Mum’s the Word: Longwood Grows Mammoth Mum

 

 

 

Longwood’s Largest Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum Ever on Display in the East Conservatory

What is it?

The Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum (known in Japan as Ozukuri) refers to a technique, originating in China and expanding to Japan several hundred years ago, for growing an extremely large Chrysanthemum, with a goal of producing the maximum number of flowers possible on a single plant. 

If that doesn’t sound difficult enough, the technique also requires that there is only a single bloom on the end of each individual branch; none of the flowers on the sides of the branch is used.  And to further complicate matters, each flower must be perfectly placed in concentric horizontal rows on a dome-shaped frame!

The largest specimen recorded in Japan had over 2,200 flowers—only a few growers in the entire world have been able to produce a plant that large.

How do we do it?
First, we choose a suitable cultivar—one that has large flowers, the ability to produce long stems, can grow well under a wide range of temperature and light conditions, and the ability to produce 3-4 branches each time the stem tip is pinched. The mum variety used this year is ‘Kenbu’, a Japanese variety that produces large, white, fully double flowers on long stems. 
Our grower, Yoko, started the plant from a cutting taken in July 2008, and grew the plant in a greenhouse for about 15 months, enabling it to grow large enough and produce enough stems to be shaped into a Thousand Bloom.

During winter months, when days were short, supplemental lighting was provided to prevent the plant from flowering, and to insure the stems grew long enough.  The plant was watered very carefully, fertilized frequently, and the container size was increased multiple times to provide enough space for good root growth.  Temperatures were kept as close to 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit as possible to encourage continual growth. 

Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum just prior to its move to the East Conservatory

Yoko and her team pinched it (removing the shoot tip) periodically to cause the side branches to grow out. Every time a stem is pinched, 3-5 new branches will form below the pinch. The number of flowers on the finished specimen is dependent on the number of branches, since ultimately only one flower will bloom at the end of each branch.
In late September, the shortening day lengths caused the plant to produce flower buds.  When the flower buds are still very small, Yoko and her helpers removed the ones that formed on the sides of each branch, leaving only the bud at the end of each branch.

In mid-October, the metal frame was installed by a Dave B., a metal worker from our Maintenance Department.  The ribs and horizontal wires that create the dome shape used to hold the flowers in their proper positions was prefabricated by Dave B and his colleague Dave T.  Special wire circles are attached to each wire post to provide additional support for the flowers.  The overall frame size is determined by how long the branches are (the tips of each branch must be long enough to reach the frame) and how many branches there are.  It takes several days to install the frame.  The frame on this year’s Thousand Bloom is about 9 feet in diameter at the base.

Yoko and a member of her team at work, placing each flower into the dome-shaped frame.

Once the frame is in place, Yoko stopped watering the plant, allowing it to wilt slightly. This makes the stems more flexible so they can be moved easily without breaking.  She then brought together a team of four gardeners to place the flowers in their proper positions on the frame.  First, each flower is placed in a soft fabric sleeve to protect it during handling. Then, starting at the top of the frame, the flower buds are attached to the wire supports—resulting in perfectly spaced concentric rings of flowers. Once the flower buds are in place, the sleeves are removed so the flowers can fully open.
When the flower arranging was done, the Thousand Bloom was placed in its final location in the East Conservatory to be enjoyed by Longwood’s guests.

This year, Longwood has grown its largest Thousand Bloom ever—and one of the largest ever grown in the United States—featuring 718 perfect blooms and measuring more than 8 ft in diameter! This magnificent chrysanthemum is on display now through November 22.

Seven Stunning Salvia in the Conservatory

This time of year everyone is talking about the stunning chrysanthemums in the Conservatory–but I would like to point out the beauty of a different, incredible, autumn-blooming plant! The genus Salvia represents the largest group of plants in the Lamiaceae family. There are more than 900 known species of Salvia occurring in temperate and sub-tropical climates around the world. Gardeners in California and the warm southeast are already aware of the importance of these plants in the landscape. The plants are characterized by having square stems, a colorful corolla with two lips of unequal length, and a two-lipped calyx. Most gardeners will know them because they are generally drought tolerant and they come in the most lovely shades of true blue and red! I’d like to introduce you to seven of my favorite Salvia which are in bloom now in the Conservatory complex.

