The white magnolias are blooming against the blue sky. Their pure white and elegant appearance is fitting for the flower language of “nobility” and “sublimity”. At the beginning of their bloom, all the flowers seem to face north, as if trying to chase away winter and usher in spring. When people talk about magnolias, they usually refer to the purple variety, but the white magnolia is a different species that blooms earlier than the purple magnolia. The Kobushi is a flower that looks very similar to the magnolia, but it blooms after the white magnolia. The Kobushi blooms in all directions, while the white magnolia blooms upward at the tip of its branches. The Kobushi is native to Japan, while the white magnolia is said to be native to central China and was introduced to Japan before the Edo period. When the white magnolias finish blooming, the cherry blossoms will soon start to bloom all at once, as if announcing the arrival of spring throughout Japan.

青天いっぱいに白木蓮が花を咲かせています。純白で気品のある姿は花言葉「気高さ」「崇高」に相応しいものです。花の開き始めには全ての花が北を向いて咲き、冬を北に追い遣り春を呼びこもうとしている様に見えます。木蓮と言えば普通には紫木蓮を指しますが、白木蓮はまた別の品種で、紫木蓮よりも早く咲きます。よく似た花にコブシがありますが、コブシも白木蓮の後に咲き始めます。咲き方も白木蓮は枝の先端に上を向いて咲きますが、コブシは自由自在、好き勝手な方向に向いて咲きます。コブシは日本原産ですが、白木蓮は原産地か中国中部で、日本へは江戸時代以前に渡来したといわれています。白木蓮が咲ききると、間もなく

桜の開花宣言が日本各地から一気に聞こえてきます。