By The Landlord
“But he calls down a blessing on the blossom of the may,
Because it comes in beauty, and in beauty blows away.” ― W.B. Yeats, Stories of Red Hanrahan
Constellations bloom
in orchards of April skies.
The stars blossomise.
Old Jaguar parked
under apple blossom
tree becomes snow leopard.
The bees buy and sell.
It’s market day on Plum Street.
Pollen changes hands. – (Blossom haikus) by Simon Armitage
Offering centuries of visual inspiration for artists, poets and songwriters, they suddenly seem to appear, in a flash of forgotten hope out of a bleak winter, with a burst of colour in their explosive, seemingly sugar-crusted parties of petals - white, pink, red and sometimes yellow or new shades of green, concentrated in parks, but often also on street trees as something free for everyone to enjoy bringing brief carpets to pavements. It lifts spirits, meaning spring has finally and fully sprung, with a pollinating feast for bees, other insects and birds.
Yet blossom season, at its peak, seems to come and go, like the holidays, all too briefly, within a couple of weeks, certainly for some of the more prominent species planted in the western hemisphere, and also most famously in Japan, around this time of year when there is tourist frenzy of Hanami. And enjoy it we must, as like life itself, it can suddenly over. Perhaps that's why this mutable beauty is so meaningful, and in that context has helped bring into bloom so much art, but also a surprising number of songs, not only in titles, but also lyrics, from cherry to orange, jasmine, apple, lotus, peach, plum, almond, pear, even those smaller pip seed fruits – strawberry, lemon, and even the inviting sound of gin blossom.
It all makes for a forest of colour, sounds, tastes and emotions. So this week, while flowers in general has been a topic done in the past, that's the more specific subject, sweet and simple, whether literal or metaphorical context, to bring those blossoms in the branch of song.
But what are blossoms? They are the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. As well as those fruits listed above, they could also be blackthorn, or crab apple, and these flowers are not merely attractive, but also potentially medicinal. Crab apple was traditionally used for a vareity of sores and other health issues - boils, abscesses, splinters, wounds, as well as other ailments including coughs, colds acne to kidney ailments. Ancient Phoenicians used almond blossoms with honey and urine as a tonic, and sprinkled them into stews and gruels to give muscular strength. Crushed petals were also used as a poultice on skin spots and mixed with banana oil, for dry skin and sunburn. The Ancient Greeks plum blossoms were used to treat bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and tighten loose teeth. In 17th-century Italy peach blossoms were made into a poultice for bruises, rashes, eczema, grazes and stings. So blossom, in short, doesn’t just have a pretty face.
I have a personal interest in blossom, particularly the pink and white cherry varieties, as I regularly volunteer with a group to plant, then help water and maintain a whole avenue of them and other trees in my local park. It has brought lots of pleasure to see them grow from young plants to fully mature, flowering trees, currently at their peak, which is what gave rise to this week's topic idea.
Suddenly then we see them everywhere. While many petal blossoms have five petals, Japanese yaezakura (multi-layered cherry blossoms) have high petal counts ranging from 30 to over 100, which can make their colours, such as pink and white, appear more concentrated.
They are a visual enjoyment that also inspires music and words, so for further inspiration here are some more images and artforms:
Hum along: hummingbird with cherry blossoms
A bumblebee enjoys the wild cherry white variety in the UK
While many varieties have five petals, Japanese hokusai have many more, bringing concentrated colour
Almond blossom
Vincent van Gogh paints branches of an almond tree in Blossom in Red
Cherry Blossom Viewing: a scroll painting by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1793, including musicians in the top left
Traditional wagashi sweets mimic cherry blossom petals, often enjoyed with green tea
Blossoms have inspired intricate arts and crafts. This Japanese piece from the Meiji period (1868 - 1912) is called Shibayama. Popular with wealthy Europeans, this craft technique inlays its design into lacquer, wood, or or ivory using an array of materials such as shells, ivory, and beyond, and on this example with flower patterns including cherry blossom. The materials used to make this tsuba (an elaborate Japanese sword guard) were enamel, silver and mother of pearl.
Shibayama Tsuba, from the 19th century
So then, complex, intricate and colourful, but also simple and beautiful, and above all when in nature - fleeting. So then, please nominate your blossom-related songs below. Who will be this week’s musical tree tender? Let’s see. Deadline for the blossom songs to fall is Monday at 11pm UK time, for playlists next week. Bloomin’ marvellous.
Mount Fuji in springtime
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