It's this time of the year when gardeners take the opportunity to add late blooming perennials to add to the show of fall color.

     The myriad of petal shapes and colors that chrysanthemums ("mums" to you," kiku" to the Japanese) exhibit have made them a fall favorite for years...many, many years.  When you choose to cultivate chrysanthemums, you become involved in a gardening pastime that spans many centuries.

     History traces the origins of chrysanthemum culture to Imperial China over 3,000 years ago.  Chrysanthemums were highly prized by the Emperors of China, who considered them more valuable than gold.  The Japanese also revere the chrysanthemum.  In fact, the origin of the Japanese culture is wrapped in chrysanthemum legend.

     It seems that one of the early Emperors of China became quite ill.  In his quest for a remedy, he learned of "the herb of youth" that would restore his health.  The search for the "the herb of youth" was entrusted to 12 male and 12 female virgins.  They sailed out onto the Pacific Ocean with a bamboo basket filled with the Emperors beloved "golden daisies" to trade for the "Herb of Youth".

     Unfortunately, their quest ended when a huge typhoon shipwrecked them on a rocky archipelago.  Their quest ended, the survivors planted the revered mums and, over the following centuries, the survivors descendants populated the Islands we now know as Japan.  Their reverence for chrysanthemums continued and they were considered the exclusive property of their emperor.  In 910 A.D., the Japanese Emperor displayed his prized plants at the first Imperial Chrysanthemum Show and declared them to be the national flower of Japan.  In 1876, another Japanese Emperor created the Order of the Chrysanthemum as the highest honor he could bestow on an individual.  The Japanese word "kiku" represents both the chrysanthemum and the office of emperor.  The royal crest is a traditional 16 petal chrysanthemum design.

     European interest in Chrysanthemums budded with the arrival of plants brought back from the orient by Dutch trader in the early 1700s.  The Dutch are known to have produced several new varieties from the original plants but, it was the horticulturally adept French Huguenots that are credited real improvements in flower size and color including the development of 'Old Purple' which became a

favorite all over the continent.

     Chrysanthemums came to America in 1798 in the hands of John Stevens, a nurseryman from Hoboken.  By 1850, the Chrysanthemum Society of America had been founded and they held their first show in 1902.  

     Lately, perennial Asters have become a popular contender as the champion of fall color in the flowerbed.  Compared to the venerable chrysanthemum, asters are relatively recent upstart.  Their appeal to northern gardeners may be limited since wild asters are a common sight along the roadside this time of year. 

     English gardeners, visiting their colonial cousins found asters to quite lovely and brought seeds home with them. So, even though asters are a native North American plant, they became a popular fall-flowering garden plant in England long before Americans learned to appreciate them.  It's a classic case of one man's trash being another's treasure.

     Anyway...asters are an easy-to-grow alternative to mums.  They are now available in an assortment of colors and styles.  Asters branch heavily without all the pinching mums need.  They are quite insect and disease resistant.. Like mums, asters should be planted in full sun in soil that is rich in organic matter.  The area should be well drained, but not excessively dry.  The fine, dark-green foliage is quite attractive, making an excellent background for lower, summer flowering annuals or perennial.  They mature quickly and should be divided in early spring every couple of years or so.  Thanks for the read.