How Much Does a Chrysanthemum Cost at the Flower Shop? Gift-Giving Taboos and the Number of Stems for Grave Sweeping
Chrysanthemum is a traditional famous flower of our country, honored as one of the “Four Gentlemen of Flowers,” and deeply loved by ancient scholars and literati, especially Tao Yuanming's line “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely gazing at the southern mountains,” which has been passed down through the ages. When sweeping graves at Qingming, we also like to offer a few white chrysanthemums to express our grief. So, how much does a chrysanthemum cost at the flower shop? What taboos are there when giving them as gifts?
Different varieties of chrysanthemums have different prices. Take the Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum, for example. Its cultivation requires relatively high labor costs, and its yield is not that large either; the average yield per mu is only about 100 jin. If you want to select ones of good quality, even 40 jin is hard to come by, so the market basically sells them by the flower. The price of one Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum generally starts at 1 yuan, an ordinary Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum costs about 2 yuan per flower, and a chrysanthemum with good appearance can sell for 8-25 yuan per flower. The larger the diameter and the better the quality of the Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum, the more expensive it is. On the market, a dried Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum with a diameter of 7.5 cm can sell for seventy or eighty yuan. An ordinary Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum sells for about 400-800 yuan per jin.
Another example is the Gazania, often used for flowerbed and flower border arrangements. The price of a small potted Gazania is roughly around 20-30 yuan.
What taboos are there when giving chrysanthemums as gifts?
In China, white has always been regarded as an inauspicious color, so white chrysanthemums are mostly used for funerals. Legend has it that chrysanthemum petals do not wither, thus expressing that departed loved ones live forever in our hearts.
In some places, every Chinese New Year, yellow and white chrysanthemums are sold in the streets and alleys. Some people may wonder: do these places still have a tradition of giving chrysanthemums during the New Year?
There is a particular etiquette to giving chrysanthemums during the New Year. Generally speaking, if a family had a relative pass away in the previous year, then during the New Year of the following year, relatives and friends will bring yellow and white chrysanthemums to that household to pay New Year's greetings, with a purpose similar to Qingming memorial offerings. Of course, some people also bring chrysanthemums during the Spring Festival to pay respects to departed relatives and friends.
In addition, chrysanthemums also carry the meaning of longevity and a long life. For flower arrangements and flower baskets given as gifts during the New Year, chrysanthemums can be used, but they need to be paired with lilies, roses, carnations, and the like. If you carry a large bouquet of chrysanthemums to someone's home to wish them a Happy New Year, it may make the head of that household unhappy!
How many chrysanthemums are suitable for grave sweeping?
Chrysanthemums are flowers that do not wither, making them just right for commemorating departed loved ones and expressing the emotion of eternal remembrance; chrysanthemums are basically of rather plain and elegant colors, and traditional chrysanthemums bloom in the bleak autumn, fitting the lonely mood of having lost a loved one.
The practice of using chrysanthemums to visit graves became generally accepted in China only in the last dozen or so years, after people mastered off-season cultivation of spring chrysanthemums. In the past, chrysanthemums all bloomed in autumn, and wanting to get chrysanthemums in spring was very difficult and relatively costly.
As for how many chrysanthemums are suitable for grave sweeping, as long as it is an odd number it is fine. The commonly used numbers are three, seven, and nine stems.
The flower meanings of various chrysanthemums
Yellow chrysanthemum: rising in the world and achieving success
Red chrysanthemum: I love you
China aster: remembrance, reliable love, please believe in me
Spring chrysanthemum: praying for love
Marigold: friendship
Florist's cineraria: wealth and honor, lushness and prosperity
Cornflower: delicate, elegant, the happiness of being single
Strawflower: eternal memory, engraved in the heart
Helipterum: everlasting love
Florist's cineraria: happiness
Sun chrysanthemum: passion, vitality
Cosmos: wild beauty
Large cosmos: a girl's pure affection, strength
French small chrysanthemum: patience
Blue water chrysanthemum: the fickle, stubborn, and heartless you
Daisy: joy, happiness, purity, innocence, peace, hope, beauty
African daisy (Gerbera): mystery, excitement, perseverance, strong adaptability
June chrysanthemum: parting
Winter chrysanthemum: parting
Red chrysanthemum: represents passion, boldness, joy, celebration
Black chrysanthemum: represents seriousness, night, steadiness
Yellow chrysanthemum: represents nobility, wealth
White chrysanthemum: represents purity, simplicity
Blue chrysanthemum: represents wisdom, the sky, freshness
Green chrysanthemum: represents life, vitality