Salvia confertiflora is a native of Brazil where it reaches heights of six to eight feet. We manipulate the growth of these plants to ensure their height is proportionate to the Conservatory. With careful planting schedules and pinching, we have plants that mature close to four feet. This is a relatively new plant to the United States–having just arrived in the 1960s, and availability only increased in the 1980s. Who can resist a 24″ long brick-red inflorescence? In  areas of the Southeastern United States this plant prefers some shade, and is remarkably cold tolerant, having re-sprouted after brief periods as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit!

Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious'

Salvia elegans is a native of central Mexico. It was known as S. rutilans as early as 1873, but more recent selections of a larger flowered clone have rendered the early name virtually unknown. This plant is very late flowering and can reach heights of four to five feet. In the garden it spreads by underground runners and can eventually form a small clump. If you look closely at the individual red flowers, you can see the pistil is split and is often described as being “feathery.” A new cultivar was released in 2002 called ‘Golden Delicious’, which is recognized by its bright golden leaves with the fragrance of pineapple when rubbed!

Salvia involucrata 'Bethellii'

Salvia involucrata has bright pink flowers and is native of Mexico. Glorious double bracts open to reveal true  flowers underneath. Attaining heights of almost five feet, this late flowering beauty was found growing on the edges of the forest in its homeland. This lightly shaded area of nativity offers the plant an increased opportunity for excelling in partly shaded areas of the Conservatory.

Salvia leucantha –If you’ve ever been to Longwood this time of year then you’ve likely seen a purple cloud that has filled entire areas of the Conservatory. The most floriferous salvia we display is hands-down the Mexican bush sage. The specific epithet, leucantha, means white. So where is the white on this plant? It’s actually the flower that is white and the calyx that is purple. Some newer selections like Salvia leucantha ’Midnight’  have purple flowers as well (just to confuse everyone).  Expect this silvery leafed sage to reach heights of almost four feet, but remember that gentle pinches throughout the season will keep it at a more manageable height. 

Salvia madrensis

Salvia madrensis is a towering plant (almost 7′ tall some years) which hails from the Sierra Madre in Mexico. It comes from high elevations of 4,000-5,000′ and has large leaves almost two inches across. The inflorescence can reach 12″ long and each flower is coupled by a sticky, but aromatic gland. A new selection available from Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina is called ‘Redneck Girl’ and is characterized by distinctive red stems!

 

 

Salvia mexicana 'Lemon Lime'

Salvia mexicana might be my second favorite salvia in flower this time of year. The cool chartreuse calyx is accented with soft blue flowers produced in profusion. This is an extremely variable species from central Mexico occurring at altitudes of 2,600-8,500′. It naturally grows under high tree canopies and is a favorite nectar source for popular pollinators such as hummingbirds, insects and butterflies. 

Salvia repens is our botanical wonder from eastern South Africa. It grows in open shrubby areas of sparse vegetation. The specific epithet refers to the creeping rootstock that can be used as an erosion control plant in warmer areas of the United States. This is one of our earlier flowering species of autumn salvia, coming into full bloom in September. The true blue flowers will persist well into October, which makes it extremely valuable in the garden. In it’s native habitat the indigenous people will use extracts for healing, bug repellants and cures for gastric illness. This helps explain where the word salve comes from… as its meaning is “to heal.”

Join us at Longwood Gardens for Autumn’s Colors which is in full bloom through November 22.  Not only will you enjoy these seven stunning Salvia, but thousands of chrysanthemums including our largest thousand bloom-style mum, which boasts more than 700 individual flowers on one plant!

