Bonjour,

I love Chrysanthemums, I love their usually bright colors and their "pompon-like" shapes.

In France, they have quite a bad reputation being the flowers of choice in the fall, they are usually the flowers one would put on the family graves for the "All Saints' Day" (La Toussaint). That's why they are often associated with mourning and sadness.

But I can't find them sad. They are beautiful! And after a little surfing on the web it seems that lots of people agree with me!

                 -  "Daisy-like with a typically yellow center and a decorative pompon they are the 13th wedding anniversary flower and the official flower of the city of Chicago. In Japan, there’s even a “Festival of Happiness” to celebrate this flower each year."- Interflora -

                -  "A symbol of the sun, the Japanese consider the orderly unfolding of the chrysanthemum’s petals to represent perfection, and Confucius once suggested they be used as an object of meditation. It’s said that a single petal of this celebrated flower placed at the bottom of a wine glass will encourage a long and healthy life." - Interflora -