Chrysanthemum, a plant that is simply beautiful

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Daisy-like blooms in pink, red, orange, yellow or white open just as other flowers grow scarce. Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.) is best known for flowering late, right through to late autumn, in beds, pots or garden boxes; water without wetting the leaves and you avoid rust and powdery mildew, and the display lasts.

Planting and advice on caring for it, here is how to grow beautiful chrysanthemum.

Planting chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is planted ideally in spring. Indeed, blooms at the end of summer or during fall, it will have developed a great root system and will resist the harshness of fall and winter much better.

• Position the young plants in spring in soil that has been amended and that drains well.

Plant Chrysanthemum purchased in pots in fall directly to the ground. Also possible are larger pots and garden boxes, preferably with soil mix, but hardiness won’t be as good.

• You’re advised to find a sunny spot that will embellish the blooming.

Perennial chrysanthemum

• Sow Chrysanthemum from early spring to late spring in a nursery. Another option is to sow directly in the flower bed in spring.

• Propagate perennial chrysanthemum through crown division in spring.

Annual chrysanthemum

These are the typical All Saint’s day chrysanthemum.

• Annuals that are called daisies can be sown as early as late winter to early spring in a nursery.
• Transplant them to the ground in spring with a spacing of about 20 inches (50 cm).
• You can also sow directly to the ground late spring.

Pruning, caring for and watering chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum requires relatively little care and attention, mostly only watering regularly if there’s no rainfall.

• Remove wilted flowers as they appear, since this increases production of new flowers.
• Water when the soil is dry, especially if using a pot, because chrysanthemum call for moist soil to grow properly.
• You should endeavor not to wet the leaves. It’s the surest way to avoid appearance of diseases such as rust or powdery mildew.

• Pinch out the growing tips of young chrysanthemum shoots once the plants are around 8 inches (20 cm) tall, as this forces side branching and gives many more flower buds on a bushier plant.
• Stake tall chrysanthemum varieties, some of which reach 48 inches (120 cm), with canes or link stakes before the buds swell, because heavy flower heads bend and snap the stems in autumn wind and rain.
• Water chrysanthemums in the morning and aim the can at the base of the plant, so any splashes on the foliage dry quickly instead of sitting overnight and encouraging rust.
• After flowering, many gardeners cut hardy chrysanthemums back and mulch the crown for frost protection, though others advise leaving the stems standing until spring, so the best approach depends on your climate.

Diseases often seen on chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum falls victim to several diseases and parasites. These are nonetheless avoidable, especially if you take care to avoid wetting the foliage. Space each plant sufficiently so that they don’t touch each other.

• Powdery mildew – a whitish growth covers leaves and stems.
• Rust – blisters appear on the underside of leaves.
• Aphids – leaves curl up and fall off.

• Pick off and bin leaves showing rust pustules or powdery mildew as soon as you spot them, rather than composting them, because prompt removal cuts the amount of spore-producing infected tissue available to spread to nearby chrysanthemums.
• Water chrysanthemums at the base early in the day so that any splashed foliage dries quickly, since many common foliar fungal diseases establish more readily when leaves remain wet for prolonged periods.
• Aphids weaken plants and can transmit viruses, so check the soft growing tips and leaf undersides regularly and dislodge colonies with a jet of water or a soft-soap spray before they build up.
• In damp, still weather grey mould can turn petals brown and fuzzy, so remove faded blooms promptly and thin crowded stems to let air circulate through the clump.

Choosing a chrysanthemum variety

Garden centres and seed catalogues offer chrysanthemums in every shade and shape, from knee-high cushions for pots to tall border plants for cutting. The table below compares widely available varieties to help you match colour, height and habit to your space.

Learn more about chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is native to Korea but is has reached cult status in Japan. It has become the Japaneses’ favorite flower.

Over there, Japanese call it the Autumn flower and it symbolizes joy and pleasure.

There are a great many chrysanthemum varieties.

They are famous for their pink, red, orange, yellow or white hues. Flowers always resemble those of the more humble daisy.

Chrysanthemum has the advantage of blooming late, until the month of late autumn. It thus appears to decorate our gardens right when other flowers start becoming rare.

They are also planted in pots to adorn balconies and terraces.

• For that, choose good flower plant soil mix over any other, because it has the advantage of retaining the moisture that the plant needs.

Chrysanthemum is very versatile and will fit in perfectly in a flower bed, in a pot or garden box, and also simply to decorate any portion of the garden.

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