What is the symbolism of the hibiscus flower?
Are you curious about the symbolism of the hibiscus flower and the various topics regarding the meanings represented by this plant? Here are the details:
In ancient times, there were many idioms about flowers, some of which were used to compare flowers to people, such as plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, which were known as the four gentlemen of flowers. There were also some with less favorable connotations, such as the idiom "Don't marry a woman with a hibiscus face" mentioned by Sister Rong today, which also uses flowers to compare to people. What does the red hibiscus compare to? And why not marry a woman with a red hibiscus face?
What does marriage have to do with hibiscus flowers?
Let me first give you a brief introduction to hibiscus flowers. Hibiscus flowers are also known as Zhujin or大红花 (big red flowers). When they bloom, they are bright red and attractive. Especially with their long stamens, they look particularly vibrant. The symbolism of hibiscus flowers is subtle beauty and new love.
In ancient times, people compared very beautiful women to hibiscus flowers. They believed that after marrying a beautiful woman, it was easy to lead oneself and the country astray, just like Emperor Zhou of Shang who married Daji, or Emperor Minghuang who married Yang Guifei. Mainly because they considered very beautiful women to be "fatal attractions."
There is also another point: although hibiscus flowers bloom beautifully, they do not bear fruit. Therefore, hibiscus flowers are also compared to barren women. In ancient times, people often said that there were three unfilial acts, and the worst was to have no descendants. So even if a woman is very beautiful, people did not want to marry her.
Should we believe what our ancestors said?
What our ancestors said did make some sense in ancient times. Mainly because people in ancient times considered it important to have descendants, so they did not want to marry barren women. Also, ancient people often compared beautiful women to "fatal attractions," although men liked them, they did not want to marry them.
Saying that women are "fatal attractions" is not correct in the first place, just like Emperor Minghuang liking Yang Guifei. Although Yang Guifei was Emperor Minghuang's daughter-in-law, Emperor Minghuang, as the ruler of a country, took her as his own wife and stopped attending court sessions. This was clearly Emperor Minghuang's fault, so why blame Yang Guifei?
What our ancestors said made some sense at the time, but now it does not hold much weight. Because liking beautiful things is a natural tendency for everyone, including marrying a beautiful wife.
What is the symbolism of the hibiscus flower?
Since hibiscus flowers are so beautiful and have good symbolism, how can we grow them at home?
Speaking of hibiscus flowers, they bloom throughout the four seasons and are both beautiful and vibrant, which is why they are often associated with beautiful women. So how can we grow such beautiful and symbolically positive hibiscus flowers at home?
01. Prefers slightly acidic soil: Hibiscus flowers are a type of southern tree species and therefore have the characteristics of southern trees, preferring slightly acidic soil. When planting hibiscus flowers, you can use peat soil or soil with more decomposed leaf matter. Moreover, you can add well-fermented manure to the soil when planting, usually well-rotted sheep manure, as the well-rotted sheep manure contains balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and is relatively温和 (gentle), which helps the hibiscus grow.
Also, when growing hibiscus flowers, it is necessary to repot them every 1-2 years, with the repotting time in spring or autumn. Because these two periods are times of vigorous growth, it is more conducive to the plant's adaptation.
02. Prefers slightly acidic water: Hibiscus flowers prefer slightly acidic soil and water. If alkaline water is used for watering over a long period, it is easy to cause yellow leaves and soil compaction, leading to poor root aeration.
When watering hibiscus flowers, if using alkaline water, you need to add ferrous sulfate to the water to make it slightly acidic. You can also add ferrous sulfate to organic liquid fertilizers to make it into a fertilizer solution, which not only helps the hibiscus grow better but also prevents yellow leaves.
03. Quite fond of fertilizer: Hibiscus flowers have a long blooming period, from June to October. And as long as the temperature is suitable and there is plenty of sunlight, they can bloom all year round, so hibiscus flowers also like fertilizer.