Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums, often called 'mums' or 'chrysanths', are a genus in the family Asteraceae. These pretty, round-faced flowers are native to Asia and North-eastern Europe. Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC.

A term like 'mums' might lead you to think of these as a fairly homely sort of product, but chrysanthemum flowers are an important and ancient flower with an enormous mystique to underpin their undoubtable beauty. In traditional Chinese art, four plants were known as the "Four Gentlemen" because of their elegance and pure beauty, which made them ideal for the tasteful, refined style of the great Chinese artists. These plants were the orchid (representing spring), bamboo (summer), peach blossom (the winter) - and representing the beautiful Chinese autumn, our old favourite the chrysanthemum.

It was not until the 17th century that the chrysanthemum finally made it over to Europe, to eventually become one of our best-loved flowers for gardens, bouquets and arrangements. The first ones brought to this side of the world were golden in colour, leading to the name chrysenthemum, which in Greek means simply, "golden flower".