Chrysanthemum Festival III

The West Hall leads from the Main Conservatory to the Orchid House and other

greenhouses.  It was hung with orange Chinese paper lanterns, and Cinnamon Wattle,

a variety of acacia, hung from the ceiling, and fourteen pots of 7 spider mums each

lined the sides.

These are Kishinonishi Yellow Spider Mums.  They are about 9 inches in diameter.

Kishinonishi Yellow Spider Mums

There are hundreds of varieties of mums, and Longwood has tried to organize them into

manageable groups.  So they have designated thirteen major categories, and there was an urn

devoted to each of the varieties in the West Hall.  These are "George Couchman Irregular

Incurve Mums."  The colors are pure autumn.

"George Couchman Mum" - about eight inches across.

Another variety of mums is the thistle mum, small and with may petals.  This is

"Cisco Thistle Mum," a beautiful bright yellow.

Small Cisco Thistle Mums

This gorgeous beauty is "King's Delight Quill Mum" and it is about 10 inches in diameter.

It was a beautiful pale pink in color.

"King's Delight Quill Mums"

"Snowflake Anemone Mums" were small and prolific.

Snowflake Anemone Chrysanthemums

"Two-Toned Pink Single Chrysanthemums" were about 2 inches across.

A vase filled with "Two-Toned Pink Single Mums."

This is one of my favorite colors - "Indian Summer Show Mum."

"Indian Summer Show Mum"

"Indian Summer Show Mum."  Wouldn't you like to have a garden with a dozen bushes

like this?

These are huge "Apricot Alexis Chrysanthemums."  They have a wonderful, rich

apricot color and are about 8 inches in diameter.

"Apricot Alexis Chrysanthemum"

This is one of teh few varieties which I have seen here in the past; almost every flower

this year was different from what I have seen in the past.  This "Bill Holden Mum" - a beautiful

soft pink with slightly drooping petals.

A pot of pink "Bill Holden Mums."

"Bill Holden Mum"

These large football mums are "Nijin Bigo," in deep red and copper.

"Nijin Bigo Chrysanthemum" - about 8 inches in diameter.

This was a brand new variety they had for the first time - "Mocha."

Longwood has always had a collection of bonsai trees, some of them nearly 100 years old,

but they have now begun a project to develop a whole series of chrysanthemum bonsais.

The tree above is about 12 inches high; the flowers are quite small; and it is two years old.

They will now try to train these bonsai in unusual shapes and smaller.

A deep orange anemon bonsai mum.

A white chrysanthemum bonsai.

"Kelvin Tattoo Pompom Mum."  These are small and very prolific.

"Icicle White" crinkly spider mums.

"Icicle Mum"

"Exotic White Edo 28 Mum."  Edo Mums are irregularly shaped flowers, often with twisted

petals.  Breeders are not sure they will perpetuate themselves like this and so they have not 

been given specific names yet.

"Edo 28 Exotic White Mum"

"Orange Sherbet" mum

Red Pelee Mums.  Mums will only bloom if there is less than 12 hours of daylight
each day.  So, to get longer stems, you plant the cuttings early in the summer and they will
grow tall before setting buds.  If you want the stems very short, as on these flowers, you
don't plant the cuttings until after Sept. 1.

This is the Hibiscus Greenhouse, where a number of special Chinese Hibiscus flowers

are grown.  Along this side was a series of Chinese lanterns and yellow Marguerite daisies.

The lanterns were lighted at night for special showings.

Red and Yellow Chinese Paper Lanterns decorated the ceiling of the Hibiscus House.

"Candy Striper: Chinese Hibiscus

"Fifth Dimension" Chinese Hibiscus

"The Pearl" Chinese Hibiscus was an iridescent pearl white and 12 inches across,

a dinner-plate mum.

"Erin Rachel" was a lovely Chinese Hibiscus in orange, pink, and magenta.

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