Nine, the application of lotus in the garden
Lotus, one of the top ten famous flowers in China, is not only colorful and fragrant, but also has strong adaptability. It can be widely planted in lakes, which is spectacular and can be potted in bottles. Since ancient times, precious aquatic flowers in palace gardens and private gardens have been favored by people more and more, and are widely used in modern landscape gardens.
(A) Lotus Waterscape
Lotus garden 1:
Recently, there are three kinds of special lotus gardens in China: one is the garden botanical garden in Moshan, East Lake, Wuhan, which opens up a large area of aquatic flowers to watch and study lotus flowers; First, Nanjing Mochou Lake, Hangzhou new "Qu Yuan Feng He" and other large parks, mainly to enjoy lotus; The other is the lotus folk tourism resource scenic spot which is mainly based on wild interest and combined with tourism, such as the Lotus World in Sanshui, Guangdong, and the Tuanhu Scenic Spot in Yueyang, Hunan.
2. The theme of landscape garden is waterscape plants: As the saying goes, "A garden without mountains is not strong, and a mountain without water is not beautiful". In China gardens, it is very common to decorate water features with lotus flowers. There are many famous gardens in Jiangnan, and there are terraces to enjoy the lotus. There is a "lianhua bridge" on the bank of the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou. The jade pavilions on the bridge are patchwork, simple and elegant in shape, exquisite and unique, which set each other off with the lotus flowers in the lake. It is the best place in Slender West Lake. Lotus Square in Jinxiyuan, Yueyang is built by the water, connected with the winding fence, fragrant cattails and enjoying lotus in the rain, which is deeply loved by the masses.
3. Be a summer flower that can be enjoyed in all seasons: different landscapes in all seasons are the gardening rules that China gardeners abide by. Plum blossoms resist winter, willows welcome spring, green lotus relieves summer heat, and tung leaves surprise autumn. The green viewing period of lotus is as long as 8 months, and the flowering period is about 2-3 months. In summer and autumn, cicadas are few, peaches and plums are silent, and graceful lotus flowers exude a refreshing fragrance in a clear water, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.
4. Foreground, middle scene and main scene in multi-level arrangement: China gardens pay great attention to the change of levels when arranging plants, so as to form rich landscapes with different heights and distances. The combination of willow and lotus is a typical technique. Liu E once summed up Daming Lake in Jinan with "lotus flowers on all sides and willows on three sides, and a city with mountains and lakes on half sides". Yuhu Park in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, with catkins flying in the spring and small rivers pointed; In summer and autumn, the flowers and leaves are graceful and the willows are green; In winter, the snow is covered with willow silk, and the residual lotus is audible, which is a beautiful scenic spot.
5. As a "filter" for polluted water by industrial wastes, the underground stems of lotus root can absorb the products of pollutants decomposed by aerobic microorganisms in water, and lotus root can help the polluted water to restore the food chain structure and promote the water ecosystem to gradually realize a virtuous cycle.
(2) Lotus potted plants and bonsai
Lotus has a strong adaptability to the growing environment. It can not only spit red and wave green in lakes and ponds, but also be elegant and decorate the world in small pots and bowls. In the history of Dutch culture in China, the form of potted lotus was originally used for private courtyard viewing. Nowadays, potted lotus is widely used in gardens all over China. The combination of potted plants and pond planting improves the ornamental value of potted lotus, which often appears in garden waterscape and garden sketches. Lotus waterstone bonsai is a new kind of bonsai in Hangzhou in recent years. It is an organic combination of lotus potted plants and water stone potted plants, which not only reflects the firmness and straightness of rocks, but also shows the delicate and charming lotus flowers. Lotus bonsai can choose coral stone, sand stone, axe stone, English stone and other rocks as materials.
