So while their edible season is short and tasty, which for a winter crop in the Bay Area is all you could ask for- the Shugiku’s continued existence as the world’s prettiest flowering plant is not in jeopardy at all.
I guess I’m a weirdo for only discovering now that chrysanthemums are super pretty- but sue me, I’m a vegetable gardener.
Not only are the flowers gorgeous, they’re a ladybug breeding ground.
The shungiku are growing fairly wild however, and so I do have to occasionally trim the beasties down to size.
However one has to be careful not to throw out eggs worth their weight in gold.
And of course, the egg layer.
Both mama and her precious eggs were airlifted to another plant in the garden that needed some pest control.
And the cut back Shungiku is still absolutely enormous, and throwing up new blooms every day.
I think I can get behind this flower thing!
As long as the leaves are edible of course- I have standards.
And allergies.
The Neanderthal Gardens 
That seem like a weird thing to eat. I mean, it is a chrysanthemum. They aren’t supposed to taste good.
This specific one does- it has sort of an herby/greeny taste like almost a dandelion green. Very nice in soups.
Dandelion? Somehow, that does not make it much more appealing. I would try it just to see what it is like, but I would be skeptical about it.
dandelion greens are pretty tasty!
Yes, but tasty is not necessarily the same as tasting good. I like the reliability of dandelions, but that is about all. hmmm. . . . actually, I should go get some tomorrow.