The Search for Spring Flowers

Flowers such as apricot, camellia and many more wait for the right chance to bloom in the inconsistently warm and cool days associated with this time of month. The long-awaited buds though are still a while away even as the birds and very visible flower-viewing tourists can be seen in the nicest spots.

The Green Plum Plantation in Maehwa Village near the Seomjin River (Daap-myun, Gwangyang-shi) has just recently showed off its spring colors. However, the Plum Flower Festival running March 1st to 31st at the plantation is already packed with bustling crowds of flower-enthusiasts. It has been forecast that the peak of the festival, when apricot flowers drop in the spring winds, will be the 15th, which falls right in the middle of the Gwangyang Plum Festival from the 8th to the 23rd.

Japanese Cornal Dogwood trees in villages near Jiri Mountain have begun to bud but have yet to show their fully-bloomed, little yellow flowers. The Sandong town office forecasts that flowers will bloom around the 15th and will reach their peak during the Japanese Cornal Dogwood Festival on Jiri Mountain from the 21st to the 23rd.

Similarly, camellia around Seyounjung in Bogil-do, a pond and pavilion built by Master Sun Do yuen, have just begun to bud. Area residents report that the camellia will bloom around the 10th, peaking from the end of March to the beginning of April. The falling of petals can usually be seen about 20 days after full bloom.

Cherry blossoms in Jinhae, which are precisely forecast by the Korean Meteorological Administration, will bloom on the 14th, and the area has already scheduled events from March 29th to April 7th. KMA also has released the blooming schedule for forsythia: March 12th in Seogipo, from the 14th to 20th in the southern regions and from the 19th to 25th in the central and east coast regions. Full bloom (7 days after first bloom) will be on the 19th for Seogipo and after April 1st for Seoul. As for azaleas, they can be seen on the 13th for Seogipo, from the 14th to 24th for the southern regions and from the 25th to 31st in the central and east coast regions. Full bloom will fall on the 20th for Seogipo and on the 31st for Seoul.

The following are train tour packages to view spring flowers in March and April.

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