Longwood Gardens has unveiled the largest chrysanthemum ever grown outside of Asia: the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum.
EAST MARLBOROUGH — Longwood Gardens has unveiled the largest chrysanthemum ever grown outside of Asia: the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum. The amazing plant features 1,523 perfectly placed, uniform blooms on ONE plant. The Thousand Bloom Mum is a highlight of the annual Chrysanthemum Festival at Longwood Gardens, which transforms Longwood’s 4-acre conservatory into a vibrant visual feast of colorful chrysanthemum blooms.
Called the Thousand Bloom, the plant derives its name from the ambitious goal of cultivating a single chrysanthemum plant to produce as many perfectly placed blooms as possible. This ancient technique, known in Japan as Ozukuri, originated hundreds of years ago in Asia and is the most exacting and challenging of all Chrysanthemum training styles. Longwood’s Thousand Bloom measures an impressive 12.5 feet wide and nearly 8 feet tall and took 18 months of careful nurturing and training to grow into its final form.
Chrysanthemums were first grown and displayed at Longwood in 1921 when founder Pierre S. du Pont opened the Conservatory. Longwood now has one of the largest and oldest chrysanthemum shows in North America, showcasing all 13 classes of mums grown into more than 70 unusual forms, such as spirals, shields, orbs, and more.
Longwood’s Chrysanthemum Festival runs now through November 20 and is free with Gardens admission. Longwood Gardens is on US Route 1 near Kennett Square, PA, 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Details at www.longwoodgardens.org.
