Chrysanthemumspp.
Hardy garden chrysanthemums are among the most democratic death - of - season flowers , easily grown and authentic ornamentals loaded with brilliantly colour blooms throughout late summertime and declivity .
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Numerous showy flower types supply beautiful , warm colors in rich shadowiness of mauve , orange , red , purple , white , and yellow to bed , borders , and containers .
Photo by Lorna Kring.
And they ’re idealistic for autumn jubilation in tabletop centerpieces , cornucopia displays , and cut flower arrangements .
With excellent cold hardiness , chrysanthemums shrug off a light touch of icing and colors often intensify and amend with cold weather !
Plus , they attract bee and other garden - favorable insects , but are repellent to nibble cervid and squirrels .
Photo by Lorna Kring.
And many nurseryman , including me , utilize chrysanthemums as beneficial companion plants in the vegetable piece for their effectual pest - snap properties .
cultivate for millennia , mums are revered in many cultures and steeped in symbolic substance , with variations calculate on the country or realm and its customs .
But regardless of where they ’re grow , they have a ecumenical appeal when the air flex crisp !
Does your fall garden penury someeasy , true colour ? Then it ’s time to dig into how to grow chrysanthemums for late time of year color .
Here ’s what you ’ll find ahead :
What You’ll Learn
What Are Chrysanthemums?
Chrysanthemumis a with child genus in the Asteraceae family .
Cold - hardy herbaceous perennial , mums are close related to other pop garden flowers such as the aster , cosmos , daisy , dahlia , marigold , helianthus , andzinnia .
Also known as intrepid garden florists' chrysanthemum or simply mums , their forebears amount from northeastern Europe and Asia in color determine to shades of red , clean , and white-livered .
Today ’s hardy garden florists' chrysanthemum are of hybrid origin , and with over 20,000 have intercourse cultivars , there ’s now a vast assortment of colors available !
Popular chrysanthemum shades include Burgundy wine , chocolate , lime green , mauve , maroon , orange , peach , pink , purple , salmon , scarlet , bloodless , and white-livered , plus bicolors .
Hardy garden mums can hold frigid temperatures and pronto overwinter in moderate regions with a small protection – but they should n’t be confuse with exhibition chrysanthemum .
exposition or flower store chrysanthemum are gorgeous , but delicate .
They are n’t as cold hardy and need a lot of attention , plus a limited surround , to farm prime suitable of garden shows – beautiful , but a great deal of work !
If you are concerned in raise show flowers , a good place to pop out is with a reference book – Pat Johnston ’s book “ Mums the Word : Secrets to Growing Chrysanthemums for Home or Show ” has the details and isavailable at Amazon .
Mums the Bible : Secrets to Growing Chrysanthemums for Home or Show
Hardy mums have a better-looking , mound shape of 12 to 36 inches grandiloquent and up to 48 inches broad .
These may exhibit several maturation habits , including small dwarf variety as well as larger shrub - sized specimen .
leave of dark woodland green supply a coolheaded al-Qaeda to contrast with the shining flowers . They are coif alternately on thick , sturdy stems , featuring a lobed shape with serrated or smooth edges .
Flower forms range from daisy - like shaft of light florets to globular pompoms and wispy spider character , with the bulk flowering from midsummer to mid - autumn when implant in spring .
I ’ll cover more on the various chrysanthemum flower categorisation in a act .
Pruning at the ripe clock time is an important aspect of chrysanthemum polish as it produces the branching needed for the dense andimpressive flowerhead displaysthey’re known for .
Some newer cross , like those in the Mammoth ™ series , give rise ample flowers without pruning , but most available cultivars benefit from regular pinching or pruning .
Chrysanthemums are also live as adept familiar plants for the herculean cuss repellent compounds they contain . Known as pyrethrins , these are used in pesticides against the likes of ants , fleas , mosquitos , and moths .
To make your own pyrethrum - base insecticide , our guide onhow to expend chrysanthemums for pest control in the gardenhas the item .
Garden florist’s chrysanthemum have good cold hardiness , with most variety suited to USDA zone 4 to 9 , and many set for Zone 3 growth .
And it should be notice that chrysanthemums are gently toxic to cats , dogs , and horses .
Cultivation and History
Chrysanthemums have been cultivated for millennia .
First grown and revered by the Chinese , florist’s chrysanthemum made their agency to Japan in the late 300s where they were developed , and enviously guard , for centuries .
The first chrysanthemum cultivars arrive in Europe in the late 1700s , and in North America before the end of the 18th century .
Swedish botanist Karl Linnaeus named them by compounding the Greek wordschrysos(gold ) andanthemon(flower ) to report the aglow beauty of their fortunate flowers .
