Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemum, or ‘mum,’ with its many thin petals and bushy appearance, is a popular inclusion in bouquet for all occasions, and comes in almost every shade under the sun. With all shapes and sizes, and heads ranging from flat faces similar to the gerbera to round heads resembling pompons, the chrysanthemum is one of the top five most cultivated flowers in the world, and is a year-round favourite.

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The chrysanthemum is another flower that, like the rose or tulip, has roots in ancient lands and times. The mum was cultivated in China for several millennia before it traveled to Europe in the 17th century, and both the Chinese and Japanese cultures have origin myths about this unique flower. The chrysanthemum is featured in the Chinese story of an ancient emperor seeking eternal youth from a magical herb, while the Japanese myth says that the god Izanagi, after pursuing his sister Iznami in the land of the dead, returned to earth unsuccessful. As he disrobed to bath in a river, the necklace that he dropped to the ground became a golden chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum is also considered by the Chinese to be one of the noble plants, along with the bamboo, plum, and orchid. However, the chrysanthemum gets its name from the Greek language, from chrysos meaning ‘gold’ and anthos meaning ‘flower.’

While its name may mean gold, the chrysanthemum comes in a dazzling array of colours, such as red, light and bright pinks, whites, yellows, golds, oranges and greens. The chrysanthemum is a popular inclusion in bouquets for many occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, ‘Get Well Soon’ bouquets, newborn children, weddings, and funerals, with both bright and pastel varieties widely used. They make wonderful accent pieces or focal points, and would go well with other chrysanthemums of different shades, monochromatic bouquets with different flowers, or a mixture of flower types and colours.

A bunch of white, pink, and yellow mums, for example, would make a lovely gift for a newborn, while an accent of red mums with yellow roses and orange gerbera would be a cheerful gift for an ill friend. White chrysanthemums also find themselves in wreathes and arrangements for funerals, which is appropriate as white is the Chinese colour for mourning. Regardless of the occasion, chrysanthemums make a wonderful inclusion into your flower selection.