Beautiful chrysanthemums are the favorite flowers of Chinese emperors and Japanese poets. Arriving in Europe from the East, they forever conquered European gardeners with a contrasting combination of fragile beauty and resilience, modesty and grandeur.
From July to late autumn, chrysanthemums serve as an amazing decoration of gardens, and are considered the most autumnal flowers that resist rain, wind and cold, often staying in bloom, even covered with hoarfrost.
Like pearls strung on stems, these flowers with bright colors to match the crimson-yellow leaves set the autumn mood and challenge the impending winter snows and frosts.
On our site most-beauty.ru you can also enjoy photos of the most beautiful flowers in the whole world.
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Garden Chrysanthemums: History and Classification
In the photo: Variety "Champagne Spray"
Not afraid of winds and frosts, chrysanthemums are an embodiment of pep and a vivid example of strength and perseverance. For more than 3,000 years, these beautiful flowers have been grown in China, which is considered their historical homeland. But the palm is often disputed by the inhabitants of Japan, who consider chrysanthemums to be their national treasure.
It is curious that in Japanese these flowers are called “Kiku”, and the second meaning of this character is “Sun”. This is especially symbolic when you consider that the very first varieties of chrysanthemums were yellow. The golden color gave them the name by which they are now known, because literally it translates as "Goldflower".
At the dawn of the 12th century, there were 36 varieties of chrysanthemums. Confucius tried to carry out their first classification. Now in the world there are already more than 10 thousand varieties, and in China alone there are more than 3000. The assortment is incredibly wide. There are varieties with large and miniature, rounded and pointed, simple and double petals. The smallest chrysanthemum flower does not exceed 3 cm in diameter. Some bushes of garden species can grow up to 1.5 m.
It is garden chrysanthemums called "autumn queens." Most often, they are classified according to the diameter of the flowers in three main types.
Small-flowered or Korean varieties impress with many inflorescences on a single bush, the diameter of the flowers in which is from 2 to 10 cm. They are especially frost-resistant and bloom from September until the onset of cold and frost. The most popular are the Talisman and Evening Lights.
In the photo: variety Talisman
Middle-flowered (10-18 cm in diameter) or decorative chrysanthemums serve as decoration of gardens and are used in the preparation of bouquets. Their height varies between 30-70 cm. Such species can also bloom when grown in pots. They often decorate loggias. Among the popular, it is worth noting the varieties "Dune" and "Dawn".
Large-flowered varieties are most effective. The height of their bushes reaches 80-150 cm with a flower diameter of 10-25 cm. Such varieties are the least resistant to cold and are grown mainly for bouquets. The most famous large-flowered chrysanthemum is Umka. Rosetta's Daughter is not inferior to her in popularity either.
Another criterion for classifying chrysanthemum species is their division into annual and perennial.
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Annual species
The annual chrysanthemum is almost crowded out of the garden by its perennial relatives. But there are so beautiful varieties of annuals that they are still in demand and loved by gardeners.
Keeled Chrysanthemum
This plant blooms all summer until September-October. The view was especially popular for the spectacular colorful coloring of the petals - multi-colored circles with a dark center. For such a specific color, this species is also called tricolor. Add decorative appeal to the flower and cirrus openwork leaflets. Such flowers are perfectly combined in flowerbeds and lawns with other garden plants. The Nordstern variety is popular with white petals along the edge and yellow-red in the center.
Crowned
Decorative appeal to this annual, similar to a camomile, is given by the cut leaves. This type of chrysanthemum blooms with a single flower with a yellow or white color of petals with a diameter of not more than 7 cm. The most popular variety is Golden Gem - a compact bush with yellow flowers.
Odorless
This species is distinguished by fast-growing bushes up to 20 cm high. The most popular variety is the Wedding Dress. This variety charms with lush terry snow-white flowers. You can create an elegant bride’s bouquet of chrysanthemums of this kind, which justifies the name given to him.
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Perennial species
The palm in the garden design is given to perennial species, which in turn are divided into early and late, tall and short. Below are a few of the most popular varieties of perennial chrysanthemums that enchant with bright colors.
Mascot
This variety of garden chrysanthemums is usually used to decorate borders. It has small flowers of pink-raspberry shades that grow on bushes up to 25 cm high. It blooms from late July until the first frost.
