Consider it obedience and agility training for flowers. That’s the premise for Chrysanthemum Craftsmanship in the Conservatories at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland.

The display includes miniature plants that resemble bonsai trees and vertical panels of flowers almost six feet tall, with all sizes in between. There will be familiar mounds of garden chrysanthemums and branched sprays of flowers similar to those found in florist shops and grocery stores. There will also be unusual single stem plants that carry one huge flower at the top, called disbudded chrysanthemums.

All of these and more will be in their flowering glory this fall, including a traditional Japanese form called ozokuri, or thousand flower plant . This type of plant takes two years to produce and requires specialized skill and care. All of the trained forms in the display require constant attention by the growers throughout the growing season and represent a special type of horticultural craftsmanship that comes into bloom as the warmth and sunlight of the growing season is receding.

(Photo courtesy of Brookside Gardens)