Chrysanthemum Coloring Pages

A Famous Japanese Autumn Flower

Chrysanthemum blooms in autumn and is a flower that people in Japan have loved for a very long time.
From October to November, you can see these flowers blooming in many colors, like yellow, white, pink, and purple.
Its main feature is that many long, thin petals gather together to make just one flower.
Its leaves have deep, jagged edges.

Different Shapes of Chrysanthemum

There are so many different types of Chrysanthemum.
The Atsumono type has layers of tightly packed petals that form a round shape like a ball.
The Kudamono type has thin, tube-like petals that stretch out long, just like fireworks.
There is also the Kogiku type, where lots of little tiny flowers bloom together.
Their shapes are so different, it is hard to believe they are all the same Chrysanthemum!

Chrysanthemum Festivals and Chrysanthemum Dolls

When autumn comes, Chrysanthemum exhibitions and Chrysanthemum festivals are held all over Japan.
People bring their potted flowers and line them up to compare how big and beautiful they are.
Chrysanthemum dolls are special figures with kimonos made from many real, living Chrysanthemum flowers.
Around November 3rd, on Culture Day, the flowers are in full bloom and look their best.
The dolls in Nihonmatsu in Fukushima Prefecture and Hirakata in Osaka Prefecture are very famous, and many people visit to see them.

6 Coloring Pages

The 1st to 3rd pages show Chrysanthemum drawn from real photos. You can color a single flower, a close-up of a big Atsumono, and a Kudamono with thin petals.
The ring under the Kudamono flower is a tool called a Rindai, which helps hold up the heavy bloom.
The 4th page shows potted plants at a Chrysanthemum exhibition, the 5th shows a castle festival with a Chrysanthemum doll, and the 6th is an easy-to-color single big Chrysanthemum.
For more autumn flowers, you can also check out the Cosmos and Pampas Grass coloring pages.

The People Who Grow Chrysanthemum

The big Chrysanthemum flowers at exhibitions start as tiny sprouts planted in spring and take half a year to grow.
To grow extra-large flowers, growers pick off other buds so that all the plant's nourishment goes into just one flower on the stem.
With daily watering and careful protection from rain and wind, giant flowers finally open in autumn.
At exhibitions, signs show the growers' names so everyone can admire their beautiful work.
If an exhibition happens near you, be sure to visit with your family!
You can enjoy the wonderful scent of the flowers, too.

Darken the base of the petals

For the Chrysanthemum petals, make the color darker near the center and lighter on the outside to give them a soft, 3D look.
For a yellow Chrysanthemum, try orange in the center and lemon yellow on the outside.
The trick is to layer a slightly darker color on the shadowed parts where the petals overlap.

Choose your colors to make your very own Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums come in many colors, like yellow, white, pink, purple, and red.
For a white Chrysanthemum, do not leave it totally white. Put a little light yellow-green or light cream in the center to make it look like a real white flower.
For thin, tube-like petals, color them one by one in the same direction to make them look neat and pretty.

Use dark green for the leaves

Color the Chrysanthemum leaves with dark green or bluish green.
You can leave the leaf veins white or trace them with a slightly lighter green to make them look real.
Use yellow-green for the stem, and gray or silver for the flower ring stand.
If you color the pot brown or dark brown, the flower colors will pop!

Make the Chrysanthemum doll look like a kimono pattern

For the fifth coloring page with the Chrysanthemum doll, color the tiny Chrysanthemums on the kimono in different colors to make them look like a kimono pattern.
Use pink and red Chrysanthemums for the princess, and yellow and white ones for the warrior to make them look grand.

Try adding a background

The first and sixth coloring pages do not have a background. Draw a light blue sky or yellow and red autumn leaves behind them to make a nice autumn picture!

Chrysanthemum on Passports

There is a Chrysanthemum emblem on the cover of Japanese passports.
The Chrysanthemum is also used for the Imperial Family emblem, and it is a flower that represents Japan.
A Chrysanthemum flower is also on the front of the 50-yen coin.

A Flower from China

People say that the Chrysanthemum originally came to Japan from China.
It is thought to have come to Japan about 1,300 years ago during the Nara period.
During the Nara and Heian periods, people treasured it as a flower with the power to help you live a long life.
Choyo no Sekku on September 9th is also called "Chrysanthemum Day." People drank sake with Chrysanthemum petals floating in it to wish for a long life.

Edible Chrysanthemums

Some Chrysanthemums are edible Chrysanthemums that you can eat.
Have you ever seen the tiny yellow Chrysanthemum next to your sashimi?
In Yamagata and Niigata prefectures, people boil purple Chrysanthemum petals and eat them as a side dish.

Each Petal is a Tiny Flower

Each petal of a Chrysanthemum is actually a tiny flower all by itself.
Many tiny flowers gather together to look like one big flower.
Sunflowers and dandelions are built the same way, too.
Sometimes, hundreds of tiny flowers gather together to make just one Chrysanthemum flower.