Board member of the National Chrysanthemum Society Ron Hedin expects to fill as much time as Garden Club members and guests will allow when he addresses the club on Monday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. As the proud owner of 200 plants (150 varieties), Hedin will discuss the history, culture and varieties of this sizable plant family. The genus run from the tiny blooms that stretch just ‘-in. in diameter to the Pompoms that can reach 6 to 7 inches in diameter. The chrysanthemum originated in China in the 15th century, cultivated as a flowering herb. It made its way to Japan, then to Europe in the 17th century and finally to the United States. ‘The plants started with tiny flowers, and over time through hybridization developed a broad range of blooms, colors and sizes,’ Hedin says. At chrysanthemum shows, Hedin says that pink splendor is an exhibition mum of the spider variety, and produces sizable flowers. Pink does well and large incurve like the Pompoms you see at football games are some of the most favored. The favorite color is yellow hands down, but Hedin adds that people are also attracted to the light-green ones. Chrysanthemums grow in all areas except in the cold regions of northern states. ‘Growers on the East Coast often shade them to make them bloom earlier so the flowers don’t freeze before a show,’ Hedin says. A retired honors biology teacher and tennis coach at Thousand Oaks High School, Hedin gleaned his interest in chrysanthemums from his aunt, who grew them at her home near Fresno. ‘She knew how to pinch them and tend to them, to make them healthy and grow large, and showed me. ‘I think that the competitive drive needed to be a good coach is useful when growing and competing in flower shows,’ Hedin says, adding that he is looking forward to the Orange County Society show on October 31 and November 1, and his own National Chrysanthemum Society’s show at Descanso Gardens on November 7 and 8. The meeting is free and open to all.
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