Don’t you love Kiku? It’s even fun to just say it: Kiku, Kiku, Kiku!
Kiku is, in fact, the Japanese word for “chrysanthemum” ~ the most celebrated of all Japanese fall-flowering plants.
For me? I so often “rescue” chrysanthemums from suburban cast-offs left on the street for pick up near our country house and guess what? They rebloom gloriously. The variety of colors and bloom types are a perfect way to mark the season.
I also feature the blossoms as a pretty Garden-to-Glass, Kiku Cocktail Garnish!
But for the real chrysanthemum art, running now, is The New York Botanical Garden’s unforgettable presentation of Kiku, painstakingly trained to grow in a mesmerizing variety of forms and sizes, that pays homage to hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the ephemeral beauty of flowers.