Plentiful Pumpkins, Gorgeous Gourds and Sensational Squash

 

Pumpkin picking in progress

Autumn is in full swing at Longwood—and from now until November 2, we have a huge variety of pumpkins, gourds and squash on display in the Idea Garden and in front of the Peirce-du Pont House.  Longwood does not grow all of the wonderful cultivars here, but we do have them grown just for us by two producers in Lancaster County, PA. They have been growing these cool cucurbits for our autumn displays for more than 10 years.  (Pumpkins, gourds, and squash are all in the Cucurbitaceae family and are known collectively as cucurbits.)  In mid-September, a group of staff, students and volunteers went out to the “pumpkin patch” to harvest close to 100 different cultivars from a 2-acre field.  We brought the cucurbits back to Longwood and began to set up our displays. 

Many Cucurbit cultivars in the Idea Garden

In the Idea Garden, just outside of the vegetable garden, the display showcases the many different shapes, sizes, colors and textures of pumpkins, gourds and squash.  Each different cultivar is labeled, and I find that reading all the different names is just as interesting as looking at the gourds themselves.  ‘Caveman’s Club’, ‘Gremlins’, ‘Jumbo Pink Banana’, and ‘Speckled Snake’ are just a few of the cucurbits that are currently present.  

A warty pumpkin called 'Knuckle Head'

This display is also supplemented by many unusual pumpkins, gourds and squash that are brought here from The Great Pumpkin Patch in Illinois.  These additions have brought the total number of cultivars that can be seen in the Idea Garden to over 200. 

 

An autumn cornucopia in front of the Peirce-du Pont House

 Outside of the Peirce-du Pont House, a huge cornucopia spills a bountiful harvest across the lawn in stripes of color.  This cornucopia is the same one that was used in the Music Room at Longwood last autumn with glass pumpkins in it.  It’s made out of grapevine that we wove through a metal frame, which was made here at Longwood by the very talented guys in our Sheet Metal/Welding Fabrications Shops.  The different cucurbits were sorted into three color schemes before being placed in and around the cornucopia.  It is intended to look like the cucurbits in each color stripe were all randomly thrown together, but the assortment was intentionally chosen for the varied shapes, sizes and textures.  Although it seems like a solid mass of pumpkins, gourds, and squash just inside the cornucopia, there are actually several platforms that the cucurbits are sitting on.  This allows for air circulation around some of the fruits in the back that will be hard to reach if they start to rot.  The staff checks on the displays regularly and replaces any cucurbits that are beginning to go bad.  Behind the cornucopia, garlands of miniature pumpkins encircle the posts on the Peirce- du Pont House porch.  These garlands are easy to make and instructions for making your own at home will follow in a post in the near future.  Happy Autumn!

 

Fruit & Floral FANTASTIC!

The results are in and the Fruit & Floral Weekend (September 5-7, 2009) was a raving success! This display–a FIRST for Longwood Gardens–was made up of five parts, including

 

 a vegetable chandelier that measured 12′ across and more than 15′ tall. Our staff members harvested more than 2,000 ears of field corn from the perimeter land to create this gargantuan hanging exhibit. Two hundred pounds of squash and close to 500 individual lemons were wired to a frame that was built by Longwood’s metal craftsmen. Guests were greeted as they approached the chandelier by an archway of  artichokes flanked by two towers of glowing red tomatoes! 

Thousands of people enjoyed the second part, made up of ten creative floral designs that anchored the display on the ground level.  Participants in a Continuing Education class called Grand-Scale Harvest Designs created award-winning compositions based on criteria supplied by myself and Longwood’s designer.  Some of the selections were Primary, Complementary, and Monochromatic color palettes, plant families including Cucurbitaceae, Brassicaceae, and Solanaceae and well as an American Native, Underground and WILDCARD! categories.  Congratulations to all who participated in the tireless evolution of the floral arts. 

The third portion of the display consisted of the community harvest design competition.  There were children and adult divisions with four categories each.  Janet B. won Best in Show–Adult for her eggplant creation while Kayla H. earned Best in Show–Childrens for her underwater scene. 