(3) Lotus arrangement
Chinese flower arrangement began in the Six Dynasties and originated from offering flowers before the Buddha. As the sacred flower of Buddhism, it can be said that arranging flowers facilitates the lotus to form an indissoluble bond when it rises. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, offering flowers was still the main form of flower arrangement. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the art of flower arrangement developed greatly. At this time, the depth and skill of lotus flower arrangement rose to a new height, which can be called the heyday of ancient flower arrangement art in China. Today, people have made more in-depth research on lotus flower arrangement. Not only the materials such as lotus, lotus leaf, lotus root and lotus fruit are widely used in flower arrangement, but also the ornamental effects of these materials are scientifically compared. It is generally appropriate to choose small and medium-sized varieties for lotus flower arrangement, and it is also appropriate to match branches, leaves and fruits of other plants, so as to strive for bright colors and bright composition, and the ornamental effect can last for 3-4 days.
Ten, carry forward the "harmony" culture in China.
China's excellent traditional culture has always attached importance to advocating peace and harmony. The most representative words in this respect are Confucius' two sentences. One is "harmony but difference"; One is "harmony is precious". The "harmony" in China culture is by no means a reconciliation that does not emphasize differences and contradictions. It refers to the integration of differences and diversity. This kind of integration is the most valuable. There are 56 ethnic groups and 34 administrative regions in China, and there are differences and contradictions among ethnic groups. In the face of such differences and contradictions, it is most valuable to always adhere to national unity and the reunification of the motherland and adhere to this "harmony" stance. Abandoning this position of "harmony" means abandoning the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
China people have always believed that "harmony" is the principle to solve conflicts between countries, and advocated "one world under one roof". The harmony between countries shows the fine peace-loving tradition of the Chinese nation and is an important embodiment of the idea of "noble harmony" in China's traditional culture at the national, ethnic and cultural levels. "Harmony of nations" embodies the political ideas and moral norms of ancient sages, and is a national culture and spirit, which promotes the great integration of the Chinese nation and the establishment and prosperity of a unified country.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee put forward the task of mobilizing all positive factors most extensively and fully, and constantly improving the ability to build a harmonious socialist society. Carrying forward the "harmony" thought of the Chinese nation is of great theoretical and practical significance for us to integrate social forces, coordinate the interests of all parties, reduce social contradictions, maintain social stability, consolidate the party's ruling position and promote economic development and social progress. On the one hand, the idea of "noble harmony" can make money, "harmony" can lead to auspiciousness, and "harmony" can gather strength. On the conceptual level, "harmony" means the recognition and tolerance of different opinions; On the level of social structure, "harmony" refers to the establishment of harmonious social communication between different individuals and groups. Therefore, "noble harmony" is to seek common ground while reserving differences in the unity of opposites and interdependence of many factors on the premise of acknowledging the original contradictions and necessary struggles of things, so as to resolve contradictions, so as to seek common ground instead of differences on the basis of "reserving differences", achieve overall balance and harmony, and then select the best and eliminate them, thus promoting the emergence and development of new things. On the other hand, the idea of "noble harmony" is not exclusive, and "harmony" is not afraid of evil. Emphasizing "harmony" does not mean timid and unprincipled concessions and compromises.
Under the new historical conditions, carrying forward the concept of "harmony is the most important" is conducive to coordinating the interests of all parties, properly handling the interests of different classes and aspects, improving the ability to properly handle contradictions among the people under the new situation, guiding the people to express their interests in a reasonable and legal way, resolving conflicts of interest, maintaining stability and unity, and striving to build a harmonious socialist society, thus promoting the construction of social material, spiritual and political civilization. To carry forward the concept of "harmony" and build a harmonious socialist society, we must correctly handle the relationship between democratic political construction and economic development, development and stability, efficiency and fairness.
