What Trees to Plant in Front of a House for the Best Results
Today's lifestyle tip about what trees are best to plant in front of a house, as well as the trees that bring wealth, protect the home, and ward off evil spirits, will surely be of help to you. Let's learn about them together!
In the long-term process of living and working in rural areas, a rich and colorful folk culture has been formed. Some of these may not have much scientific basis, but they do have an impact on the spiritual level. Through generations of inheritance, the influence of these folk cultures has gradually been strengthened and stabilized, and the physical objects related to these cultures have also come to embody certain meanings or carry special emotions. For example, trees that naturally exist when planted in front of a courtyard gate, due to the names of the trees or certain characteristics they exhibit during growth, are given rich meanings. These can be roughly divided into the following five categories:
1. Trees that Symbolize Health and Longevity
This includes pine, cypress, ginkgo, catalpa, and toon trees, among others. The symbolism of longevity is most common in pine and cypress trees. In the past, it was often common to see "Pine and Crane Prolonging Life" posters on the walls of homes in rural areas, and now similar patterns can be found on much embroidery. The use of pine and cypress to symbolize health and longevity is because they are among the longest-lived species of trees in the world. Folklore often says, "A thousand-year turtle, a ten-thousand-year pine," and many pines and cypresses can maintain their vibrant green even in severe winter.
Ginkgo is also one of the typical long-lived plants. The ancient ginkgo trees discovered in Fuquan, Guizhou, are estimated to be over 6,000 years old, and among the more famous ones is a tree in the Zongshan Mountain area of Xi'an, which is estimated to be 1,400 years old.
2. Trees that Symbolize Wealth and Auspiciousness
This includes banyan, purple locust, wutong, and elm trees, among others. Banyan symbolizes wealth because when describing someone who lives a wealthy and noble life, people often say they "enjoy all the luxuries and riches," and the word "banyan" is a homophone for the "rong" in "luxuries and riches." In the past, when describing someone living well in rural areas, there was also the saying, "Under the banyan tree, dipping bread in sugar."
Purple locust trees are more common in Henan and Shandong provinces, and they symbolize wealth and auspiciousness mainly because another name for purple locust is the "wealthy tree." This name comes from the fact that when the purple locust flowers, not only is the color a noble purple, but the flower spikes are also full and complex.
Wutong trees are considered a symbol of auspicious wealth in folk culture, mainly because wutong trees are seen as the king of trees, and there is a saying in legends that only the phoenix rests on wutong trees. Since the phoenix is considered the king of birds and "does not land in places without treasures," the tree chosen by the phoenix, "wutong," also symbolizes wealth and auspiciousness.
Purple locust
3. Trees that Symbolize Noble Character
This category includes plum, pine, cypress trees (and also bamboo, but bamboo is not a tree, it belongs to herbaceous plants). The symbolism of noble character mainly comes from the fact that pine and cypress trees can maintain their rare green in the severe winter, when other trees are withered and yellow, showing their cold-resistant characteristics, which are seen as signs of resilient character and strong will. There are many poems praising pine and cypress trees, such as "Heavy snow presses on green pines, which stand up straight. To know the purity of pines, wait till the snow melts."
The symbolism of plum blossoms is similar to that of pines and cypresses, but plum blossoms are mainly valued for blooming earlier in lower temperatures. When plum blossoms open, there are few other plants, especially woody plants, that are in bloom, making them a symbol of not fearing the cold. Poems like "Falling into dust and ground, only the fragrance remains" are widely circulated, reinforcing the symbolic meaning of plum trees, pines, and cypresses.
4. Trees that Symbolize the Continuation of Descendants
This includes pomegranate, jujube, and longan trees, among others. The symbolism of pomegranate trees is mainly due to the fact that pomegranates have many seeds, which, when pronounced similarly, means "more children, more blessings." The symbolic meanings of jujube and longan trees also mainly come from the saying "early birth of a noble child," where "jujube" and "early," and "longan" and "noble" are homophones. Until now, elders often prepare red dates and longan for newlyweds, expressing their hope and good wishes for the couple to have children early and achieve a complete family.
What Trees to Plant in Front of a House for the Best Results
5. Trees that Symbolize Harmonious Families
This category includes begonia, citrus, and happy tree, among others. Begonia flowers are small and lively, with a festive and lively harmony that gives a sense of visual harmony and symbolism. The word "citrus" is a homophone for "auspicious," and when oranges are ripe, their cheerful red color and round appearance symbolize unity, with the flesh of the oranges clustering together, having symbolic meaning of harmony. When the happy tree is in bloom, the flowers are colorful and the branches look lively, with the flowers giving a delicate and gentle feeling, also having the meaning of harmony. Moreover, the name "happy tree" itself has the homophone of "happy family."
Conclusion
Planting trees in front of the door or in the courtyard will not affect a person's career or family life. So-called "fortune" and "blessing" cannot be changed by planting trees, but through personal effort and struggle. However, the folk culture that associates cultivated trees with human emotions, life, and career will have a certain impact on the spiritual level and bring different psychological feelings to people.
The introduction of the best trees to plant in front of a house, as well as the trees that bring wealth and protect the home from evil spirits, provided by Green Plant Enthusiast website, hopes to bring some knowledge of flowers to green plant enthusiasts.