My profession is always to be alert, to find God in nature, to know God’s lurking places, to attend to all the oratorios and the operas in nature. Henry David Thoreau
Nature gives us the answer, if only we cared to look I have always wondered why we spend so much time looking elsewhere, for happiness, healing, pleasure, or serenity. We forget that nature envelopes us, and has handed us all our answers, if only we paid attention. Take the chrysanthemum. I walk through a field of our chrysanthemums in the farm, and without even trying, my heart delights in its simple splendour. It is often called the flower of the Sun. Why? Chrysanthemums are not only delightful flowers, these charming works of art can warm and fill your stomach, have healing properties, protect you from the outside world, and while doing all this, works with nature to prevent pollution.
The flowers were first cultivated in China as far back as the 15th century B.C. Tao Qian, an influential Chinese poet, reveres the chrysanthemum for its symbolism of nobleness. In the 6th century AD, it was introduced in Japan. It was venerated as the symbol of the sun and as representing perfection. It was so loved that the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. In Japan, the Emperor’s position is called the Chrysanthemum throne. Europe named the flower from the Greek word “chrysous” meaning golden.
Chrysanthemums have been used for centuries as tea and food. Yellow or white chrysanthemum flowers are boiled to make tea in some parts of Asia. The tea has many medicinal uses, including an aid in recovery from influenza. Extracts of Chrysanthemum plants (stem and flower) have been shown to have a wide variety of potential medicinal properties, including anti-HIV-1, antibacterial and antimycotic. In Chinese cuisine, Chrysanthemum leaves are steamed or boiled and used as greens. Others use the petals to mix with a thick snake meat soup in order to enhance the aroma. Have a problem with insects and bugs? Chrysanthemums are natural insecticides! The flowers are pulverized, and an active component (called pyrethrins) is applied in water or oil, or as a powder. Pyrethrins attack the ne
rvous systems of all insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. They are considered to be amongst the safest insecticides for use around food. As if these are not enough, Chrysanthemum plants have been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by the NASA Clean Air Study.
We are proud to be growing 20 different varieties of these flowers symbolizing the sun. Our farm boasts of having 9 single standard varieties, 9 spray daisy types, santini spray types and button chrysanthemums. In fact, this is the most delightful spot in our farm, you see colors of all shades, from deep purples to lime greens. We even have purple anemones!
The Chrysanthemum is just one little flower, among the multitude of gifts nature has given us. It’s a pity we still have to wonder and look elsewhere, when we already have the answer.
Everything in nature contains all the power of nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our Farm by Earth Flora Inc. 
Posted by Ana Perez on July 29, 2009 at 11:18 am
Hi, I’m a facebook fan as well as an avid follower of your blog. I was wondering if I can arrange a visit to your farm to take photographs? I love flowers and would be so privileged to be given a chance to capture the beauty of Flower Depot’s blooms in their natural habitat. Should you agree, I can give you copies of all the photographs I take so that you can use them for any personal or promotional purposes. I can likewise help you with any creative materials you may need as my day job is Creative Director in an advertising firm.
Hope to hear from you soonest.
Posted by flowerdepot on August 3, 2009 at 2:23 am
Hi Ana. We’d be delighted to have you visit our farm. The flowers are quite exquisite and I wish I had the talent to capture their beauty on film. But I don’t have much eye for photography and so I will leave the honor to real photographers. Please let us know though when you plan to visit. The farm is quite far from the city (Cagayan de Oro). It is in Talakag, Bukidnon, a little remote and difficult to go to (especially with the rains.) I would have to arrange for someone to meet you at Del Monte or the main town Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon. Again thank you for the inspiration and it is customers like you that move us to do even better in working with nature.
Posted by Ana Perez on August 18, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Hi, it’s me again! I just noticed your reply to my query. Would appreciate if you could answer this thru my email addy: ana_persuasion@yahoo.com.
What would be the best hotel to stay in within the area? Should I fly in to CDO then arrange land transpo to Del Monte or Manolo Fortich? How far away would that be, in terms of travel time?
You won’t believe how excited I am for the opportunity to photograph your precious blooms! Thanks for being so kind and accommodating.
Posted by flowerdepot on August 25, 2009 at 5:06 am
Your most welcome. I will be emailing you on your yahoo address. Best regards.
Posted by Prof. Noeme on June 2, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Hi there!! Good evening, ahm, did you use some light bulbs to encourage stem elongation? Because in my research about chrysanthemum culture, it recommends light bulbs to encourage stem elongation and improve flower size, but some growers around cebu doesn’t use anything to obstruct the nighttime for flowers to develop and yet it still produce large blooms and more taller..,Is there any alternative? Because Light bulbs could be expensive if i try to install it and additional cost for electricity..Please answer me…Thanks a lot..And a good harvest in your farm……
Posted by oysteronahalfshell on June 7, 2011 at 7:46 am
Hi Prof. Thank you for writing us. It depends on the variety. In the farm we use high pressure sodium lamps to give additional daylight hours for the chrysanthemum varieties that we have . We are not very familiar with the varieties grown in Cebu but some varieties can increase flower length by pinching the heads just when it starts to form buds. Experiment on different varieties and pick the best one.
Posted by Russel Van on June 4, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Hello….
Can we purchase chrysanthemum seedlings??
Posted by B Montilla on July 13, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Hi! Will chrysanthemums and rose boshes survive the Manila weather? I bought a couple of those plants from my suki in Cubao and I was wondering if they will really survive Manila’s bipolar weather? Thank you!
Posted by oysteronahalfshell on July 17, 2012 at 10:10 am
Most of the chrysanthemums and roses sold in the gardens centers come from Baguio you can enjoy them for a few weeks but will be difficult to get them to flower again because of the warmer conditions in Manila.