The garden florist’s chrysanthemum is of hybrid beginning , the result of broad crossbreeding ofC. indicumwith several other chrysanthemum species .
And its taxonomy has changed many times in the last three hundred years , ensue in numerous synonyms , includingC.×grandiflorumandDendranthema×grandiflorum , the latterafter some species were travel into theDendranthemagenus .
However , some growers protested the expulsion and transfer to a young genus .
In 1999 , the International Botanical Congress deemedC. indicumto be the type species , move both the florist and hardy garden mommy back into theChrysanthemumgenus .
Adding to the mix , varieties ofC.xrubellumare also known as sturdy mums .
Hardy to Zone 4 , these hybrid chrysanthemums form loose thud two to three foot improbable with an open form that can require stake .
extremely antiphonal to breeding efforts , today there are 13 unlike chrysanthemum efflorescence classifications .
Here ’s a brief look :
Hardy garden mums also come up in two basic forms of atomizer and single bloom or banner .
Spray chrysanthemum varieties are multibranched and extremely floriferous , form dense cumulus with several flower bud per stem .
undivided blooming variety have a easy course and less branching , with one , daisy - like bloom per root featuring single or semi - forked petals , like ‘ Clara Curtis . ’
receive a more detailed dislocation on chrysanthemum type here .
Now , let ’s look at how to propagate .
Chrysanthemum Propagation
Chrysanthemums are easy circulate through sectionalization and by take root basal or stem cutting .
Some ma motley , like tricolor daisy ( C. carinatum ) , are grown as yearbook and can be propagate from ejaculate .
But most hardy perennial hybrids are unreliable if grown from cum and do n’t produce plants rightful to their parent .
Divisions
For the profuse industrial plant , florists' chrysanthemum need division every three to four year or when the center start to slim down out and becomes woody , or bare spot look .
To divide , use a clean nigga to come up plants from garden beds in early spring after new ontogenesis emerge .
Insert the spade four to six inch past the leaf and raise the root ball in one slice . For very large plants , apply a sharp spade to carefully slice them in one-half or quarters before lifting .
utilize your fingers or a clean , sharpgarden knifeto mildly pull the root word apart or foreshorten into equal section .
Trim away and throw out any fundamental woody office – these old sections grow much slower , if at all , than pieces with new roots .
Plant sectionalization into beds or containers as outlined below .
From Basal Cuttings
Basal cuttings should be admit in later wintertime or former spring after fresh ontogenesis is about four inch tall .
utilize a white , astute tongue to take away several stems from the external perimeter , cut near to the crown .
Remove lower leaves from cuttings and drop in a rooting hormone if desired .
fill up four - in pots with a half - and - half mix of potting soil and compost and insert cuttings up to the first set of leave , about three per pot , spaced equally apart .
weewee until the grease is moist , but not soaked , then embrace with a plastic cup of tea or cloche . Ensure bags do n’t touch the foliage by support them with chopsticks or pencils .
send in bright , indirect spark and keep the grunge moist until the cutting have rooted , in three to four week .
After novel roots are established , throne up into larger containers or plant into the garden after all risk of Robert Frost has passed .
From Stem Cuttings
Stem cuttings can be taken from spring to midsummer .
Use a fair , sharp tongue to take three- to four - inch sections from non - flowering theme tips .
Dip gently in rooting hormone then pot up and cover as for basal cut , set out once the roots are institute , or in about eight weeks .
cutting taken in summertime benefit from spend their first winter in a protected , rime free location .
How to Grow Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums enjoy a full Dominicus location in hummus - rich , loamy soil that ’s slightly moist but well - draining , and with a slightly acidulent to indifferent pH of 6.5 to 7.0 .
They do tolerate some tripping shade but can become leggy if they have to stretch for Inner Light .
In temperate climates , engraft out in springtime to control the root are well - set up before cold winter temperature arrive . In area with mild winters , plant life from bound to fall .
Loosen the grime to a astuteness of 12 inches , working in one or two shovelfuls ofcompostor well - decompose manure .
Add in a couple of shovelfuls of guts to improve drain if need , using materials such as landscape sand , pea gravel , or stone chips .
Before planting , conflate in two tablespoonful ofbone meal for strong , tidy roots .
placed chrysanthemum works in place at the same depth as the pot they amount in , or with the crown just below the soil level .
Backfill and firm the dirt over the roots .
Water deeply and lightly to settle in and asseverate more or less moist soil throughout the growing season .
Three weeks after planting , or when plants are six to eight inch marvellous , pinch out the tips to encourage ramify .
