Flower viewing is a regular leisure activity enjoyed by Hangzhou people during holidays and weekends. The annual time to view plum blossoms has now come and will last until March of the following year. Please read on to learn more …
The Botanical Garden 植物园
If you have a walk inside the Lingfeng Scenic Area of the Botanical Garden at this time of the year, you will smell a faint fragrance and the source of the fragrance comes from the early blooming wintersweet. The yellow tiny flowers foretell that a feast of fragrance is about to come.
Under normal circumstances, the flowering period of wintersweet is from December to March of the following year. It is one of the few high-quality plants flowering in winter and the quality of it flowering in cold winter when everything else has withered makes it valuable. Now you can head to Hangzhou Botanical Garden to view wintersweet. The signature flower of the Lingfeng Scenic Area, plum blossom, is also blooming now.
Transportation: take bus No. 28 to the bus stop of the Botanical Garden (simplified Chinese: 植物园; pinyin: zhi wu yuan) and walk to the destination
Flowering period: December to March of the following year
Wu Gui Tan (Turtle Pool) Scenic Area 乌龟潭风景区
Behind the ancestral archway “Dan Xin Tuo Yue (simplified Chinese: 丹心托月; literal meaning: loyal heart holding the moon)”, a stretch of blooming sasanqua camellia is a delight to sore eyes. A wide range of sasanqua camellia blooms vibrantly, like a secret garden, mysterious, peaceful and beautiful.
Transportation: take bus No. 197 to the bus stop of Yuqian (simplified Chinese: 于谦; pinyin: yu qian) and walk to the destination
Flowering period: from early November to March of the following year
Gaoting Mountain 皋亭山
The plum blossom garden near Gaoting Mountain Filial Piety Culture Hall (皋亭山孝道文化馆) is about to bloom. It’s estimated that in February the plum blossoms will be in full bloom. When the time comes, the entire place will be enveloped by blooming plum blossoms and strong fragrance. The scene is very spectacular.
Transportation: take No. 335, 359 or 535 to the bus stop of Longju Temple (龙居寺) and you will find the place
Flowering period: February to March
Dongwu Cultural Park 东吴文化公园
The plum blossoms in Fuyang District mainly concentrate in Dongwu Park, Jiangbin West Avenue (江滨西大道) and some areas of Binjiang South Avenue (江滨南大道). Dongwu Park has the most number of plum trees, over 200. When the best flower viewing period comes, the plum blossoms contrast with the water landscape and ancient buildings in the park.
Transportation: take bus Y12 to the bus stop of Dongwu Cultural Park (simplified Chinese: 东吴文化公园; pinyin: dong wu wen hua gong yuan)
Flowering period: end of February to mid-March
Schoolfellow Forest, Zhejiang Gongshang University 浙江工商大学校友林
In the Schoolfellow Forest at the banks of Bihu Lake (碧湖) of Zhejiang Gongshang University, there is a large area of red plum trees. When winter goes and spring comes, the bright red plum blossoms are the first to come into people's sight. Clusters of plum blossoms are found dominating the dense branches, making the place resembling a fairyland.
Transportation: take No. 370 bus to the bus stop of the intersection of No. 2 Street and Xuelin Branch Road (simplified Chinese: 二号大街学林支路口, pinyin: er hao da jie xue lin zhi lu kou
Flowering period: December to March of the following year