"If you would be happy for a lifetime, grow chrysanthemums."
Chinese Proverb

The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb and is described in writings as early as the 15th Century B.C. In fact, Chinese pottery depicted the chrysanthemum much as we know it today.

As an herb, it was believed to have the power of life. Legend has it that the boiled roots were used as a headache remedy; young sprouts and petals were eaten in salads; and leaves were brewed for a festive drink. The ancient Chinese name for chrysanthemum is "Chu." The Chinese city of Chu-Hsien (which means Chrysanthemum City) was named in honor of the flower.

Around the 8th century A.D., the chrysanthemum appeared in Japan. So taken were the Japanese with this flower that they adopted a single-flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and the official seal of the Emperor. The chrysanthemum in the crest is a 16-floret variety called "Ichimonjiginu."

Family seals for many prominent Japanese families also contain some type of chrysanthemum. This is called a Kikumon — "Kiku" means chrysanthemum and "Mon" means crest. In Japan, the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest Order of Chivalry. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day, which is called the Festival of Happiness.

The chrysanthemum was first introduced into the Western world during the 17th Century. In 1753, Karl Linnaeus, the reknowned Swedish botanist, combined the Greek words chrysos (gold) with anthemon, (flower). Linnaeus was the founder of that branch of taxonomy dealing with plants and including the science of classification and identification. Experts say this is probably an accurate description of the ancient species, as it also points out the mum's need for sunlight.

The earliest illustrations of mums show them as small, yellow, daisy-like flowers.

Source: National Chrysanthemum Society USA

For more on the history of chrysanthemums, click here.

By Clayton Smith

DIVISION Tracheophyta

CLASS Angiospermae

Have you ever really looked at a seed? Torn it open and look at the miniature plant hidden within? Have you wondered just what it took for that seed to germinate? Probably not, so this is my chance to fill you in and show you the wonder that is the SEED.

By definition a seed is a complete and complex plant, formed from the fertilization of an egg fertilized in the pistil of a flower. As the egg grows, it becomes the embryo of the seed. The embryo consists of a leaf or leaves, roots and stems. Included in the seed is a food source high in carbohydrates, stored in either the endosperm (a kind of a sac for the carbohydrates) or the primary (cotyledons) leaf of the seed. Whichever source the carbohydrates is stored in, it is a source of food that the embryo can draw from. Enclosing all of this is the seed coat, which can have a papery coating or, as in most plants, a very hard coating, making it impermeable to water.

Class Angiospermae is the class that all seed plants are found in. From there two subclasses are found: Dicotyledoneae, plants that are formed from two primary leaves (cotyledons) and make up most of the broadleaf plants found on this planet, and monocotyledneae, or one primary leaf; this group are known as the grasses. Between these two subclasses over 240,000 species of plants are found.

Now let's look at how a seed germinates. The name that is given to the process from embryo to germination is embryogenesis. Germination is actually the resumption of growth, as the seeds are in a realm of dormancy prior to the advent of certain factors — both external and internal — that trigger the rapid and sudden growth of the seed. The external factors that are most important to seed germination are water, oxygen and temperature — and of all of these, water is by far the most important. Seeds are very dehydrated, containing only 5 to 25 percent water; therefore, water is needed to re-hydrate the seed, making the food source usable by the embryo. Most plants germinate with an optimum temperature between 77° F and 86° F. Some plants, however, can germinate with a maximum high of 115° F to a low of 40° F.

During this time of re-hydration and temperature optimization, enzymes (within the embryo) become active and start to work. Respiration is turned on (this is where oxygen is needed), metabolic processes start and the embryo actively grows.

When the embryo grows and germination takes place, the first plant structure to emerge is the primary root. The root takes in water, swells, anchors itself to the soil substrate, and starts to develop secondary and lateral roots. From these lateral roots, more lateral roots are formed and the plant starts to take hold. Right after the primary root anchorage, the plant shoot starts elongating and emerges from the seed. In most seeds the shoot arches up through the soil thus protecting the sensitive primary, or cotyledon leaves. Once the cotyledon breaks through the soil, with help of the shoot, it then straightens itself out and starts to unfold to take in the sun. When the stored food in the cotyledon is used up, it starts to swivel up, drops off and the new secondary leaves form and start to photosynthesize. At this point the plant is on its own, taking in what it can from the surrounding environment.

Some seeds need a little help with their germination in the guise of environmental factors, while some seeds need longer periods of dormancy in order to germinate. There are even some seeds, mostly of parasitic plants, that need the presence of enzymes found within their host plants in order to start the germination process. This way they insure their survival by only germinating when their food source is around.

Some seeds need processes called stratification or scarification in order to germinate. Stratification is the environmental stimulation of holding soil temperatures at just above freezing for a period of time that depends on the species of the plant. By artificially stimulating the seed you are mimicking the natural forces that take place on the seeds in its natural environment. Scarification is artificially scarring or breaking the seed coat to cause a rapid intake of water in order to germinate. Some seeds, such as stone fruits, have a very hard seed coating and take many months if not years for water to penetrate and break down the seed covering.

There are some seeds that even need a fire in order to germinate. And beyond that, even more specialized requirements are needed by some species of plants and seeds.

Seeds can range from the size of dust particles, like orchid and petunia seeds, to the world's largest seed, the giant fan palm or coco-de-mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica), weighing in at 44 lbs. and found on the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.

So, as you can see, there is much more than meets the eye when you are looking at a 'lowly' seed.

It's time to pull up and compost or throw away the remains of your summer garden and put in some winter vegetables!
A thorough cleanup of your garden now means fewer bugs and diseases later. Dig up the soil deeply with a shovel, turning it over, aerating it, and breaking up the clods as you go. Next use a garden fork to mix in organic amendments such as Bumpercrop or Paydirt. Fertilize the top six inches of the soil with Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer. Then use the garden rake to level the ground. Use a hoe to make furrows between rows in heavy soils.
Be sure to plant tall crops to the north, and short crops to the south. All winter vegetables require full sun and regular watering.

Here's a list to get you started: