It is a common sight in fall gardens across the United States to see chrysanthemum (genus Chrysanthemum) blooms. Plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 of the USDA have been developed into a variety of hybrids that bloom in the late summer and early fall. If you deadhead your mums as soon as they start to fade, you can keep them blooming until the cold weather arrives, even though individual blooms only last two to three weeks depending on light and weather conditions.
Rapid Reaction
Short-day plants are the majority of Chrysanthemums. Flowering is encouraged by the shorter days and longer nights of late summer and fall. Planting garden mums near porch or street lights can prevent flower buds from forming, so avoid doing so. Mums require nine to thirteen hours of darkness to flower, depending on whether they are in a garden or a greenhouse.
Flowers of the Chrysanthemum
single to pompons are among the 12 most common varieties of flower (also called pompom). Pompoms can be as small as a button or as large as a large ball-shaped mass of small blooms that make up a single flower. Decorative mums, which have a flattened flower with many layers of petals, are common in gardens. The anemone, intermediate incurve, irregular incurve, reflex, and regular incurve or “football” may require staking. Brush or thistle mums, quill mums, spider mums, and spoon mums are some of the more unusual-looking varieties. In other words, exotics are organisms that don’t fit into any of the other 11 main categories.
Varieties for the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.
A chrysanthemum can be found for nearly any type of garden, with more than 200 species and around 5,000 varieties to choose from. In August, early season chrysanthemums usually begin blooming. With a creamy center, the Chablis variety is a white decorative type; the Goldstrike pompon is golden yellow; the Grenadine decorative type is coral; and the Maroon Pride is dark red.
By early- to mid-September, mid-season varieties have already begun blooming. For example, there’s a “Autumn Fire,” a burnt orange decorative, a “Lemonsotta,” a lemon yellow pompon, and a “Mellow Moon,” a cream semi-incurved.
After September, the flowers and foliage of late-season varieties begin to bloom and last until the first frosts of winter kill them off. Tracy is a white double daisy variety that blooms very late, while Barbara is a small purple pompon variety that blooms earlier.
Tips for Planting
Spring is the ideal time to plant chrysanthemums in your garden. In a protected, well-drained area that gets full sun, your mums will thrive and grow. Dig in 2 to 4 inches of compost and well-decomposed manure to the garden bed. Plants should be separated by at least 18 to 24 inches. There are delicate stems when removing plants from grower pots. Backfill the hole with soil and plant the seeds. Gently tamp the soil and thoroughly wet it.
Decorative and gift mums can be transplanted to the garden after the flowers fade, but the unusual varieties used for these purposes are not as hardy as garden mums. A warm and sheltered location is ideal for planting in spring, summer, or fall. Trim the stems back to 3 to 4 inches tall.
Care for your Chrysanthemums
The soil should be kept evenly moist, but not saturated. If it’s hot outside, you may want to apply an inch of water every week, or even twice a week. Using a water-soluble fertilizer, apply 5-10-10 fertilizer weekly or monthly. Pull the mulch away from the stems of the plants by 2 to 3 inches, depending on the thickness of the layer.
To encourage a bushy, multi-branched plant, pinch back the stems and branches frequently. Until the Fourth of July, keep pinching back. The buds will begin to form, and then pinching back will reduce the number of blossoms on the plant. Monitor the plants for pests like aphids as the mums grow. Spray the pests with water from a garden hose to get rid of them.
As soon as the flowers start to fade, remove them with a sharp knife. Until the plants are killed by freezing temperatures, new blossoms will continue to appear on the plants and provide color. Make sure the plants’ roots are protected by a thick layer of loose mulch by not cutting back dead stems. Remove the mulch and cut back the dead stems in the spring as the weather warms up.