Because "lotus" is homophonic with "harmony" and "lotus" is homophonic with "Lian" and "Lian", in China traditional culture, lotus is often regarded as a symbol of peace, harmony, cooperation, resultant force, unity and unity. The nobility of lotus symbolizes the cause of peace and the nobility of a harmonious world. Therefore, in a sense, rewarding the lotus is also a promotion of China's "harmony" culture. Lotus varieties are rich and colorful, which means "harmony but difference", but together they form a noble lotus world, which means "harmony but difference is more precious". I sincerely hope that in the process of promoting the culture of peace and harmony, the lotus culture can be understood and familiar by more people. Carrying forward Chinese "harmony" culture is of special significance for us to promote the reunification of the motherland, safeguard world peace and build a harmonious society.
morphological character
Perennial aquatic plants. Rootstock (lotus root) is thick and knobby, born in sediment. The leaves are shield-shaped, round, dark green on the surface, gray-green with waxy white powder on the back, and undulate all over. Petiole cylindrical, densely barbed. Flowers are solitary at the top of pedicels and above the water surface, with single petals, compound petals, double petals and double petals. Colors are white, pink, crimson, lavender or intermediate colors; Stamens are numerous; The pistil is free and buried in the inverted cone sponge receptacle, and there are many scattered honeycomb holes on the receptacle surface. After fertilization, it gradually expands, called lotus, and a small nut (lotus seed) is born in each hole. The flowering period is from June to September, and it opens and closes every morning. The fruit ripening period is September-65438+1October.
There are many cultivated varieties of lotus, which can be divided into three systems according to different uses: lotus root, lotus seed and Hualien. According to the classification standard of China Lotus Variety Atlas, it is divided into 3 rows, 50 groups, 23 categories and 28 groups. Namely:
A. China Lotus:
First, large and medium-sized flowers:
A. single valve: 1. Single red lotus group 2. Single pink lotus group 3. Single-petalled white lotus group
B. compound valves: 4. Compound valve powder lotus group
C. double petals: 5. Double red lotus group 6. Double pink lotus group 7. Double white lotus group 8. Shuangjin group.
D. heavy platform category: 9. Hongtailian Formation
E. thousand petals: 10. Sect. Thousand petals.
Two. Floret:
F. single valve type: 1 1. Single red bowl lotus group 12. Single pink bowl lotus group 13. Single-petaled white bowl lotus group.
G. compound valve: 14. Lotus group with compound petals in red bowl 15. Lotus group with compound petals in pink bowl 16. Compound white bowl lotus group.
H. double flap: 17. Double red bowl lotus group 18. Double pink bowl lotus group 19. Double-petalled white bowl lotus group.
B. American lotus:
Three. Large and medium-sized flowers:
Monopetaloid class: 20. Single-petalled coptis group.
C. Sino-American hybrid lotus lines
Four. Large and medium-sized flowers:
J. Single valve: 2 1. Hybrid single petal red lotus group 22. Hybrid single petal pink lotus group 23. Hybrid single petal Huang Lian group 24. Hybrid single petal multi-color lotus group.
K. compound valve: 25. Hybrid compound valve Bailian Group 26. Mixed compound valve.
Small flower group:
Length single valve type: 27. Hybrid single valve group.
Mi (abbreviation of meter)) Compound valve: 28. Hybrid compound petal white lotus group
There are many cultivated varieties of lotus, which can be divided into three systems according to different uses: lotus root, lotus seed and Hualien. Lotus has been used as a tonic in China for more than 2000 years. Lotus is a representative of holiness and a symbol of Buddhism.
Lotus leaves the dust, clean and flawless. Therefore, the people of China and most Buddhist believers take the noble quality of lotus as their motto, encouraging themselves to lead a totally clean life. Lotus is the symbol and messenger of friendship.
In ancient China, there was a tradition of sending plums in spring and picking lotus in autumn. Since ancient times, Chinese people have regarded lotus seeds as precious food, and they are still high-grade nourishing nutrition. Many places specialize in producing lotus seeds. Lotus root is the best vegetable and preserved fruit. Lotus leaves, lotus flowers and lotus plums are also popular medicated diets in China. It can be seen that the diet culture of lotus is rich and colorful.
