Sunday, November 2, 2014

Mum Day






Today is National Chrysanthemum Day and we want to celebrate one of the most famous
and beautiful flowers in the world.  Above is a Gold Spider Chrysanthemum.

 Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th
 century BC.   The plant is renowned as one of the "Four Gentlemen"  in Chinese and East 
Asian art.    The chrysanthemum, with its burnished colors, is a symbol of autumn.  Since 
it flourishes at the end of the year, it denotes longevity and duration. 







Petals on the chrysanthemum have been bred to curve inward or outward or straight,
thick or thin, and in every color.  This is an Irregular Inward Curving Lavender
and Purple Chrysanthemum.





This is the Hook-eyed Pink Princess Chrysanthemum.

The chrysanthemum has inspired many musicians in a variety of styles.
Here is Scott Joplin's "Chrysanthemum Rag."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7lEPOknjYg








This is a Regular Inward Curving Golden Globe Chrysanthemum;
it is about eight inches in diameter.

___


The rose is called the queen of flowers, 
          Surrounded by her sisters fair, 
          A lovely throng of beauties rare, 
She holds her court 'mid summer bowers, 
          'Neath smiling skies of sunny blue, 
          Gayly they bloom the summer through    
Brightening all the golden hours. 
          But when the autumn days have come 
          Then blooms our sweet Chrysanthemum. 
   
Ah! she is not a "Summer Friend," 
          She stays when all the rest have flown, 
          And left us flowerless and alone; 
No singing birds, or blooms to lend 
          Their brightness to the autumn haze, 
          'Tis she who cheers the dreary days; 
'Tis joy to know so sweet a friend; 
          No fairer flower blooms 'neath the sun 
          Than autumn's queen,  Chrysanthemum. 

                             Hattie L. Knapp






This is the Golden Glow Outward Curving Giant Chrysanthemum.






Chrysanthemums adapt to all kinds of pruning and training.  They can be individual
flowers, or bushes, or trees, or a carpet covering a wall.
This is a Red Chrysanthemum tree, just one plant and one stem.






Chrysanthemum bushes completely covered with brilliant flowers, like these
October Orange blossoms, are very popular.






This is a very pale Irish Mist Spider Chrysanthemum.






This exotic creature is an Irregular Burnt Orange Spider Chrysanthemum.






"My Lady's Posies" are a new bi-color bush chrysanthemum.








My White Chrysanthemum

by Susan Coolidge

My White Chrysanthemum
As purely white as is the drifted snow,
    More dazzling fair than summer roses are,
    Petalled with rays like a clear rounded star,
When winds pipe chilly, and red sunsets glow,
      Your blossoms blow.

Sweet with a freshening fragrance, all their own,
    In which a faint, dim breath of bitter lies,
    Like wholesome breath mid honeyed flatteries;
When other blooms are dead, and birds have flown,
      You stand alone.

Fronting the winter with a fearless grace,
    Flavoring the odorless gray autumn chill,
    Nipped by the furtive frosts, but cheery still,
Lifting to heaven from the bare garden place
      A smiling face.

Roses are fair, but frail, and soon grow faint,
    Nor can endure a hardness; violets blue,
    Short-lived and sweet, live but a day or two;
The nun-like lily bows without complaint,
      And dies a saint.

Each following each they hasten them away,
    And leave us to our winter and our rue,
    Sad and uncomforted; you, only you,
Dear, hardy lover, keep your faith and stay
      Long as you may.

And so we choose you out from all the rest,
    For that most noble word of "Loyalty,"
    Which blazoned on your petals seems to be;
Winter is near,--stay with us; be our guest,
      The last and best.







Yellow Rain Chrysanthemum with long thin tubular petals.






Powder Puff Pink Chrysanthemums






"Fiery Burst" thick-petaled chrysanthemum




Red and Yellow Inward Curving Football Pompom Chrysanthemum

"Chrysanthemum Galopp" or "Cachuca" by Johann Strauss Sr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FbNw4cmFAY





Pink Pom-Pom Mums, small and dense.





Lemon Colored Daisy Mums





Copper colored exotic mums
______________________

"The Last Chrysanthemum" by Thomas Hardy

Why should this flower delay so long 
   To show its tremulous plumes? 
Now is the time of plaintive robin-song, 
   When flowers are in their tombs. 

Through the slow summer, when the sun 
   Called to each frond and whorl 
That all he could for flowers was being done, 
   Why did it not uncurl? 

It must have felt that fervid call 
   Although it took no heed, 
Waking but now, when leaves like corpses fall, 
   And saps all retrocede. 

