Author: Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes
Northwest Aishan Weekly
Huge flowers on display in the greenhouse of the Volunteer Park in late October. (Photo: Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes)
When people think of chrysanthemums, often referred to as “chrysanthemums,” they think of the colorful daisy bunches that can be seen in almost every flower department of the grocery store. But it is in autumn that these gorgeous flowers bloom naturally. Many Asian cultures admire and value late-season flowers as a symbol of longevity and joy.
In late October, the Volunteer Park Conservatory on Capitol Hill held a beautiful exhibition to celebrate this beloved flower. Unfortunately, not many people even knew about it. Planting chrysanthemums is an art, and some people worry that as most growers age, people are not interested in chrysanthemums.
In September, the Conservatory reopened to the public. For months, tourists seeking to maintain social distancing outdoors will visit the park, but can only peek at this Victorian greenhouse with a history of more than 100 years, hoping to see the tropical treasures in it. What is still missing is their special events. Soon after the reopening, they began to welcome local plant groups for plant sales and exhibitions. These usually attract busy people, but this time, the number of people is limited, the vaccination card is checked, and social distancing is maintained. However, the Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association decided to display the best flowers of its members. Normally, this is a jury contest that wins awards and trophies with the best flowers. Although the scale of this year’s show is small, it is still extraordinary in many ways. The only award given is the “People’s Choice Award” voted by the public. “.
The one who attended the meeting was a gardening genius. She made her home in the Pacific Northwest. Chrysanthemum was just one of her specialties. Yoko Arakawa always has a special feeling when it comes to planting plants. She has received training in the science of her work, whether here or in her home country, Japan. When she took the lead in producing plants in the famous Longwood Garden in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the artistic ingredients made her unique. It is about an hour’s drive northwest of Philadelphia.
She is known for leading the incredible “Thousand Flowers” Chrysanthemum Exhibition, known as Ozukuri in Japan. It involves the careful cultivation of a plant, through careful pruning, wiring and careful cultivation, it will produce a huge dome, which is opened by perfectly placed flowers at the same time.
After walking through the simple exhibition with Arakawa, the local gardener wanted to know if she could achieve such an achievement in Seattle. Without the space and resources of the resource-rich manor where she has worked for 25 years, she recalled the process, the different varieties she planted, where they came from, and how they were produced for the grand autumn exhibition.
Seeing chrysanthemum is like visiting an old friend. Arakawa’s infectious enthusiasm and broad knowledge were immediately felt by David Helgeson, the senior gardener of the Volunteer Park Greenhouse, when he first met a few months ago.
“We are honored to let Yoko work with us to create such a masterpiece… Maybe our goal is to make 500 flowers bloom,” he said with a smile.
However, having such professional knowledge in an art form that is so rare and loved by many people is in danger of being lost. Helgeson and Arakawa and members of the Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association all sympathize with the lack of young people and diversity in planting specialty plants, because the average age of their group is 60 years and above.
“It looks like they just don’t have time,” one exhibitor said. “They may be interested in flowers, but for most people, planting and displaying chrysanthemums is too time-consuming. But that doesn’t mean they can’t learn and enjoy them all the way. You don’t have to retire like me to be a mother. “
“The problem is that young people don’t have space to grow many plants, especially in cities,” Arakawa said. “You can always grow chrysanthemums in pots, but maybe some people will be interested in growing chrysanthemums into bonsai. It’s actually easy on a sunny apartment terrace or small garden,” she emphasized.
Thanks to the highly skilled gardeners of the Volunteer Park Greenhouse and Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association, the beautiful chrysanthemums will be part of the indoor display before the festival exhibits are launched every year. They have the classic “Garden Mom”, alongside exhibitions of various categories-curvy, spiders, decorations, sea anemones, pompons, feather pens, and dramatic waterfalls, all of which are carefully planted in their production facilities, even Arakawa I also appreciate their efforts.
“They have many special varieties that are difficult to find. These varieties were imported from the UK many years ago, but due to white rust, we can no longer obtain certain varieties,” she said.
It is necessary to continue to educate the public through such programs to help protect the art of planting plants.
Volunteer Park Conservatory is now open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets are $4 for adults, $2 for teenagers aged 13-17, and free for children 12 and under.
For more information about Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association, please visit ecamumclub.org.
Rizaniño can be reached info@nwasianweekly.com.