Traditional lotus seed porridge, preserved lotus seed, lotus seed powder, lotus root slices with meat, steamed pork with lotus leaves, lotus leaf porridge and so on are numerous. In China's flower culture, lotus is the most interesting object of flower-chanting poems and the subject of flower-and-bird painting. It is the most beautiful and colorful dance material; It is also the most commonly used and beautiful pattern and shape in various architectural decoration, sculpture techniques and daily necessities. Lotus is a famous traditional flower in China.
medicinal
By the Qin and Han dynasties, the ancestors also used lotus as a tonic, and the medicinal use of lotus has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. Lotus is a representative of holiness and a symbol of Buddhism. Lotus leaves the dust, clean and flawless. Therefore, the people of China and most Buddhist believers take the noble quality of lotus as their motto, encouraging themselves to lead a totally clean life. In ancient times, the theory of love lotus written by Zhou Dunyi, a writer in the Tang Dynasty, can best reflect this point. At the same time, lotus is the symbol and messenger of friendship. In ancient China, there was a tradition of sending plums in spring and picking lotus in autumn. Since ancient times, Chinese people have regarded lotus seeds as precious food, and they are still high-grade nourishing nutrition. Many places specialize in producing lotus seeds. Lotus root is the best vegetable and preserved fruit. Lotus leaves, lotus flowers and lotus plums are also popular medicated diets in China. It can be seen that the diet culture of lotus is rich and colorful. Traditional lotus seed porridge, preserved lotus seed, lotus seed powder, lotus root slices with meat, steamed pork with lotus leaves, lotus leaf porridge and so on are numerous.
Prescription: big flower buds of lotus. Nymphaeaceae can be used. From June to July, collect large buds that are not in bud, or dry the developed flowers in the shade.
Bitter, sweet and warm in nature.
The main function is to eliminate dampness and stop bleeding. Used for traumatic hematemesis and pemphigus.
Usage and dosage: 1 ~ 1.5 RMB; Appropriate amount is applied externally, mashed and applied to the affected area.
General regulations
According to legend, Lotus is the incarnation of the beautiful maid Yuji around the Queen Mother. At the beginning, Yu Ji saw couples of people, men plowing and women weaving, and was very envious, so she moved her heart and stole out of the Heavenly Palace accompanied by the daughter of the river god and came to Hangzhou West Lake. The beauty of the West Lake is that Yuji lingers and plays in the lake until dawn. When the Queen Mother knew this, she used the Lotus Throne to drive Yusi into the lake and told her to "drive into the mire and never go south again". Since then, there has been a beautiful maid missing from the Temple of Heaven and a beautiful flower on earth.
Lotus is a famous traditional flower in China. The flowers and leaves are delicate and fragrant, which hides people's hearts. There is a fearless and muddy temperament in the face of the scorching sun. Therefore, in people's minds, lotus is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty, a sign of good fortune and prosperity, a sacred and clean name in Buddhism, and a seed of friendship.
In the classic literary masterpiece A Dream of Red Mansions, it is said that Qingwen became a lotus fairy after her death. Jia Baoyu said to Qingwen in the obituary "Daughter of Lotus": "If you talk about quality, it is not worth mentioning; If it is sex, no ice and snow means clean; If it is a god, neither the stars nor the sun can describe its essence; If it is a look, then flowers and months are not enough to describe its color. " Although later redology experts thought that this was not the author's praise of Daiyu's purity in the name of chanting Qingwen, lotus flowers were always associated with the purity of a daughter.
Supplement 1: Because "lotus" and "pity" are homonyms, there are many poems about lotus in ancient poetry to express love. For example, "Xizhou Qu" by Yuefu in the Southern Dynasties: "Lotus is picked in autumn in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the lotus is over the head; Bow your head to get lotus seeds, which are as green as water. " "Lotus seed" means "Reiko Kobayakawa" and "green" means "clear". There are both real and imaginary here, which means pun. The rhetorical device of homophonic pun is used to express a woman's deep yearning for the man she loves and the purity of love. Thirty-five songs in Jin's "Forty-two Midnight Songs": "The fog reveals the lotus, but the lotus is unclear." The dew in the fog hides the true face of the lotus, but the lotus leaf is not very clear. This is also a way of homophonic pun, writing about a woman who vaguely feels that the man loves her.
