November 1 is All Saints Day, a day to commemorate the saints and dearly deceased. Last year, you and I were armchair travellers and explored the flowers connected with this day in Mexico; today let’s travel to France, where the French are celebrating La Toussaint.
If we were in France today, it would be a public holiday for this Christian celebration and day of family togetherness, and a time when the people (even non-religious) would visit the graves of deceased family and friends, and leave flowers. The flower of choice would be the beautiful chrysanthemum.
As we stroll through the open markets, we’d see many shops selling chrysanthemums today. The flowers are so connected to this day they are called the “flower of death.” I read that mums are never given as a floral gift in France because of this.
In the language of flower, the mum is the symbol of longevity, and is also the “flower” for November.
Mums are so beautiful and durable that I’m glad that here we can enjoy them and share them with joy! Chrysanthemums originally called Asia and Northern Europe home, but the real “chrysanthemum central” was China. Hundreds of varieties of mums were recorded there over five centuries ago, and mums are held in such high esteem there that the mum is considered one of the “Four Gentlemen” in Asian art (the other “gentlemen” are orchids, bamboo, and plum blossom).
Today we can enjoy hundreds of varieties of mums, ranging from the cheerful and long-lasting “pompoms” to exotic “spider” mums to bright and beautiful daisy types to the large baseball-sized standards. They come in a variety of colours: yellow, white, maroon, rusty shades, pinks and purples, lime green, as well as variegated types. Something for everyone! It is one of the largest groups of commercially produced flowers because it is easy to cultivate, has an amazing array of colour sand shapes, and is very long-lasting.
For gardeners, we can buy hardy mum plants in the spring. They like a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil. Planting them in the spring gives them a chance to become established and develop good healthy roots. Pinch them early in the season to encourage them to branch out. This would also be a good time to start rooting extra cuttings. If we buy the lovely mums that are available in the fall, and plant them in our gardens, they may not have enough time to develop a root system that will carry them over till next spring. But these are still delightful to enjoy outdoors as long as they will last, and then we can bring them in and try to keep them going over the winter indoors.
Chrysanthemums are beautiful in the garden, making a lush, strong border or sturdy accent plants. They can have mildew if conditions are damp and there is not enough heat or air circulation, but otherwise they are not prone to pests. They’re great plants to enjoy in spring or fall!
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, November 22. This is our AGM for members and their guests only. Members, for more information or tickets please call Liz at (306) 782-2830.
Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca for news and articles, and have a great week!
