It's late October, and that means it's time for the "Chrysanthemum Festival"
at Longwood Gardens, 25 miles west of Phladelphia.
It was the private estate of Pierre Dupont until it was donated to the State.
Since 1921, Mr. Dupont had celebrated a Chrysanthemum festival each year in
honor of the great festivals of Japan. The tradition continues today. Gardeners work
all year long preparing special plants and displays. This year there were 16,000
chrysanthemum plants and millions of blossoms. The plants must be watered each day
since the flowering is so profuse and requires constant water. There are sixteen
greenhouses filled with plants. The one above is the main display room.
There are thirteen basic types of mums. The above is a "Spider Mum" entitled "Lava,"
and it was one of the featured blossoms of this festival.
This is your first view of the main display room. The white domes are each single
chrysanthemum plants with a single stem and trained to bloom with 500 blossoms.
There is a video on YouTube which shows how this is done.
This is one single plant with 500 blossoms which have been trained to stand out
in a metal display rack.
White Decorative Mums
Bed of Princess Emma Spider Mums
Princess Emma Spider Mum
White Anemone Mum Tree. This is a single plant which has been
pinched and pruned of all leaves and flowers except for the clusters
at the top and bottom of the plant.
Honey Glow Decorative Mum
These mumss are in planters at top; as they grow, the ends are weighted with fishing weights
to gradually pull them down and hold them until they become thick blankets of flowers.
Golden Glow Irregular Incurve Mums
Golden Glow Mum
"The Grand Mum." This is a single plant with 1,416 blossoms on it.
It has been in training for a year and blooms like this for all of November.
Close-up of Yellow Decorative Mums
Seaton's Galaxy Spider Mum
Seaton's Galaxy Spider Mums
Interior of Greenhouse
"Fifth Dimension Exotic Hibiscus." There is also a large greenhouse
filled with exotic hibiscus plants.
"Aztec Yellow Exotic Hibiscus."
Bed of "Lava Spider Mums" in Main Conservatory.
These were my favorites in the show.
Lava Spider Mum
Lavender Ground Orchids.
There is also a large greenhouse for hundreds of blooming orchids.
Trio of large orchids.
Spray of orchids.
Yofire Island Decorative Mums
"Pelee Decorative Mums." These were some of my favorites also,
with very short stems and large bright blossoms.
Pelee Decorative Mums
"White Furball Mum." This is covered in soft white hairs, which
makes it look like a kitten curled up. Technically, it is an
Irregular White Inward Curve Mum, but I like its
nickname much better.
This is a "Golden Globe" Regular Inward Curve Mum.
It must be a perfect sphere, and this one is.
This is a perfect Lavender Regular Inward Curve Mum,
which is titled "Felicity."
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I hope you have enjoyed the first hour tour of the
Chrysanthemum Festival. More to come!
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