Yellow wintersweet flowers light up the Wuxi Plum Garden. [Photo/WeChat account: wxbhly]

Blooming wintersweet flowers can now be seen at the Wuxi Plum Garden in Binhu district and will bloom until mid-February.

There are more than 50 varieties of over 3,000 wintersweet trees in the garden, making it the largest wintersweet garden in East China.

The wintersweet, a native Chinese flower, has a strong scent and blooms in late winter or early spring before the arrival of new leaves. The flower, along with pine and bamboo, are often referred to in China as the "three friends of winter".

The Wuxi Plum Garden is the first garden in China to be named after a flower. It features nearly 10,000 plum trees and a variety of bonsais and is known as one of the best flower scenic spots south of the Yangtze River, particularly during winter.

This five-meter wintersweet tree is the oldest in Wuxi Plum Garden at over 100 years old. It will soon begin producing golden flowers. [Photo/WeChat account: wxbhly]