Standing in the greenhouse behind the MacKenzie Heights home of Elmer and Marie Ogryzlo, the couple points out several small, frail-looking cuttings of what they hope will eventually grow into one of the rarest and most beautiful chrysanthemums available in Canada--the Lava.

The Ogryzlos are part of a declining yet dedicated group of chrysanthemum growers across Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland determined to save as many varieties of the magnificent flower as possible. Due to Canadian import regulations, chrysanthemums cannot legally be brought across the border from the U.S. due to a risk of spreading the fungal disease white rust. So instead, members of the Point Grey Chrysanthemum Association work diligently to save as many varieties of the high-maintenance blooms as possible. And where there was once 25 similar clubs dedicated solely to growing giant, show-quality chrysanthemums across Metro Vancouver, today the Point Grey association is the last one standing in B.C., which makes the Ogryzlos' dedication even more vital.

"Many of the cultivars we grow are rare due to the fact we can't buy them any more because of white rust," Elmer explains. "Since we can't import them we have to depend on the stock within the club."

Subsequently, Ogryzlos and other members of the club hope their annual plant sale tomorrow, April 16, at VanDusen Botanical garden will help them recruit new members.

How much the growers depend on each other was made clear recently when one of the club's members died. Prior to his death, the man had been unable to properly care for his chrysanthemums and by the time he chose several club members to take on the responsibility, it was too late, Marie says. "When we arrived and opened his greenhouse door, it was dark," recalls Marie, who was one of the chosen few tasked with caring for the man's chrysanthemums. "My plan was to grab one of his Duke of Kents, which are quite rare, but it was too late."

Marie describes the Duke of Kent as a "real blockbuster," and her holy grail of chrysanthemums--particularly in pink. A Google search of images for the Duke of Kent makes it easy to understand Marie's fascination with the flower, which has magnificent cantaloupe-sized blooms in white, pink and yellow.

Elmer says the death of their friend also meant the death of the Duke of Kent, at least locally, and illustrates the need to keep the club going. Many of the Point Grey members are retired or seniors, which also doesn't bode well for the chrysanthemum in Vancouver, unless younger growers can be enticed to get involved with their preservation.

The club, which formed in 1937, is the oldest in B.C. The chrysanthemum's lineage can be traced back thousands of years while its name stems from two Greek words "krus anthemon" (gold flower). The ancient Chinese also memorialized the flower in early writings and pottery, while Japan chose it as the official crest for its emperor (8th century AD) and eventually instituted a national holiday in its honour.

Marie became fascinated with chrysanthemums 10 years ago while studying the art of Japanese flower arranging called ikebana. She was participating in an exhibition when she struck up a conversation with an elderly man displaying what she describes as the most amazing blooms. "I asked this nice, older man what his secret was and he said, 'Well you'll have to join our club and we'll teach you,'" recalls Marie, who immediately took the man up on his invitation.

A year after Marie joined the club, Elmer, a retired scientist and professor emeritus in chemistry at the University of B.C., began to take note. Elmer became interested in the science of growing the flowers and soon took on the challenge, using his expertise in photochemistry, the study of the interaction of light with atoms or molecules.

"Not long after Elmer joined the club, he made a presentation to the group about infrared light and I don't think one member knew what he was talking about," says Marie, laughing. "Then being a guy, he got really competitive and wanted to see how far he could push [the size of the flowers]."

Elmer explains that because chrysanthemums are photo periodicals, the amount of light needed to grow them is precise. Chrysanthemum growth is triggered by short days and long nights.

"I was intrigued by the why and how," says Elmer. "I also wanted to know if I could alter that, so I started experimenting."

Growing chrysanthemums is a laborious year-round hobby, but the couple says the time spent is well worth it when the end results are blooms the size of a baby's head.

In fact, Marie says sometimes she has to refrain from cupping her hands around the giant flowers, much as you would do to a child's cheeks.

"They're not like growing geraniums," says Marie. "It's like each of the flowers has its own personality."

Beauty aside, it's the science and precision of growing giant chrysanthemums that intrigues Elmer. To begin, clippings are taken from a mother plant in January, before being dipped in an anti-fungal powder and placed in sterile rooting material. Once roots form, the tiny clippings are moved to a tray of soil and when they're strong enough to stand on their own are transferred to two-inch pots, which is when the grower begins pinching off the top of the plant, or disbudding, to force its growth.

"When you disbud everything except one or two stems, all of the plant's energy goes into them," says Elmer. "Then they grow to between three and four feet tall."

In April, the tiny plants are transplanted to five-inch pots, which are the cultivars that will be for sale at VanDusen April 16. At the time of the Courier's visit, the Ogryzlos' greenhouse was packed with cultivars at each stage of young growth. Elmer says the best part of purchasing rooted clippings at the sale is that half the work is already done. In May, the chrysanthemums can be transplanted to a garden or into large pots to be placed on a sunny patio or balcony.

Stan Stanley, a Pitt Meadows resident and member of the Point Grey Chrysanthemum Association, says just because more city dwellers are living in apartments or condos, there's no reason they can't grow big, beautiful, show-quality chrysanthemums on patios, back decks or balconies. In fact, Stanley and the Ogryzlos are hopeful a new generation of container gardeners will pick up the torch the club is so valiantly trying to keep alight. They're also hoping the plant sale will attract new members to the meetings the association holds every second Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Cedar Room at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

"Chrysanthemums can be grown very successfully on balconies and growing them in pots doesn't slow them down at all, as long as the pot is the right size," says Stanley.

He notes chrysanthemums love lots of light, but not direct sun. The "70-something" Stanley was first introduced to chrysanthemums while courting the woman who would eventually become his wife in Worcestershire, England, many years ago. At the time, the young woman took him home to meet her parents where her father was growing huge "chrysanths."

The giant flowers piqued his interest, but after beginning a lifelong career as a management consultant and strategic planner, a job that took him around the world working for the Canadian International Development Agency and United Nations among others, there wasn't a lot of time for hobbies. But eventually life slowed down slightly--Stanley still works full time and is "only flying overseas three times this year"--and his interest turned back to the beautiful chrysanthemums his father-in-law once grew. Searching for like-minded growers to whom he could turn for advice, Stanley joined the Point Grey Association "two growing seasons" ago partly because there was no closer club to choose from. In that short amount of time, Stanley has become one of the club's most enthusiastic and active members.

Today, the club has 47 members across the Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver. Stanley now admits to being "addicted" to his relatively new hobby.

"I am still busy, but when I get home I wander around the garden and find it very relaxing," says Stanley. "It gives me time to think about things and tending to 150 chrysanthemums is a diversion to any problems I might have."

The award-winning grower explains chrysanthemums are grown as "earlies" or "lates," and divided into three classes, A-big, B-medium and C-small.

The 13 chrysanthemum bloom varieties include the incurve, reflex, spoon and quill.

Stanley remembers one day last year when he invited a long-established senior grower to his home to look over his crop of chrysanthemums in hopes of gaining some insight into growing even better championship blooms. As the senior wandered through the plants, Stanley looked on in horror as the man pulled a pen knife out of his pocket and jabbed the sharp tip through the stem of one of the flowers, just below the bloom. The man explained the stress of the cut would force the flower to naturally fight back and the end result would be an even bigger, more beautiful bloom.

"I was horrified," says Stanley, who adds he never saw any difference in growth between that bloom and his unscathed flowers.

Stanley says these days too many people are stuck in front of their TV or computer to consider a hobby like chrysanthemum growing, but adds there's nothing like gardening for sheer enjoyment.

"It's such a wonderful hobby and you get such a sense of satisfaction watching things grow and knowing that you're in control," says Stanley. "It's really like growing young children."

Like the Ogryzlos, Stanley is concerned many varieties of the giant chrysanthemum will one day be lost to Canadians. "All of the valuable growers are dying," he says. "We need new members to show an interest in these beautiful flowers."

The annual plant sale at VanDusen April 16 is from 9 a.m. to noon. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in growing the flower to meet with club members and purchase chrysanthemum cultivars rare to Canada. While garden shops sell blooming chrysanthemums, the only place in B.C. to purchase rooted cuttings of the large "disbuds," as they're called, is this plant sale and one held annually in Victoria. The sale is first come, first served, so anyone interested in purchasing the rarest of the bunch is encouraged to arrive early. Because chrysanthemums aren't currently in bloom, the members bring photographs to show what each plant will look like in full flower. Go to chrysanthemumsvancouver.com for more information.

sthomas@vancourier.com

Twitter: @sthomas10