Too late its beauty, lonely thing, 
   The season's shine is spent, 
Nothing remains for it but shivering 
   In tempests turbulent. 

Had it a reason for delay, 
   Dreaming in witlessness 
That for a bloom so delicately gay 
   Winter would stay its stress? 

- I talk as if the thing were born 
   With sense to work its mind; 
Yet it is but one mask of many worn 
   By the Great Face behind. 




A pot of Golden Splendor yellow mums.





Mums can be trained and pruned to grow in almost any shape.
These "Blanket Mums" are draped over an iron armature
and cover it completely.




Or you can train mums to grow in a ball or in a spiral.





A pot of yellow mums





Yellow Starfire Mums





These beautiful Mound Chrysanthemums are growing in the garden of the home of
Marjorie Meriweather Post in Washington, D.C.

Giacomo Puccini wrote mostly operas, but in chamber music, his most beautiful
work is the string quartet entitled "Chrysanthemums / Crisantemi" from 1890.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2TIFSvYFjs






This is one chrysanthemum plant, with one stem, and it has been trained to
produce 500 flowers which are supported on a steel framework.





Copper colored Anemone Mums





Pink Anemone Mums





Single White Decorative Mum





Pink and Yellow anemone mums.

"The Chrysanthemum" played by Scott Joplin himself on a piano roll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsgJd0YikEg





Yellow Anemone Mums





Large "White Icicles" exotic mum.





Hot pink exotic mum.





Lavender Globe Mums, about 8 inches in diameter.





A single white mum plant with 500 flowers on steel frame.

Franz Josef Haydn "Chrysanthemum Concerto No. 11"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulmMucPqW9w





Honey Glow Exotic Mums





A trio of Janet Baker Spider Mums





"Queen Emma" spider mum, 12 inches in diameter





"Lava Glow" Spider Mum
_____

Lo! in the corner yonder
There is a gleam of white and gold.
The gold of summer's sunshine,
The white of winter's cold.

And laden with spicy odours,
The autumn breezes come.
From nooks and corners, brightened

By the brave chrysanthemum.





"Red Wing" spoon mums - notice how each petal has a white "handle" and red "spoon."





Bouquet of Pelee Mums


___

These are just a few of the mums I have enjoyed in the last few Novembers.
I hope you have the good fortune to enjoy these wonderfully diverse flowers also.

JB



__

Friday, October 24, 2014

Fall Flowers in Chicago





The "Circle Garden" is one of my favorites among the 26 gardens, 
which make up the Chicago Botanic Gardens.





Mums and asters and decorative kale and pampas grass and dahlias.







"Sonata White" Cosmos




"Golden Glow" Garden Mums







Cucumber Leaf Sunflower, pale yellow.






"Brown Eyes" Garden Mums






"Rosy Glow" Korean Mums - extra hardy and prolific






"Maryl" Spoon Mums






Yellow Climbing Rose






Apricot Delight






Strawflowers - dry easily and stay colorful all winter inside.






"Poodle Skirt" Dahlia






"White Icicle" Dahlia






"Blutiful" Dahlia in bluish-purple, about six inches across






Ornamental  Peppers






"Mambo" Orange Ornamental Peppers





"Henry III" pink Milka Asters






"Peter III" Blue Milka Asters






"Henry III" and "Peter III" Milka Asters in Enabling Garden






Pale Blue Woodland Asters  /  English Asters






White Woodland Asters






Pretty Lady Jane Pink Anemones






White Japanese Anemones






"Centerpiece" Korean Mums - delicate and frothy






"Bolero" Copper Mums







Pot of White Bridal Mums in McGinley Bridal Pavilion







Amata  Pink  Mums






King's Delight Korean Mums






Lady Laura Peruvian Lilies.  There are 190 varieties of these lilies, which you can buy
in any grocery store.  But this is the only variety which you can leave outdoors and
will survive a Chicago winter and bloom again next year.






Lemon Yellow Water Lily






Orange Harvest Glow Mums






Mums and Asters in the Circle Garden






Lemon Tart Korean Mums






Decorative Kale with White Centers






Giant Red Swamp Mallow - about 10 inches across






Starbright White Garden Mums in an urn.






Junkyard Dog Dahlia, shot against the sun




The Botanic Gardens believe anyone can have a garden, even though all you
have is a tiny plot or a patio.  They recommend these Wall Gardens for small
spaces and have a number of them on display with different plants to show
what can be done.  This one has vegetables and flowers.







Sweet Alyssum in a vertical wall garden.




St. Tropez Chrysanthemums








End of Day Two in the Chicago Botanic Gardens



___










__