Cultivation History, Traditional Landscape Arrangement and Auspicious Culture of Osmanthus Fragrans in Chinese Ancient Garden

Osmanthus fragrans is one of the top ten most famous flowers in China. The first record was found in the famous geography monograph, Shanhaijing, which revealed its natural distribution was in the Zhaoyao and Gaotu Mountains. Osmanthus fragrans has been a noble ornamental plant and royal tribute since the Han Dynasty, when Emperor Wu Di started building the magnificent royal palace, Shanglinyuan. Since then, Osmanthus fragrans was widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and production areas gradually established in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xianning, Guilin and Xindu during the Ming Dynasty. Osmanthus fragrans is now extensively planted as an ornamental tree in traditional gardens for its beautiful shape, sweet aroma and auspicious symbol. This paper concluded with a discussion on its unique aesthetic value, traditional plant arrangement and its symbolic culture in Chinese ancient gardens. It can be pruned to provide symmetry in front of building entrances, used in mass plantings with other traditional garden plants such as Magnolia denudate, Malus micromalu, Paeonia suffruticosa and Jasminum nudiflorum. These classic planting designs not only represent different auspicious cultures but also create desirable shapes and seasonal colour in the landscape.