Use your thumb and forefinger or clean , precipitous garden snippet to slay buds from the stem just below their base .
For spray variety , pinch out the large apical , or concluding , bud but leave the lateral buds in place .
For undivided efflorescence varieties , the summons is change by reversal – vellicate out the lateral bud and allow apical bud to remain .
Apical / terminal buds originate at the top of stems , or the apex . Lateral buds form lower on the stem at folio node .
Pinch again three weeks later to wind up disbudding .
Or you may go the dissolute path and get good solvent by simply shearing back plants by one - third to one - half .
For container outgrowth , choose pots and planters with drainage hole . To keep pee run freely , I like to add a two - inch layer of drain materials , like break in pottery or pebble , over the holes .
Fill containers to two inches from the rim with humus - deep , fertile soil .
If demand to enrich the soil , ruffle in one or two share compost or well - rotted manure with two to three part of soil .
impart in one part of grit to three parts of soil to ameliorate drainage , if needed .
Mix in one or two tablespoon of off-white meal for fast beginning growth .
Set plants in place at the same deepness as in their greenhouse container .
Backfill and firm the grime gently .
Water lightly but deeply to settle plant life and uphold slightly damp soil throughout the growing time of year .
Pinch as outline above .
Growing Tips
To get the most from your hardy mum , keep the following in mind :
dauntless mums are easily cultivated , but they are heavy feeder . Let ’s look at their care regimen next .
Pruning and Maintenance
Feed establish chrysanthemums in spring , about four hebdomad after implant or after new outgrowth come along , feeding once again when the first flush of efflorescence open .
bung with a two - in stratum of compost or well - rotted manure bring into the soil to side frock do it and container plant .
Or , granular dim - release pellets with a balanced formula like 10 - 10 - 10 NPK can be applied in leap and again in June 21 .
To help keep their shallow root nerveless and moist , add a two- to four - column inch level of mulch over the root zone in summertime , keeping mulch materials an column inch or two out from the crown .
After efflorescence is finished for the year , cut back plant to six inch . Clean beds and dispose of leaf and disintegrate plant matter .
Although mum are cold hardy , they have shallow tooth root and benefit from a wintertime mulch to protect them from extreme temperature and freeze / thaw bicycle .
Add a four- to six - in level of lofty mulch over the root zone , using material such as shredded barque or straw . annul using materials in winter that snare and contain surface water , like leaf mold , which can freeze and heave the roots .
For all the details on stale weather care , take our guide onhow to winterize hardy garden mums .
In outflow , sportsmanlike bed again and remove winter mulches after unexampled growth is two to four inch grandiloquent .
Chrysanthemum Cultivars to Select
There ’s no shortage of gorgeous chrysanthemum varieties for the garden ! Here are a few pop options to get start with :
Beverly Bronze
Highly showy , the decorative ‘ Beverly Bronze ’ has fuddled , semi - double to double flowers resplendent in shimmering autumn spook of bronze and orange .
flora are compact and densely branched , form mounds up to 16 inches tall and 12 column inch wide .
‘ Beverly Bronze ’
A beautiful choice for borders , edging , containers , and windowpane boxes or for tabletop centerpieces and cut flowers . Hardy in Zones 4 to 9 .
Plants in grower ’s peck from Expert Gardener areavailable at Walmart .
Coral Daisy
An exceptional performing artist , Mammoth ™ ‘ Coral Daisy ’ is oppressed with semi - threefold , daisy - like flowers of soft coral to lilac pink with lemon tree yellow disc centers .
take shape dense , tight mounds , ‘ Coral Daisy ’ grows 24 to 36 inches mellow and fan out up to 48 in – simply splendid for a sea of pinkish when group or mass in beds , edging , or patio planters .
Mammoth ‘ Coral Daisy ’
Mammoth ™ chrysanthemum varieties need no pinching or pruning . Extra cold tolerant , they ’re brave in zone 3 to 9 .
you may notice plantsavailable at Burpee .
Matchsticks
For sparkling genius in the late garden , ‘ matchstick ’ is a beautiful spoon class bicolor , featuring open - over , quill - like flower petal of quick golden amber lean in crimson .
works are thickset and bushy , farm 12 to 24 inches marvelous and broad with a richness of flowers from recent summertime to late fall .
‘ Matchsticks ’
A superb excerpt for massing or groups in bed , margin , planters , and windowpane boxes , this kind is hardy in Zones 5 to 9 .
‘ Matchsticks ’ is useable in containersfrom Burpee .
