Culturally, the Three Friends of Winter—pine, bamboo, and plum—are grouped together in the context of winter because they all flourish at that season.
For this reason they are commonly known as the Three Friends of Winter.
They are also referred to simply by their linked names: Song Zhu Mei  (松竹梅) in Chinese, transliterated as Sho Chiku Bai in Japanese (literally "pine, bamboo, plum") or Song Jug Mae (송죽매) in Korean.

In a Korean poem by Kim Yuki (1580–1658), the three friends are brought together in order to underline the paradoxical contrast:
Peach and plum of springtime, don't flaunt your pretty blossoms;

Consider rather the old pine and green bamboo at year's end.


What can change these noble stems and their flourishing evergreen?

In Japan, they are particularly associated with the start of the New Year, appearing on greeting cards and as a design stamped into seasonal sweets.
Shōchikubai (松竹梅) is sometimes also used as a three-tier ranking system.
In this context, the pine (matsu, 松) usually is the highest rank, followed by bamboo (take, 竹) as the middle rank, and plum (ume, 梅) as the lowest.

In Vietnam, the three along with chrysanthemum create a combination of four trees and flowers usually seen in pictures and decorative items.
The four also appear in works but mostly separately with the same symbolic significance.
Culturally, the Three Friends of Winter—pine, bamboo, and plum—are grouped together in the context of winter because they all flourish at that season. For this reason they are commonly known as the Three Friends of Winter. They are also referred to simply by their linked names: Song Zhu Mei  (松竹梅) in Chinese, transliterated as Sho Chiku Bai in Japanese (literally "pine, bamboo, plum") or Song Jug Mae (송죽매) in Korean.
In a Korean poem by Kim Yuki (1580–1658), the three friends are brought together in order to underline the paradoxical contrast:
Peach and plum of springtime, don't flaunt your pretty blossoms;

Consider rather the old pine and green bamboo at year's end.

What can change these noble stems and their flourishing evergreen?
In Japan, they are particularly associated with the start of the New Year, appearing on greeting cards and as a design stamped into seasonal sweets. Shōchikubai (松竹梅) is sometimes also used as a three-tier ranking system. In this context, the pine (matsu, 松) usually is the highest rank, followed by bamboo (take, 竹) as the middle rank, and plum (ume, 梅) as the lowest. 
In Vietnam, the three along with chrysanthemum create a combination of four trees and flowers usually seen in pictures and decorative items. The four also appear in works but mostly separately with the same symbolic significance.
Three Friends of Winter