Do Almonds Have Flowers?

Last Updated on December 15, 2022 by Derek

Almonds do have flowers. In their development stage, almonds blossom into beautiful Pink-white flowers that later become almond nuts.

Between February and March, an almond tree begins to produce flowers. In some areas, almond trees bloom during spring or as early as late winter.

The almond tree must survive the cold weather season for it to produce flowers. It is only during the cold weather that the buds activate in preparation for the flowers to bud. However, once the flowers are in full bloom, they need warmer weather conditions.

In prolonged cold weather, the fragile almond flowers can easily get damaged through frosting.

What is Special About Almond Blossom?

For hundreds of years, almond blossoms have been known to represent resurrection. Outstanding factors that make almond blossoms stand out include:

• Their unique flowers
• Conspicuous petals
• Cultural/Religious significance

Their unique flowers

No flower outside the rose family trees can beat the almond blossom when it comes to looks. Its five white petals uniquely merge together to form one tiny cluster that can lighten anyone’s mood.

Conspicuous petals

Their vivacious pink-white petals slowly fade into a magenta shade at the center where the four remaining petals meet. Almond blossoms are simple flowers that are easy to spot even from a mile away.

Cultural/Religious Significance

In the Jewish community, congregants celebrate the Tu B’Shevat holiday by marching across town to their synagogue carrying flowering almond branches. This Jewish holiday marks the coming/beginning of spring.

The almond blossom expresses charm, sweetness, and alertness. In places like China, almond blossoms complement feminine beauty or as an expression of sadness, caution, or fortitude.

Almond Growing Conditions

Preliminary preparations during the planting stages of the almond tree play a big role in ensuring you get the best almond blossoms. Some of the care and conditions that they need to blossom would include the following;

Planting

Almond seedlings thrive in well-drained, organic soil. To prevent excessive moisture loss in the soil, mulching is recommended.

Pruning

To minimize deadwood removal and encourage proper branching, pruning is necessary. Pruning should be done at the peak of springtime when the almond trees are in full bloom. To encourage more sprouting of blossoms, light pruning is encouraged.

Watering

A flowering almond plant requires watering two or three times a week. In cases where there’s plenty of rain or when it’s freezing, reduce the watering frequency.

Fertilizer

Experts recommend using low-nitrogen fertilizer on flowering almond trees. The onset of springtime is the best time to fertilize your plants. Adequate fertilizing plus sunlight ensures the best quality of flower blossoms and almond growth.

Pest Control

Owing to their sweet delicate nature, almond flowers attract many destructive insects. Spider mites, caterpillars, aphids, and Japanese beetles are a few examples of common pests that threaten the well-being of a thriving almond plant.

To keep the pests away, collect all fallen leaves at the base of the tree and ensure regular pruning.

Almond Blossom Vs Cherry Blossom

Despite coming from the same botanical family, almond and cherry blossoms have a set of close similarities and differences. They include;

Difference/similarity/feature	Almond Blossoms	Cherry Blossoms
Leaf shape	Has bright green, smooth-edged leaves that slightly fold backward.	Has green, unfolding leaves with serrated edges
Petal color	White to pale pink	Light pink to deep pink petals
Blooming time	Onset of spring	Early to late spring
Pruning	Needs frequent pruning	Doesn’t need regular pruning
Soil conditions	Grows well in drained soil	Grows well in drained soil
Flower design	The petals merge together at the center	Has a small split between each petal

Can You Eat Almond Flowers?

Almond flowers are edible. Perfect for garnishing desserts, soups, and pastries, almond blossoms have a mild sweet taste and smell.

Bees play a significant role in the pollination process of almond flowers. In fact, they can make honey that tastes and smells like almonds. Almond blossoms are used to complement other flavors in ice-creams, and cocktails.

Almond Flowers Meaning

Almond flowers boast religious, ethnic, and cultural meanings that date as far back as when the biblical Messiah was born. Renowned almond flower meanings include,

• Eternal True Love– In Greek mythology, almond flowers represent pure and unending love.
• Bravery and Courage– General meaning across cultures.
• Alertness, Sweetness, and Charm-In the Chinese culture, almonds complement/celebrate femininity.
• Purity, Hope and Love– General meaning across cultures and different ethnicities.
• Early-Almond blossoms are the first to come out at the onset of spring at the beginning of the year.

Almond Flowers in the Bible

While not as famous as the olive or fig tree in the bible, almond flowers hold an irreplaceable position due to their biblical significance. In the bible, almond flowers represent;

• Resurrection

Almond flowers are said to be the first to blossom marking the resurrection of Christ.

• Old age

In Ecclesiastes 12:5 almond flowers are quoted as a true representation of old age because they represent a mature woman’s gray hair. At this stage of development, almond flowers feature silvery hairs hence, the flower is likened to an old woman’s gray hair.

• Desirable Item

In Genesis 43:11 and Exodus 25:33, almond flowers are used to describe something desirable. God speaks to Moses describing candle stands to resemble almond blossoms.

• Approval

When God wanted to show who the chosen one was among his men, the bible describes that everyone was ordered to set down their rods. The owner of the rod that grew almond blossoms would be the chosen one.

In this case, Aaron was the chosen man of God because a day after setting his rod down, his rod had beautiful almond blossoms and fruits.

Why Did Vincent Van Gogh Paint Almond Blossoms?

In February of 1890 when freshly blooming almond flowers appeared, a renowned painter in the south of France named Van Gogh found the perfect inspiration. See, he had just received news of the birth of his nephew. Then, almond flowers represented new life and rebirth. Van Gogh painted almond blossoms to gift and honor the new infant member of his family who also shared his name, Vincent.

Van Gogh painted beautiful almond flowers against a bright blue sky background not knowing that this is one of the paintings that would make him famous across the globe.

Where Can I See Almond Blossoms?

Originally, almond trees grew in the Mediterranean parts of North Africa and in Syria. Today, Almond trees thrive in countries like Italy, Morocco, in Spain, Iran, and the United States. Leading the world as the top commercial producer, California is the best place you can get to experience the true beauty of almond flowers.

Alternatively, you could visit the Van Gogh Museums in Amsterdam to see the famous Almond Blossom paintings along with his other breath-taking paintings.

Related resources:

Vincent van Gogh – Almond Blossom

Almond Blossoms Information and Facts – Specialty Produce

Almond Bloom: How A Flower Turns Into A Nut | NSPR – North …