Red Daisy
A hardy and dense plant , the decorative Mammoth ™ ‘ Red Daisy ’ is smothered in eye - popping , cerise crimson , semi - double flowers with yellowish centre from late summer into fall .
gigantic ‘ Red Daisy ’
Forming tight mound up to 36 inches magniloquent and 36 to 48 inches encompassing , ‘ Red Daisy ’ is an infrangible showstopper when mass into beds , border , edging , foundations , and orotund terrace planter . Hardy in Zones 3 to 9 .
‘ Red Daisy ’ plant areavailable at Nature Hills .
Managing Pests and Disease
Mums are deer and rodent resistant and generally trouble - liberal , but there are a couple of pestis and several fungous job to keep an eye on for .
Pests
A mixture of insects may target your mom – and you canread more about the most usual chrysanthemum pests in our guide .
aphid are small green , dark-brown , or black sapsuckers that can cause problems like distorted or stunted growth and even plant life collapse .
expend a warm spray of water system from thegarden hoseto dislodge aphids from root and the underside of leave of absence , duplicate in a few day if necessary .
Natural predators like ladybugs and predatory waspsalso provide good aphid ascendance .
You canlearn more about how to deal with aphid in our guide .
Leaf miners are the larva of small flies which hatch from eggs laid on the underside of leaves , create pale trails as they tunnel through the leaf ’s interior .
Handpick and destroy septic leaves , include any that have decrease to the ground .
See ourguide to controlling folio minersfor more entropy .
Spider soupcon are midget brown to rust - emblazon sapsuckers that show up in red-hot , dry weather .
Spray with water as for aphids , or apply an insecticidal easy lay with natural ingredient like neem oil for prominent infestation .
Bonide Neem Oil
Neem oil concentrate isavailable from Arbico Organics .
determine more about spider mites here .
Disease
In gain , there are a variety of fungal diseases that can regard your chrysanthemum .
Fusarium wilt , caused byFusarium oxysporumf . sp.chrysanthemi , is a fungous disease that attacks the vascular system of rules of plants , causing stunted emergence and wilt leave of absence that work yellow and then brown .
To prevent the spread of wilt disease , cut away taint plant portion and dispose of them . Be sure to scavenge tools and fix them after touch infected flora .
Treatment with a fungicide may be needed , which you could register about in our guide onhow to control fusarium wilting in chrysanthemums .
Several different species of soilborne fungus – Septoria chrysanthemi , S. chrysanthemella , andCercospora chrysanthemi – can make leaf spot issue .
Symptoms typically appear as small yellow spots that darken to black as they grow , causing leaves to shrink and drop prematurely .
Handpick and put down septic leaves and ensure the stain open is kept free of garden dust .
lend atwo - inch layer of mulchsuch as tear up bark or straw to help foreclose spore from reaching the down in the mouth foliage .
And avoid overhead watering to prevent spattering spores from the soil onto leaves and stems .
Powdery mold is do by another fungus , Erysiphe cichoracearum . This disease can cover flora in a pallid gray powdery coating that do foliage and radical collapse .
Remove all diseased material from plants and the grime open , ensure adequate zephyr circulation , and allow the top two inches of soil to dry before watering again .
Learn more about dealing with powdery mildew in chrysanthemums here .
Rust is another fungous disease , caused byPuccinia chrysanthemi .
It creates pallid post on the topside of leave with powdery rust - colour in growths immediately underneath , weakening plants and causing hapless peak set .
Remove infect leafage quick and clean debris from seam regularly . Ensure plants have good tune circulation and avoid overhead lacrimation .
If rusting is a common problem in your garden , look for rust - immune salmagundi such as ‘ Achievement , ’ ‘ Mandalay , ’ and ‘ Orange Bowl . ’
Best Uses of Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are fabulous forfall decorating indoorsand in the garden as well .
Use compact or dwarf Chrysanthemum morifolium for fall holiday in tabletop centerpiece , cornucopia or crop display , and cut flower arrangements .
alfresco , small varieties shine when coalesce with other fall flowers likeastersandechinaceaor massed for margin , edging , flanking pathways and sidewalks , patio pot , and window boxes .
Use larger , mounding chrysanthemums as vivacious standalone specimen or group for a bold , colorful impact in layer , edging , foundations , and large plantation owner or urns .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Late-Season Sensations
Whatever type of hardy mums you develop and enjoy , they make a sensory splash of late color to finish up the growing season .
Give them mickle of sun and even urine in ground with splendid drainage then pinch vigorously for plants densely laden with showy flowers .
And formore chrysanthemum know - how , add these articles to your reading list next :
picture by Lorna Kring © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . to begin with published on August 21 , 2018 . Last updated August 11 , 2023 . ware picture via Arbico Organics , Burpee , CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform , Nature Hills Nursery , and Walmart . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Lorna Kring