Aurora
These beautiful garden chrysanthemums can reach a height of 70-80 cm. Their large orange flowers bloom by mid-autumn.
A swan song
This perennial flower blooms in late summer and delights with its charming flowering until mid-October. The flowers are medium, flat in shape, but fluffy and impressive heterogeneous color. In the center they are snow-white, and along the edges as they bloom, they acquire a pronounced pink hue.
Golden tips
This variety of garden chrysanthemums charms with copper-red flowers with a golden border around the edges that bloom before the onset of frost.
Inga
The chamomile form of the inflorescence of this variety makes its medium flowers (up to 10 cm in diameter) especially attractive for landscape design.
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Bush chrysanthemums
This type of garden chrysanthemum has up to 650 varieties. Their large multi-colored hats are often used in garden design to highlight individual thematic areas and create accents.
Santini
This variety of garden chrysanthemums is a hybrid created by Dutch breeders. A small-flowered branchy plant impresses with incredibly beautiful flowers of unique shapes that distinguish it from other varieties. On one bush there can be up to 25 inflorescences.
Baltic or Bush Zembla
No less attracted to gardeners is this type of spray chrysanthemum, which has a lush spherical shape and many petals. Shrubs can reach a height of 60-80 cm and are often used in the design of gardens. They are also suitable for creating beautiful bouquets. Often this variety is grown not only in the flowerbed, but also in pots.
Saba
This variety conquers with its original color and shape of the petals. Saba flowers have sharp red petals with a white border around the edge and a yellow-green core.
Mona Lisa
Bushes of this variety reach a height of up to 1.7 m. Wide petals and a bright green core are their main differences. The color of the flowers can be very different: from pink and lemon shades to lilac.
Galiaro
This is one of the most decoratively attractive varieties of chrysanthemums. The spherical shape and unusual green color of the flowers gave him the glory of a favorite of landscape designers and florists. This is the latest variety, which pleases with its flowering towards the end of autumn.
Spray or multiflora
This variety of spherical chrysanthemums is at the peak of popularity among gardeners and garden designers. Beautiful bushes are self-forming, and they do not need to be cut. They begin to bloom at the end of August, and delight with their bright multi-colored balls until the frost.
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Korean varieties
Korean chrysanthemums are most often grown in gardens. Bright color of their varieties, original forms and resistance to bad weather made these flowers one of the most popular in landscape design. They are easily combined with other flowers and shrubs, which allows you to create impressive flower beds.
Variety "Alyonushka" with beautiful inflorescences of a soft pink hue is one of the most attractive. Flowers bloom in early autumn.
Bushes of the Barkhan variety can reach 60 cm and impress with beautiful small orange-yellow flowers.
Korean chrysanthemums of the Snowball variety with small snow-white flowers with a pink tint on the tips of the petals have a magical charm.
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Potted chrysanthemums and indoor varieties
The most popular garden varieties, but no less attractive are potted chrysanthemums. Usually for this purpose use undersized varieties. You can grow single flowers, but still the most spectacular in this case are dwarf shrub or Chinese varieties, in the flowering period resembling colorful balls. To achieve maximum effect and to save chrysanthemums in a pot, they should not be placed on the south side. If you do not have a summer residence, then nothing will prevent you from growing beautiful chrysanthemums on the windowsill. A nice plus of growing indoor varieties on the window is that, under favorable conditions, they delight continuous flowering for up to 2 years.
Indoor varieties are considered the most unpretentious in care and impress with lush bushes with flowers of various colors.
Chrysanthemum indian
This is one of the first varieties that was bred specifically for growing in the house - on balconies and window sills. Jagged leaflets and small yellow flowers with a bright yellow core give it a decorative appeal. Owners of low lush bushes up to 20-25 cm tall, Indian chrysanthemums are most convenient for growing in the house. Bright color and long flowering in the cold period make this variety the most popular among beautiful indoor chrysanthemums.
Chinese Chrysanthemum
Flowers of this variety have thin branched stems up to 25-70 cm high. The bushes bloom profusely, and depending on the species may have flowers of different colors and sizes. The most popular indoor chrysanthemum is the variety "Charm", blooming with a huge hat of numerous inflorescences, and dwarf bushes "Minimum".
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>>> PART 2. VERY BEAUTIFUL BOUQUETS <<<