Supplement 2: Lotus and Buddhism
According to research, the hometown of lotus is in tropical areas such as India, and Indians also regard it as the national flower. Because India is the birthplace of Buddhism, lotus is inextricably linked with Buddhism in India. Whether painting or shaping a Buddha statue, the Buddha seat must be a lotus seat. Why does the Buddha sit on the lotus? According to the Buddhist scriptures, Buddhism is mainly solemn and wonderful, while lotus flowers are soft and clean, big and fragrant, so "Lotus Table, Yan Jingxiang Miao can sit."
There is also a wonderful story of "Mrs. Lotus" in Buddhist scriptures. A deer gave birth to a beautiful woman, and the fairy raised her. Wherever she goes, the lotus will grow. This is the origin of the word "step by step lotus", which is now used to describe the glory of experience.
Classic Poetry: On (Song) Zhou Dunyi
The flowers of land and water plants are very fragrant. Tao Jin Yuanming loves chrysanthemums alone; Since Li Tang came, people all over the world love peony. Love lotus alone, dirt-free, clear but not demon. Straight outside, not crawling, fragrant and clear. It is graceful and quiet, but it doesn't look ridiculous from a distance. Want to call chrysanthemum, the hermit of flowers; Peony, blooming with wealth; Lotus, the gentleman of flowers. Hey! The love of chrysanthemum flowers is rarely heard after Tao; Lotus love, who is the giver; Peony love is suitable for many people.
(According to the original, Zhang Boxing's woodcut Complete Works of Mr. Zhou Lian Creek (Volume 8) was sealed by Qing Yi.
"There is no stain in the mud, and it is clear and innocent." I'm talking about the lotus. Lotus, one of the top ten famous flowers in China, is called a gentleman among flowers. Since ancient times, a large area of wild lotus has won people's love for its magnificent, simple and generous natural beauty. So that 2500 years ago, people cultivated wild lotus artificially in order to appreciate its fragrance without leaving home. Until today, we can still see it in many parks or large courtyards.
Lotus, a dicotyledonous plant, belongs to the genus Nelumbo of Nymphaeaceae, including Chinese lotus and American lotus. Chinese lotus is distributed in Asia and Oceania, and most of them are tall, oval and green leaves. There are single petals, compound petals, double petals, heavy platform and thousand petals in the cultivated varieties, and the flowers range from red to white. American lotus is distributed in North America. Its plant is short, its leaves are nearly round and dark green, and its flowers are only single and yellow. It is still in a semi-wild state. According to the study of fossils by paleobotanists, as early as 65.438+0.35 billion years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many waters in the northern hemisphere. In China, Hemudu cultural site discovered in 1973 contains lotus pollen fossils, which is determined to be 7000 years ago. This shows that at least 7000 years ago, lotus was distributed in China and even used as food. Although some data today show that lotus originated in India, according to historical data, China is the origin of lotus. Lotus has been cultivated in China for a long time and spread widely. West to the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain, east to Taiwan Province Island, north to Heilongjiang, and south to Sanya, Hainan. It can be said that China is the world cultivation center of lotus.
Lotus is one of the oldest dicotyledonous plants, and also has some characteristics of monocotyledonous plants. The embryo of lotus is wrapped in scales, similar to monocotyledonous plants. From the flower structure, the lotus has 3 or 4 layers of perianth, outer sepals, inner petals, many stamens, free pistils and single boat-shaped pollen grains. Lotus stems have obvious segmentation phenomenon, and the underground stems are covered with fibrous roots. These are the characteristics of monocots. The lotus bud is a mixed bud, and the lotus bud seen by the naked eye is the position of the terminal bud and axillary buds of the lotus root. Roots are divided into seed roots and adventitious roots. The main root formed by seed radicle is underdeveloped, and the adventitious root plays a functional role. As for the stem of lotus, it is called lotus root, which is actually the underground rhizome of lotus and an organ for storing nutrients and reproducing. Lotus is a solitary bisexual flower, which consists of calyx, corolla, stamen group, pistil group, receptacle and pedicel. Variety and rich colors.
The fruit of lotus, commonly known as "lotus seed", is rich in nutrition and deeply loved by people.
