The Meaning and Symbolism of Osmanthus
Article Abstract: Why do the elderly say that it is not suitable to plant osmanthus trees in the courtyard and the knowledge of the symbolism and meaning of osmanthus will be introduced by the editor.
In the season of warm spring and blooming flowers, it is very suitable to plant some trees. As the old saying goes, "The predecessors plant trees, and the successors enjoy the coolness," planting trees not only benefits the people of the present generation but is also a heritage left for future generations. In rural areas, many elderly people enjoy planting trees, and they plant some trees in the empty spaces in front of and behind their houses.
Nowadays, with the improvement of living standards, people also pay great attention to the creation of a comfortable home environment. They will especially plant a few trees with ornamental value in the courtyard. In the southern regions, the osmanthus tree is quite popular. So, what does the saying "Osmanthus tree in front of the door,贵人 (贵人, meaning 'noble person' or '贵人') stands inside the door" mean? Is it good to plant an osmanthus tree in the courtyard?
This old saying should be familiar to many people. Its literal meaning is relatively simple, saying that planting an osmanthus tree in the courtyard or in front of the courtyard gate will bring good luck and noble people will come to help.
There are similar sayings like "Planting osmanthus trees in front of the door, encountering贵人 when going out," which have similar meanings, indicating that if you plant a few osmanthus trees in front of your house, you will encounter the help of noble people when you go out. However, some elderly people say that it is not suitable to plant osmanthus trees in the courtyard. Why is that?
This is because the "桂" in osmanthus and the "鬼" (ghost) are homophones, so it is believed in folklore that osmanthus trees are one of the "four ghost trees." In the past, planting trees was very particular, and some trees with bad meanings were not allowed to be planted in the courtyard, which is why there is the saying that it is not suitable to plant osmanthus trees in the courtyard.
However, this is just the saying in a few regions. Most areas still like to plant osmanthus trees in front of the courtyard gate or in the courtyard.
The history of planting osmanthus trees in our country is quite long. It is one of the top ten famous traditional flowers in China, and it is an excellent garden species that combines greening, beautification, and scent, which has been loved by the Chinese people since ancient times and is considered a traditional famous flower.
In the past few years, it even had the reputation of being the "king of绿化 trees," and a five-year-old osmanthus tree could be sold for thousands of yuan. However, there were still many buyers, and many people liked to plant osmanthus trees in their courtyard. The reasons are as follows:
The Meaning and Symbolism of Osmanthus
Firstly, osmanthus trees are evergreen, look good, and are easy to grow. Osmanthus trees are evergreen trees with a large canopy that looks very nice.
Planting it in the courtyard not only provides shade but also stays green all year round, with good beautification effects. Moreover, osmanthus trees are easy to grow and have a long lifespan.
Secondly, osmanthus trees are fragrant and practical. In the past, there were fewer types of osmanthus trees, mainly August osmanthus. Now there is also the four-season osmanthus, but the fragrance of August osmanthus is stronger. When it blooms, the fragrance spreads for miles, making people feel happy.
Moreover, osmanthus trees have many uses. They can not only be used to make tea, which is gentle in fragrance and delicious in taste, but can also be used to make various delicacies and have certain medicinal value. Many people have loved osmanthus since ancient times.
Thirdly, the symbolism of osmanthus trees is very good. The homophone of "桂" in osmanthus is "贵," which is probably one of the reasons for the saying "Osmanthus tree in front of the door,贵人 stands inside the door."
In ancient times, those who succeeded in their careers and achieved great success were also called "breaking the osmanthus." It is precisely because of these reasons that osmanthus trees have always been popular and widely used in landscape construction. Many rural people also like to plant them in their courtyards to purify the air and improve the home environment.
However, it should be noted that when planting osmanthus trees in the courtyard, they should not be planted in shady places and should not be too close to the house and windows, otherwise, it will affect the lighting in the room. At the same time, the fragrance of osmanthus is very strong and can easily attract some insects, so it should be kept away from windows.
The above detailed explanation of why the elderly say that it is not suitable to plant osmanthus trees in the courtyard and the symbolism and meaning of osmanthus comes from the Green Addiction Network and is for reference only!