A Class 7 chrysanthemum in the Nolen Greenhouses, 2010

A display of kiku, the mesmerizing art of trained Japanese chrysanthemums, will join Fall Flowers of Japan in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory on October 5! In anticipation, we’re taking an in-depth look at these fascinating flowers.

Head below the jump to learn about pompom mums, and more.

An ozukuri display in the Nolen Greenhouses, 2010

A dazzling display of kiku will join Fall Flowers of Japan in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory beginning October 5. Don’t miss these magnificent Japanese chrysanthemums trained to grow in a mesmerizing variety of shapes and styles. In anticipation, we’re taking an in-depth look at these fascinating flowers.

One plant, hundreds of flowers. Find out how it’s done below.

Japanese chrysanthemums in the Nolen Greenhouses, 2010

Beginning October 5, Fall Flowers of Japan will feature a dazzling display of kiku in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory! Don’t miss these magnificent Japanese chrysanthemums trained to grow in a mesmerizing variety of shapes and styles. In anticipation, we’re taking an in-depth look at these fascinating flowers.

Learn more about these fascinating flowers below.

They said it couldn’t be done, but through the combined efforts of the Garden’s science and horticultural staffs, we here at Plant Talk are proud to announce that our colleagues have done the impossible: They have bred a true blue chrysanthemum!

Chrysanthemums have been bred for centuries into a rainbow of hues, sizes, and shapes, but not until this April 1 has the world ever seen a blue mum.

Photo by Mark Pfeffer

Head below the jump to learn more about this astounding new flower.

Because Tuesday is the new Wednesday (at least in this three-day week), we thought we’d take a moment to celebrate the sublime beauty of the Japanese Chrysanthemums currently on display in the Nolen Greenhouses. The mums will only be around until Sunday, November 28. Be sure to bring your camera and a great macro lens, and join our Flickr group pool to show us your best shots.

So why not take advantage of your four-day weekend and come for a visit! There’s plenty more going on at the Garden, too. There’s the Holiday Train Show, hikes in the Forest, a theatrical performance of the beloved Golden Book “Tootle the Train,” and plenty of great shopping.  Enjoy!

It’s the last weekend to experience that spectacular beauty of Japanese Chrysanthemums in the Nolen Greenhouses. Instead of closing today, this amazing exhibition will remain open until November 29!

Mellow Yellow (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Chrysanthemums. You see them everywhere this time of year; their cheery little faces in a rainbow of hues (all except blue!) brightening up front stoops, fire escapes, tree guards, and otherwise bedraggled gardens all over the city.  But trust us, you’ve never seen chrysanthemums like this!

On display now for a limited time–just until Sunday, November 21–at the Bourke-Sullivan display house is a wonderland of Japanese chrysanthemums. These mums are far more than the plastic pots you can jump in your car and buy at your local gardening center.  These mums are coddled and cultivated and trained and coaxed into a kaleidoscopic array of shapes–dizzying spirals, sprawling umbrellas, cascading waves–each form composed entirely of just one plant. That’s right. One plant.

See 464 blooms on one plant below.