Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemum is one of the most colorful of all fall flowering perennials. A wide selection of varieties is available in white, pink, yellow, lavender, bronze, salmon, orange, or red. In addition to this extensive color range, flowers vary greatly in type and size. One of the most popular flower types is the single or daisy form. Other flower types are anemone, spoon, spider, standard, and pompon.

Chrysanthemums can be purchased in bloom from nurseries and garden supply stores. This is an advantage over growing them from cuttings because you can see the flower color and type, and you can have instant color in your flower beds. When buying potted chrysanthemums, look for healthy, well-shaped plants with many flower buds. It is better to buy a plant with many partially opened buds since it will have a longer period of bloom than a plant in full bloom.

The chrysanthemums you plant this fall will carry over the winter and resume growing in the spring. The plants (clumps) should be divided to prevent the shoots comprising the clump from becoming too crowded. Failure to divide the clumps will cause weak, spindly growth with few flowers.

• Select strong-growing clumps and separate the individual shoots with an adequate root system, so the new small plant can become reestablished quickly. Avoid using the shoots in the center of the clump because a crown rot fungus, which may weaken or kill the young plants, is often present.
• Chrysanthemums grow best in well-drained soil. The yearly addition of compost or other suitable organic matter to the planting bed is desirable. Apply a three to four-inch layer of organic matter and two pounds of 6-6-6 fertilizer per 100 square feet over the bed and till them into the soil to a depth of six inches. The plants should be set 18 to 24 apart to provide adequate space for development. Vigorous varieties may need a 30-inch spacing to prevent crowding.
• After the plants are established and at least six inches tall, pinch off the top one to two inches of the stem. This will encourage lateral branching and produce lower, bushier plants. When the lateral branches are six to eight inches long, they too can be pinched. This practice should be continued with the final pinch made between August 1 and 15. If pinched later, the plants may not have sufficient stem length by the time days are short enough for bud formation and flowering.
• Two to three applications of a 6-6-6 fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet of bed during the growing season is sufficient to grow a good crop of flowers. Water thoroughly to distribute the fertilizer throughout the root area.

As the days get shorter in the late summer, flower buds will begin to develop and by September some varieties should be providing color in your landscape.