Buzz
As Dalat embraces winter, the mimosa flowers burst into full bloom, adding charm to the misty cityscape, along its streets and gardens. Many tourists flock here to capture the beauty of these flowers.
The allure of Dalat's mimosa season
My first encounter with mimosa flowers wasn't through the lyrics of a song like 'Mimosa, where do you come from,' but rather in the late 1989s, early 1990s.
My father, a forestry engineer, was on a business trip to Dalat. Upon his return, along with some potatoes, cabbage, and corn, he also brought back a branch of fresh mimosa flowers wrapped in damp newspaper.
My father took great care to preserve them, wrapping cotton around the roots early in the morning, intending to bring them back as a gift for my mother. Not only that, he even attempted to see if he could grow these flowers by propagating cuttings in our greenhouse back in the hot climate region (but alas, he failed).
Upon receiving a bouquet of flowers from my father for my mother, it spurred me to visit Da Lat once during the blooming season of mimosa.
Certainly, I obliged, for mimosa is a resilient flowering plant, capable of enduring from late winter to spring. And under favorable weather, mimosa can bloom in radiant yellow under the golden Da Lat sun.
In October, as I ascended to Da Lat amidst the wild daisy season at its peak, mimosa buds were plentiful. Da Lat at that time was still filled with rainy afternoons, hence all mimosa trees along the streets were gently swaying their branches and leaves.
Come November, as I returned, the rain was gradually subsiding, and all mimosa trees still displayed silver leaves while their flowers had blossomed into vibrant clusters filling the branches.
Recently, when discussing the distinctive flower seasons of Da Lat, tourists and photographers often mention a wildflower called wild daisy. But truth be told, wild daisy is not exclusive to Da Lat, as it is present in almost all of the Central Highlands and even in some highland areas in the North.
After the wild daisy season, another floral season emerges—cherry blossoms.
Currently, it can be said that cherry blossoms are a distinctive flower of Da Lat, as they are scarce in other regions. However, cherry blossoms have a weakness in their relatively short blooming season. If the weather is less cold, the flowers will bloom sparsely.
As for the jacaranda, one must wait until March.
Mimosa is a woody perennial flower, with a wide-spreading, long-lasting trunk. However, due to its delicate roots despite having numerous branches, when planting, it is necessary to mound enough soil around the young tree to ensure optimal root development.
Additionally, it is essential to know how to prune and trim branches and tips to spread and reduce height. Avoid planting in sloped terrain to prevent the tree from being swayed by wind and rain, leading to uprooting... This is what Dalat gardeners always say when asked by tourists about this silver-leafed yellow-flowered plant.
Regarding economics, besides the beauty of the flower (mimosa flowers are yellow, resembling a cluster with hundreds of tiny petals blooming into bunches, many clusters on one branch, creating a vibrant yellow-flowered tree), for the people of Da Lat, mimosa holds no other value.
Yet they still plant it when there is a bit of vacant land in the corner of the garden and along fences. It's a simple and lovely thought: if there's a beautiful flower, just plant it, admire it when it blooms. We admire, tourists admire. To see the earth and sky seem even more beautiful.
Yes, mimosa flowers are truly beautiful when they bloom abundantly on the branches, not meant to be plucked into bouquets for trendy seasonal photoshoots. Like wild daisies, they quickly wither away once detached from their stems.
Every broken flower stem, even those of wildflowers like forget-me-nots, dandelions, daisies, or snapdragons, loses its fragrance once separated from its plant or floral carpet, the community they thrive in.
This season, many tourists have come to take pictures with the flowers. But regardless, please refrain from picking or breaking the flowers. Let every mimosa season be an opportunity for tourists from all over to admire and photograph the blooms without being labeled as 'destructive footsteps.'
Source: Dulich.tuoitre.vn
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
Travelicious.comDecember 15th, 2015
