Chrysanthemum

One of the joys of gardening is anticipating what is to come. It will be some time before my chrysanthemum's start blooming but in the meantime, I will be pruning them trying to encourage more blooms and more growth. Apparently, the flowers start to develop when the hours of sunlight are less than 12 hours which means after September 21st. I wish that I could grow mums like the ones in the photos. These were taken at the annual Mum show in Hamilton, Gage Park.

In some European cultures such as Italy and Greece, the large chrysanthemum flowers we sometimes call "mums' are used exclusively to honour the dead. Chrysanthemums are seen as such potent symbols of power and perfection by the Japanese that at one time only the emperor was allowed to grow them. The chrysanthemum was adopted as the personal symbol of the Mikado, the emperor.

The word chrysanthemum is derived from the Greek chrysos meaning gold and the anthos meaning flower. Flowering plants were fashioned into crowns and used during magic rituals designed to protect participants against demons.

Maybe, if I have enough mums, I will be able to protect my family and house.

Asian chrysanthemums are reported to have been grown in the Netherlands during the 1680's but the first Chinese chrysanthemum to successfully join its European cousins was imported to France in 1789 by a Marseilles merchant, Monsieur Blanchard.

Studying our garden flowers leads us to a study of exploration and trade around the globe. Hard to believe that the humble mum has such an illustrious history.

I am looking forward to the fall and seeing the mums in all their glory. Might even pay a return visit to the annual Mum show in Hamilton, at Gage Park or the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton.