Mums in Russian: What Chrysanthemums Are Called and What They Mean

In Russian, mums are called khrizantema (plural khrizantemy), stressed on the third syllable: khri-zan-TE-ma. Unlike in France, Italy or Belgium, where chrysanthemums are mainly placed on graves, in Russia they are an everyday, cheerful gift: people give them to teachers, colleagues, grandmothers and, very often, to their own mothers.

If you are reading this from abroad and want to send mums to someone in Russia, the good news is that they are one of the most practical flowers you can choose. They travel well, last for weeks in a vase and look generous even in a modest bouquet. Below, a florist explains the Russian vocabulary, what the flower says, which occasions suit it, and how to keep it fresh once it arrives.

The Russian words you will actually need

The basic word is khrizantema. In a flower shop or on an order form you will also meet two useful variations. Kustovaya khrizantema means spray chrysanthemum: one stem that branches into five to ten smaller flowers. Odnogolovaya khrizantema is the single-headed type, with one large bloom on a tall, sturdy stem. Russian florists often use variety names directly, so you may see Bacardi (white with a yellow centre, like a large daisy), Santini (small button pompons in many colours) or Zembla (a big round bloom, very popular in white, cream and pale green).

Colour words are simple: belaya is white, zhyoltaya is yellow, rozovaya is pink, sirenevaya is lilac. If you write a card message, a short line such as "S lyubovyu" (with love) or "Mame" (to Mum) works well, though the recipient will be just as happy with English text. Since this article is in English, we keep everything in Latin letters; on your card you can write in whichever alphabet the person reads.

A small cultural note on the word mum itself: if you typed the query because you want flowers for your mother in Russia, you are in the right place too. Chrysanthemums are one of the classic "flowers for Mum" in Russian families, especially in autumn.

What chrysanthemums mean in Russia

In Russian flower language the chrysanthemum stands for long life, warmth and quiet respect. It is seen as an autumn flower, the one that keeps blooming when the summer garden has faded, and that image makes it a natural gift for older relatives and for people you want to thank. White chrysanthemums read as sincere and calm, yellow ones as bright and friendly (Russians do not attach the old "yellow means separation" idea to mums the way they sometimes do to yellow roses), and pink or lilac ones as gentle and feminine.

There is no mourning association to worry about. Mums do appear in funeral arrangements in Russia, as do roses and carnations, but nobody will read a bouquet of spray chrysanthemums on a birthday as a strange or sad choice. What matters more at funerals is the number of stems, which brings us to etiquette.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$12

Bouquet of 3 red gerberas

$20

Bouquet of 3 white matthiola

$22

Bouquet of 3 pink matthiola

$22

Etiquette: numbers, occasions and timing

Russians still follow the odd-number rule: bouquets for the living contain an odd number of flowers, while even numbers are for memorials and graves. With spray chrysanthemums this is rarely an issue, because people count stems, not individual blooms, and large mixed bouquets of more than about fifteen stems are not counted at all. With big single-headed Zembla or similar varieties, though, choose 3, 5, 7 or 9 stems.

The most common occasions for mums are the school year (1 September, the start of term, and Teacher's Day on 5 October), birthdays of older relatives, and Mother's Day, which in Russia falls on the last Sunday of November. That date surprises many people abroad, because in the UK and the US Mother's Day is in spring. If your mother or grandmother lives in Russia, late November is the moment when she will expect a call and, ideally, flowers. Chrysanthemums are also a good thank-you to a teacher; our guide on thank-you flowers for a Russian teacher covers that tradition in detail.

For anniversaries and weddings, roses usually take the lead, but chrysanthemums often appear as a supporting flower in mixed bouquets because they add volume and last as long as the roses do.

How to care for mums so they last two to three weeks

Chrysanthemums are among the longest-lasting cut flowers, but only if the first hour after delivery is handled well. Trim each stem by 2-3 cm at a sharp angle with a clean knife or secateurs, and do not crush or split the stems: that old advice blocks water uptake rather than helping it. Strip every leaf that would sit below the waterline, because chrysanthemum foliage rots quickly and turns the water cloudy.

Use cool, clean water and a vase tall enough to support at least a third of the stem. Change the water every two days, re-trimming the stems by a centimetre each time. Keep the vase away from radiators, which matters in Russian flats where central heating runs hot from October, and away from bowls of fruit, since ripening fruit releases ethylene and speeds up ageing.

Leaves are the first thing to fade on mums, usually a few days before the flowers. When they yellow, simply pull them off; the blooms will often stay fresh for another week. Spray varieties such as Santini can last close to three weeks, single-headed ones roughly two.

Sending chrysanthemums to someone in Russia

You can order mums or a mixed bouquet with chrysanthemums from our bouquets catalogue and have it delivered anywhere in Russia. Delivery within a city costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. You pay online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay.

In large cities we can deliver express, 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. If you want the flowers to arrive at a particular moment, for example on the morning of Mother's Day, choose an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), one of the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1-30 days ahead. Full details are on the delivery and payment page.

Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender, so if you want your mother to know the bouquet is from you, say so on the card. The card with your text is free. About 15 minutes before arrival the courier calls the recipient; if nobody is home, we agree a second delivery the same day or leave the flowers with a neighbour or concierge, but only with your consent.

If you are unsure which variety or colour to pick, or want a photo of the bouquet before it goes out, message a manager on WhatsApp. That is also the easiest way to agree the address, the time and the exact wording of the card.