In the Homegrown–Adult category Lee A. took first and Dan H. scored a close second.  In the Store-bought Veggie–Adult category, 1st went to Linda G., 2nd to Colleen R. and 3rd to Karl G.  Veggie Critter–Adult winners were: 1st-Janet B., 2nd-Terry A., 3rd-Janet B., and Honorable Mention to Grace A., Michelle C., Kat M. and Lee A. 

In the Children’s Category we were overwhelmed with veggie critters and the winners are tied: 2nd-Emily M. & Luz L., 3rd-David A. & Nicole F. Honorable Mention went to Susana G., Andrew S., Emily M., Anna W., Shawn S., Eliza W. and Bobby A. 

The fourth part of the display was produce grown, harvested and artfully arranged by Longwood Gardens.  A special thanks goes out to the Idea Garden team including Adam, Susan and Harold for their dedication to making this part of the display better than ever! 

Lastly we were able to secure a giant pumpkin (to the tune of 875 pounds!) which was grown and carved by Gus Smithhisler of Ohio.  His pumpkin carvings have been featured in numerous state fairs across the Mid-west as well as in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas!  His interpretation of Longwood Gardens’ year of pollination was artfully executed in the carving of flowers being pollinated by hummingbirds and bees.  Notice the veggie critter pollinators attached to the pumpkin! 

A special thanks goes out to all the staff, volunteers and community participants who put in countless hours of planning and execution, cleanup and drilling to make this kickoff weekend such a stellar success!  Be on the lookout for plans of next year’s event, which promises to be even bigger and better!  Mark your calendars now and start planning your designs for next year!

Fruits of the Season

For a brief window spanning September 5-7, 2009 Longwood Gardens will host the Harvest Design Competition & Display. This exciting new display is the kickoff event of the Autumn’s Colors Season (September 7- November 22). Anchoring this display will be the creation of a 12-foot-wide vegetable chandelier by Longwood staff. More than 250 ears of golden corn, 125 pounds of yellow squash and close to 500 individual lemons will be suspended from the roof of the Exhibition Hall.  Guests will walk through an archway of artichokes more than 10 feet tall as they enter the display. Flanking the entry will be two towers of tomatoes made up of more than 100 pounds of tomatoes each!

Underneath the chandelier, visitors can enjoy a spectacular display of Grand-Scale Harvest Designs created by students of Longwood Gardens’ Continuing Education program. Expect to see literally THOUSANDS of vegetables artfully arranged with hundreds upon hundreds of stems of fresh cut flowers. The designs will reflect varied themes. A few of my favorite themes are Tropical, including pineapples and ginger, and American Natives like goldenrod and corn. Color themes include complementary and primary pallettes. Plant family themes include Solanaceae (tomoato & potato), Brassicaceae (cauliflower & Brussels sprouts) and Cucurbitaceae (cucumbers & watermelon).

You are invited to participate in the judged portion of the exhibit. Make your own Harvest Design to compete for the cash prizes. Ensure that only natural elements are used and your entry fits one of the following categories:
1) Homegrown
2) Purchased at a local farmstand
3) Purchased from the supermarket
4) Vegetable critter-see Vanessa’s work!

 Visit the Longwood Gardens website for more information on entering the competition.

Children may enter all categories to compete against their own age group. The exciting list of celebrity judges consists of test garden manager Sandra Gerdes from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, executive director Bill Thomas of Chanticleer Garden and floral artist Michael A. Hasco, AIFD.  This distinguished group will carefully examine the entries beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday the 4th. Winners will be contacted after judging is complete.

While the fruits of the season will catch your eye in the Exhibition Hall, be sure to notice all the chrysanthemums in the conservatory beds, too! This is the earliest we have ever had exhibition-style chrysanthemums on display at Longwood Gardens. Each single-stem mum takes considerable care and attention to produce such an award winning display. Check back next week as we recap winners of  the Fruit & Floral Weekend as well as explore more autumnal plants in-depth!