Wintersweet at Plum Garden. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

As the weather becomes increasingly colder, the wintersweet, a deciduous shrub with sweetly-scented waxy yellow flowers, in Wuxi also enters its best viewing time.

Where can you appreciate the shrubs in the city?

The Hengshan Scenic Area at Plum Garden is home to over 2,000 wintersweet trees and nearly 300 bonsais. As you enter the Plum Garden, a subtle fragrance begins to seep into your senses, and the closer you get to the wintersweet, the stronger the fragrance becomes.

Wintersweet at Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

In the Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area, wintersweet is concentrated in Jichang Garden, Erquan Academy, and the Chinese Azalea Garden.

Wintersweet at Meili Ancient Town. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Meili Ancient Town has traditionally planted wintersweet since ancient times. You can see wintersweet, red plums, and white plum trees throughout the ancient town.

Although not as bustling, the tranquil and exquisite Yinyuan Garden often surprises us. The roses and wisteria in spring, lotus flowers in summer, maple trees and sweet-scented osmanthus in autumn, and wintersweet in winter are all worth a careful appreciation.

Address:

Plum Garden (梅园): No 13 Binjiawan, Liangxi West Road, Binhu district, Wuxi (无锡市滨湖区梁溪西路卞家湾13号)

Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area (惠山古镇景区): No 18 Baoshan Road, Liangxi district, Wuxi (无锡市梁溪区宝善街18号)

Meili Ancient Town (梅里古镇): Northeast to the intersection of Xinhua Road and Meili Middle Road, Meicun subdistrict, Xinwu district, Wuxi (无锡市新吴区梅村新华路与梅里中路交叉口东北角)

Yinyuan Garden (吟苑公园): No 1 Yunhe North Road, Liangxi district, Wuxi (无锡市梁溪区运河北路1号)