Longwood Gardens' most celebrated bloom made a triumphant return earlier this week, drawing fanfare usually reserved for parades. After a two-year hiatus, the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum — the largest of its kind outside Asia — arrived at the conservatory on a flatbed truck, greeted by the sounds of Philadelphia's Avalon String Band performing the Mummers' classic "Oh Dem Golden Slippers."
Measuring 12 feet wide and eight feet tall, the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum is a living feat of precision and patience. The single-stem plant carries 1,363 flowers, each meticulously cultivated and positioned through the ancient Japanese and Chinese technique known as Ozukuri. The process, which takes more than 18 months and over 2,000 hours of labor, requires continual pinching, tying, and shaping to achieve the plant's signature dome form.
The plant's debut signals the start of Longwood's annual Chrysanthemum Festival, running through November 16. The event showcases the most extensive chrysanthemum display in North America, featuring thousands of flowers in a range of sculptural forms — from cascades and spirals to massive floral arches.
Read more at: My ChesCo
