Chrysanthemums
If your abiding impression of the Chrysanth is the acid coloured overblown flower as big as a football that old men used to win prizes for in agricultural shows, think again. The past history and current development of the Chrysanthemum are fascinating.
History
Known scientifically as Dendranthema indicum, this multi-petalled flower has been cultivated in some parts of China since 500 BCE. Confucius refers to the chrysanthemum as the favourite flower of the Chinese ruling classes. Around the 8th century, when the chrysanthemum was brought to Japan, the ruling dynasty were so impressed by its majesty and beauty that it became the symbol of divine authority. Even today the Japanese consider chrysanthemums as emblems of long life and happiness. In 1688 a Dutchman, named Jacob Layn, introduced the chrysanthemum to Europe and by 1900 it had been discovered that by manipulating daylight, you could make them flower all year round.
Present Day
Today’s flowers are not as bright or huge as ‘show’ varieties and the Chrysanthemum family makes a welcome addition to the garden, in particular because its late flowering offers advantages when the other garden plants are winding down for winter. Bear in mind that outdoor flowering Chrysanthemums will still need protection from hard frosts, (that’s why those old men who won prizes used to put paper bags over the flowers at night) and that, given they grow to four feet tall, they can get hit by air frosts when the ground isn’t frosting.
What to choose
There are hundreds of new varieties: in particular look out for the new green Chrysanths – very showy, the varieties that are harking back to their Chinese ancestry with curved down-turning petals, and the multi blossoming varieties that are showing a range of colours from say, yellow through to red, on each individual plant.
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