Where do the chrysanthemums in Parisian tombs come from?

Pink, orange, white, purple, yellow: on All Saints' Day, the emblematic chrysanthemum appears with its palette of colors. Visit to Île-de-France, to the horticultural site of Rungis where 55,000 flowers were produced this year to adorn the graves.

A burst of color illuminates the Versailles cemetery this morning. Yellow, white, orange, pink… The chrysanthemums are displayed in the different aisles: “It's a tradition at this time of year, the flowers my wife chose are yellow and white. I came to honor the memory of my loved ones; being the last to remain in the region, it was unthinkable not to pass today“, confides Claude with emotion. A little further on, two women, Monique and her daughter, come forward with their arms loaded with various bouquets.”Chrysanthemums? Yes, we have some of course, they are there at the bottom of the bag“, they respond in unison. Monique adds tenderly: “Like every year, I pay tribute to my husband's grave. I always have chrysanthemums for him, but it's true that my daughter also likes to diversify bouquets with other flowers. Roses would be perfect but they don't grow in winter so we opted for a colorful plastic flower pot“.

Why is the chrysanthemum the undisputed king of All Saints’ Day? Bruno Aubry, head of nursery crops at the Horticultural Production Center of the City of Paris, explains: ” It's simple, we grow these chrysanthemums for seasonal reasons, it's the one that blooms at this time of year“. In Rungis, one of the three sites of the region's horticultural center, the chrysanthemums intended for Ile-de-France cemeteries have already been delivered.

The Rungis site has existed since 1969, the production of chrysanthemums is exclusively dedicated to the City of Paris which orders from a catalogue. Here, the chrysanthemums are budding under the attentive care of teams of horticulturists: “The City of Paris is our only client. Once the needs for plants and flowers have been determined, we create according to demand, it is sustainable production and the varieties are protected. That is to say, we pay a fee for the propagation of cuttings. It is a highly regulated activity“, underlines Bruno Aubry.

It takes 3 days and 7 people to plant the chrysanthemums

Bruno Aubry

Nursery Crops Manager at the Rungis Horticultural Production Center

The cuttings are prepared from January to March and planted between May and June, in pots or in the ground. It takes 3 days and 7 people to plant the chrysanthemums. This year, 55,000 chrysanthemums were delivered to the City of Paris, half of which were planted in the ground. Part of it is intended to decorate Ile-de-France cemeteries, military squares and indigent squares. In certain years, orders may increase according to Bruno Aubry: “2014 and 2018 were two years of major commemorative events, we went very high in production. We also have another challenge to face with this flower: that of color. Every year, we work on tests because the colors vary quickly. For example, we have yellow chrysanthemums with green flowers like this row which is in the middle of the yellow ones. “.

The horticultural center of the City of Paris extends over 77 hectares, spread over three sites: Rungis in Val-de-Marne with its 45 hectares and ten greenhouses, the Pépinières de Longchamps in Paris (2 hectares) and the site of the commune of Achères in Yvelines (30 hectares).

Rungis also produces azaleas, cannas, dahlias, sages, primroses, pansies and even Christmas trees. In total, 2.5 million plants were delivered this year, all varieties combined: “The land belongs to the Paris town hall, we represent 50 to 60% of its plant needs. We are a very large production site but there are even bigger ones in Europe.“, would like to specify the site manager. 46,000 chrysanthemums have already been ordered for 2025, including 23,000 in the ground.