KENNETT SQUARE, PA — Longwood Gardens has completed an 18-month cultivation project producing 1,355 flowers from a single chrysanthemum stem, placing one of its most technically demanding horticultural displays at the center of the annual Chrysanthemum Festival, which runs through November 15.
The Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum measures 12 feet wide and eight feet tall, with white flowers arranged across a dome-shaped structure. Longwood identifies it as the largest chrysanthemum plant of its kind outside Asia.
Producing the display required more than 1,000 hours of work by Longwood’s horticultural staff, who repeatedly pinched and tied the growing plant to control its branching and maintain the arrangement of individual blooms.
The technique, known as Ozukuri, originated centuries ago in Japan and China. It involves training a single chrysanthemum plant to produce an extensive network of flowering branches while preserving the appearance of a unified structure.
The completed plant is part of Longwood’s seasonal exhibition, which also features a double chrysanthemum arch, a chrysanthemum curtain, pagoda-shaped arrangements and Tanuki bonsai chrysanthemums.
The festival provides visitors with an opportunity to see specialized cultivation methods that require prolonged preparation and intensive maintenance.
Longwood is also approaching the conclusion of its seasonal Illuminated Fountain Performances, with shows scheduled Friday through Sunday, October 16-18 and October 23-25, from 5 to 9 p.m.
The October 23 program, Symphony of Horror, will combine projected scenes from the silent horror film Nosferatu with live organ music performed by Longwood Gardens Principal Organist Peter Richard Conte.
The fountain performances are included with Gardens admission.
The Chrysanthemum Festival continues through November 15 at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, extending the display beyond the conclusion of the fountain performance season.
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