Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. An ancient Chinese city was named Ju-Xian, meaning "chrysanthemum city". The flower was introduced into Japan probably in the 8th century AD, and the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. There is a "Festival of Happiness" in Japan that celebrates the flower.

The flower was brought to Europe in the 17th century. Linnaeus named it from the Greek prefix chrys-, which means golden (the colour of the original flowers), and -anthemon, meaning flower.

How to grow

Chrysanthemums prefer well-drained, evenly moist soil in full sun. The majority of chrysanthemums are late-blooming, easily grown short-day plants with flowers initiated by decreasing day length. They benefit from pinching main stems and side shoots back several times until midsummer, which promotes bushy growth before the flower buds form. They can be trained into showy forms. Professional growers often keep stems short by chemical means.

Scientific name
Chrysanthemum species

WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUM: Truth
YELLOW CHRYSANTHEMUM: Slighted Love