Spring flowers in South Korea are expected to bloom relatively late this year, starting March 14-15 on the southern island of Jeju.
The Korea Forest Service on Monday distributed its annual infographic detailing when blunt-lobed spicebush, azalea and cherry blossoms are expected to flower across the country.
This year's spring flowers will be witnessed from March 14, which is when blunt-lobed spicebushes at the Halla Arboretum and azaleas at the Aewol Gotjawal forest are expected to bloom. Both spots are located in Jeju City, Jeju Island.
Some southern regions with relatively higher temperatures will start to see the flowers in late March, with spicebushes beginning to bloom around March 20 at the Dulyunsan Mountain in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province, and on March 22 at the Gyeongsangnam-do Arboretum in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. Upper Gangwon Province -- South Korea's coldest region -- will be the last to welcome the spring flowers, with all three starting to bloom in April.
Cherry blossoms are generally the last of the three to flower, and are expected to bloom as early as March 26 in Halla Arboretum and as late as April 27 in Sobaeksan, a mountain that spans North Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province.
This year's spring flowers are expected to bloom later than before, which the KFS said is due to the relatively colder winter. Last year, spring flowers blossomed about a week earlier.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
