Chrysanthemums cast varied spells

Many of you will know chrysanthemums is the crest and official seal of the Emperor of Japan. The chrysanthemum in the crest is a 16-floret varied called “Ichi-monjiginu” (try saying that six times really fast). Chrysanthemums also comprise some part of all important Japanese familiy seals called Kikumon. As a mater of fact, Kikumon broken down is “kiku” meaning chrysanthemum and “mon” means crest. The Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan’s highest order of chivalry. The Japanese also have National Chrysanthemum Day called Festival of Happiness.
The Chinese have an even longer relationships with the chrysanthemum (or “Chu” as they call it), but as flowering herb. It was first cultivated as such in 15th century B.C. and writings ffrom this time portrayed it as having the power of life. Pottery from this era illustrates it as looking much like the same flower we know today.

The Chinese city Chu Hsien was named to honor the flower. The most common from of using the herb to this day is by making a tea of the flowers. The tea is said to be antibacterial and supports good coronary health. It is cooling and refreshing in hot weather but also cooling in the way of reducing fever and inflammation.

The same tea takes away headaches and used as eyewash reduces irritation and redness while strengthening the eyes. Tea is made by washing the flowers then pouring boiling water over them and steeping them for three minutes.

The Chinese steam then dry the flowers first to get rid of the bitterness. Honey or sugar enhances the flavor. This tea is good for sunstroke, sore throat or just restorative, non-caffeined drink, especially on a hot day.

Chrysanthemums are part of the Compositae or daisy family. The bloom itself consists of two types of florets. Florets are small flowers and the petals are the ray types while at the center are disc florets. Only these disc types have the ability to reproduce.

In the snowy blooms we are familiar with, these discs are extremely hard to see. Plant breeders use pair of scissors to uncover them from pollination in order to develop new cultivars. The best way as a home gardener to propagate them is by division in the spring. To keep them low and bushy, cut them buck three times over the course of spring and summer, your last cut around August 15.

These wonderful fall flowers are about the longest lasting of all cut flowers. So it is not surprising the chrysanthemum is the most widely growing as a potted plant. In the U.S., it is the largest commercially produced flowers. This is owing to the fact that not only are they easy to grow with a wide diversity of bloom forms and colors but they also have the wonderful capability of blooming on the schedule.

Chrysanthemums are easy to grow as long as they get a well-drained soil and full sun. They are also, as aforementioned really drought-tolerant. Though I have not seen them, I an told that some chrysanthemums cultivars can be trained as bonsai. In as little as one year they can be trained into a miniature trees matching the character of evergreen plants or trees many, many years old.
Though we give chrysanthemums as hostess and housewarming gifts, and even corsages here, in Europe they are known as death flowers. This is especially true in Austria and Belgium where it is almost exclusively used a memorial graves.

There is a superstitious about chrysanthemum – add chrysanthemum blooms, stem and all to bath water to get rid of a bad mood.
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