Here, chrysanthemums are traditionally associated with the cult of the dead and are often used to pay homage to our loved ones on Remembrance Day. Yet, you only need to look at them to realise what wonderful, luminous flowers they are – and that they should be everywhere, brightening up autumn days with their radiant colours.
When the days grow shorter, the light softens and the colours of nature slowly fade, the chrysanthemum blooms almost silently. Strong, elegant, bright: a flower that seems tailor-made to remind us that beauty has no season.
The chrysanthemum originates from Asia, where it is considered one of the most noble and meaningful flowers. In Japan, where it is called kiku, it is even an imperial symbol: it appears on the seal of the throne and gives its name to the country's highest honour, the Order of the Chrysanthemum. It is a flower of longevity, rebirth and purity. Every year, on 9 September, the Chrysanthemum Festival is celebrated, a day dedicated to ephemeral beauty and the contemplation of change. In China, on the other hand, the chrysanthemum is one of the Four Nobles of traditional painting, along with bamboo, orchids and plum blossoms: it represents wisdom, modesty and the ability to bloom when everything around seems to be dying.
It is curious to think how a flower can take on such different meanings from one culture to another. Perhaps this is because the chrysanthemum embodies a fascinating duality: it is both a flower of life and a flower of memory. It blooms late, when most plants surrender to the cold; and for this very reason, it embodies resilience, the strength to resist and bring light to the shortest days. We could learn to look at it with new eyes, not only as a tribute to the deceased, but as a symbol of continuity, of lasting affection, of light that never goes out.
The chrysanthemum does not only speak of loss: it speaks of presence, of love that remains, of cycles that renew themselves. And in its late and silent blooming, it invites us to find beauty even in the autumn of life. Perhaps it is time to give it back the place it deserves in our gardens and in our hearts. To appreciate its infinite variety of shapes and colours - from sunny yellows to deep purples, from pure whites to intense reds - and to welcome it as a symbol of balance, elegance and rebirth. Because every chrysanthemum, with its proud composure and discreet grace, reminds us that beauty is not only found in spring flowers, but also in those that bloom when everything seems to be coming to an end.
A little autumn sun that continues to shine even when the world grows darker and quieter.