Lotus is an aquatic plant and likes relatively stable and calm shallow water. Lakes, swamps and ponds are all its suitable habitats. The water demand of lotus depends on the variety. The relative water level of large plant-shaped varieties such as Gulian and Chiba is deep, but it cannot exceed 1.7 meters. Small and medium-sized plant-shaped varieties are only suitable for water depth of 20 ~ 60 cm. Meanwhile, lotus is very sensitive to water loss. If you don't irrigate for three hours in summer, the lotus leaves planted in the jar will wither. If the water is stopped for one day, the lotus leaves will be burnt and the buds will wither. Lotus is also very fond of light, and it needs a full light environment during its growing period. Lotus is extremely intolerant of shade, so it will show strong phototaxis when it grows in semi-shade.
It is said that the lotus is "out of the mud but not stained", which is a compliment to the lotus personality. In fact, the underground stem of lotus grows in the mud, so how can it not be infected by toxic substances? Because the extremely fine epidermis tissue and tannin-containing lower epidermis of lotus root have a certain ability to block or absorb toxic substances, most toxic substances attach to or penetrate into the epidermis, which is invisible to the naked eye. So remember to peel the lotus root and don't eat toxic substances in your stomach.
Since ancient times, lotus has been loved by people for its ornamental, edible and medicinal purposes. Needless to say, the ornamental function of lotus in scenic spots, its edible effect is also well known. As early as 5,000 years ago, ancestors had already picked lotus seeds to eat. People make lotus roots, lotus seeds and flowers into vegetables and enter the international market. In addition, the stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of lotus are all raw materials of traditional Chinese medicine, and some of them are specific drugs for certain diseases.
Zhang Daqian and Lotus
Mr. Zhang Daqian, a Chinese painting master living abroad, is good at painting flowers. He painted many kinds of flowers, such as lotus, begonia, peony, orchid, narcissus and plum blossom. And he usually draws the most lotus flowers. He often said, "You can never get tired of seeing lotus flowers!"
Zhang Daqian lived in Suzhou when he was young. The lotus pond in the yard became a good place for him to sketch. When he was 33 years old, he began to live in the Summer Palace in Beijing for five years. The plump lotus flowers in the Summer Palace pond made him more and more interested in painting lotus flowers. Because of his long-term relationship with lotus, he has a special preference for lotus. Zhang Daqian's love for lotus flowers shows that he never sticks to the mud, graceful Tingting floats from the water, and lotus leaves and elegant lotus roots often come into his picture. In his view, the drunken part of the lotus is not a flower, but a pole, because once it is written, there is no turning back, and repainting is not painting. Zhang Daqian often sketches the lotus, but there are also many spectacular large-scale lotus works, such as the six-screen giant lotus he exhibited in the United States in 1963. When painting, these six ink lotus flowers have to be completely decided by Datong Studio. When mounting in Japan, the painting shop had to go through the workshop to mount the painting. These six lotus screens, usually 12 feet long and 24 feet wide, are made of
Most of Zhang Daqian's flower paintings are lotus flowers. Among other reasons, he likes painting lotus flowers. He believes that "Chinese painting focuses on pen and ink, and painting lotus is the basic skill of using pen and ink." Others believe that painting lotus is closely related to calligraphy. Therefore, Zhang Daqian's lotus paintings are not only available every year, but also constantly bring forth new ideas. Form a famous "big lotus" at home and abroad. Jin Ping Mei, which he wrote at the age of 35, was bought by the French government. Xu Beihong once said: "Zhang Daqian's lotus flowers add color to the faces of China people." In Zhang Daqian's artistic career for decades, through continuous exploration and efforts, "Daqianhe" has a special position in the history of China fine arts. Especially after splash-ink painting in his later years, the painted lotus not only surpassed the attributes of flowers, but also extended the scope of literati flowers to another situation. He loves not only painting lotus flowers, but also planting them. By living with the lotus flower day and night, he captures the characteristics and instantaneous dynamics of the lotus flower for a long time with keen observation and highly democratic generalization, and then refines and exaggerates it with his own aesthetic sense and artistic interest, making it meaningful and full of vitality!