daily  | 2022-03-11 09:02:00

Blooming flowers in Ningbo. [Photo by Tang Yan]

By Dong Na

As the warm spring breeze returns, the time of the year to enjoy a beautiful spring walk has come. Now that March has begun, there will be tulips, peach blossoms, rapeseed flowers and cherry blossoms all over Ningbo.

Take a look at this year's best spring flower viewing locations.

Tulips

2,600m^2 of tulips are in full bloom in Yinzhou District. Their bright yellow, red, and pink add a touch of life to the city.

The tulip is a perennial herb of the lily family with underground bulbs. The stems usually have three to five strap-shaped leaves. The flowers are generally red, white, or yellow, 5-7 cm tall and 2-4 cm in diameter. Each flower's six stamens are equal in length. The filaments are smooth. The style is absent, and each stigma has several distinct lobes.

Flowering period: March to May

Best viewing places: Yinzhou's Cultural Square, Yinzhou Park, Ningbo Botanical Garden.

Peach Blossoms

The peach tree belongs to the rose family. Blooming pink and pale white in early spring, the peach blossoms are a gorgeous sight in Ningbo. Flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves. The flowers are solitary (not growing in clusters), with thin and soft petals. They give off a subtle, pleasant fragrance. In Ningbo's urban green spaces, peach trees are mostly planted on slopes, lawns, next to ornamental rocks, or along rivers, interspersed with willow trees.

Flowering period: March to April

Best viewing places: Fenghua's Linjia Village and Xinjian Village; Peach Orchard in Zhangqi, Cixi. Ningbo's inner city parks are also a good choice: Moon Lake Park, Huaishu Park, and Yinzhou Park.

Rapeseed Flowers

The large rapeseed flower fields in Dayan Town, Fenghua, are spectacularly golden. In spring, it looks as if the land has been dyed bright yellow. Rapeseed is widely cultivated in China, mostly in the Yangtze River basin and in the country's south. The flowers are radial and consist of four petals in a typical cross-form.

Flowering period: March to April

Best viewing places: Dayan Town in Fenghua, Sangzhou Town in Ninghai, and Daren Village in Jiangbei.

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms belong to the rose family. Each cluster of flowers form an umbel structure, in which the short flower stalks spread from a common point, like umbrella ribs. The flowers are white or pale pink, slightly fragrant. There is a cleft at the tip of each petal. Some varieties bloom before the leaves open; others bloom after. The flowers last only a week or so before withering. Trees are planted solitarily or in clusters on lawns, next to ponds, or in rock gardens. There are many varieties of cherry blossoms with differing flowering periods. Common varieties include the Yoshino cherry, the Oshima cherry, and the "Kanzan" cultivar. Some can bloom for six weeks or even longer.

Flowering period: March to April

Best viewing places: The Siming Mountains' Zhangxi Scenic Spot ("Zhejiang's capital of cherry blossoms"), Beilun's Jiufeng Mountain and Taishan Road, Fenghua's Xikou Cherry Garden, Yuyao's Dalan Town, Sakura Park, Haishu Park, Ningbo Botanical Garden.

Azalea

The azalea is from the rhododendron family. The flowers have many colors such as pink, crimson, and white, with a wide funnel shape and purple spots. Flower clusters usually consist of 2-6 flowers, growing on branch tops.

There are many cultivars of azaleas, with different flowering periods in different seasons. They are often planted in flower beds, on hillsides, near water, or bordering groves of evergreen trees.

Flowering period: April to June

Best viewing places: Beilun's Chaiqiao "Azalea Town", Fenghua's Jin'e Mountain, Wulongtan Scenic Spot, Ninghai's Chashan Donghai Yunding Scenic Spot; Moon Lake Park, Minglou Park and other urban parks; Urban green spaces.

【Editor:应波】