Plant mums as soon as the soil warms in the spring. From late spring to mid-summer, pinch back the tips and flower buds on all shoots to make the plant bushier and prepare it for a dramatic fall show. For optimal blooming, the plants should be fertilized regularly throughout the growing season.
After the blooms fade, cut the plants down to about 6 inches, and cover them with straw or another dry mulch to protect the roots over winter. Established plants should be lifted and divided every two to three years. We often think of daisy chrysanthemums as a fall blooming flower, but there are quite a few members of this family, and some of their seeds bloom in the summer season. More often, these flowers are simply referred to as daisies. Daisy chrysanthemum seeds are pretty easy to grow, and they grow very quickly - some are even considered aggressive in their growth.
Shasta Daisy plants are ideal for a wild flower garden's edge or are attractive in butterfly gardens or combined with other perennials or annuals. For cooler climates with short growing seasons, start the Chrysanthemum Daisy seeds indoor weeks before frost season is over. For warmer climates, sow the Shasta Daisy seeds directly outdoors into prepared beds in the spring after danger of frost has passed. Sow the wild flower seed on the surface and keep moist. Shasta Daisy flowers will not bloom the first year, but grow slowly to get established.
It will then be a prolific bloomer in successive years. Shastas are one of the best daisies to grow from wild flower seed! When I first began to grow hardy mums, I was delighted to discover that this genus offers tall selections , which can be used to round out a planting and add variety.
I can think of no better one to start with than Chrysanthemum 'Emperor of China' (Z 4–9). Reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet, this selection has dark pink buds that form beautiful double flowers, which are pink with dark centers. The 1½-inch-wide blooms with quilled petals open quite late, usually not until the third week of October, but they last until Thanksgiving if there is no killing frost.
'Emperor of China' can appear lanky, so I recommend placing it in the middle or back of the border or pinching it in late spring. Balloon flower is for those of us that love the tall lavender blue Campanulas of spring and want to carry their rich hues and graceful wands of bloom throughout summer. Deadheading is a must, but not a chore, I, for one, can't resist the satisfying pop as the faded flowers separate from the stem. The glossy dark green leaves turn golden yellow in fall, adding another season of interest.
If your plants get too tall and need corralling, try pinching the stems once in mid-spring for more compact branching growth. Mums aren't exactly "pruned," but are instead pinched throughout the growing season. This helps the plant branch out, become fuller and offer more blooms.
When your plant reaches 6 inches tall in the spring, simply pinch off 1 inch of each shoot. Repeat this every 2 to 3 weeks until early summer.Deadhead spent blooms throughout the fall for an extended bloom time. Once the plant has died in the winter, resist cutting it back.
Research reveals that allowing it to die back naturally over the winter produces a stronger plant. Simply clean up the dead stems and foliage in the spring. Planting chrysanthemum in the spring gives the perennial plant time to establish and adapt to its new garden home. You'll easily find mums in garden centers and nurseries in both fall and spring, but planning ahead is key to successful planting. Planting in the spring will also result in a bigger bloom the following season. Although some fall mums can survive winter if planted immediately, the odds are much better with spring-planted mums.
Although most mums are purchased from garden centers as already-established plants or propagated from cuttings and division, you can grow chrysanthemums from seed. It can be a bit of an adventure, because many chrysanthemum seeds do not stay true to the parent plant. This means you can end up with a wide variety of flower colors and sizes. It seems as soon as the air cools, signaling the coming of fall, garden centers begin showcasing full mounds of brilliant red, yellow, and violet flowers. Chrysanthemums, or mums, are a staple in fall gardens. Mums are a national symbol of fall abundance, and this herbaceous and hardy perennial is an easy addition to give a gorgeous pop of color in your fall garden landscape.
With a little understanding and a few simple tips, you can have a lush, beautiful fall chrysanthemum garden display to help celebrate the changing of seasons. In general, the densely flowering mums that are offered for sale in full bloom in the fall should not be counted on to overwinter. You should find true winter hardy mums offered at garden centers alongside other hardy perennials, available throughout the planting season. Ideally, these should be planted in spring or summer to allow the roots a chance to establish before winter. However, there are varieties that are truly perennial in most climates when planted in the early spring or in the fall several weeks before the first frost.
These plants grow fast, and you should have flowers in the first growing season. Bloom times vary with variety and climate from early September through mid-October. Start seeds to grow this old-fashioned favorite! Chrysanthemum Maximum Shasta Daisy is a mainstay in the perennial flower garden with its large white blooms and yellow centers. Shasta Daisy is a very popular wild flower that will grow in all regions of North America. Chrysanthemums are very easy to establish from flower seeds, and Shasta Daisy flowers are great for cutting and the butterflies love them.
Chrysanthemum likes to grow in full sun and well-drained soils. To prolong the bloom pick off flowers as soon as they fade. To prevent overcrowding, divide Shasta Daisy plants after three or four years of flowering.
Garden mums are readily available in a wide range of colors for purchase now and a great way to add late season color to your garden. You may also see the terms "hardy mums," "fall mums" and "chrysanthemums" used for these plants at garden centers. If you live in a cold climate, it is best to leave the foliage on the plant, even after it has browned and died, to increase the plant's chance of surviving the winter. In spring, you can prune out the dead leaves before the new ones start to develop.
Garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.) are herbaceous perennials in the daisy family and are stalwarts of the flowering autumn garden. When garden centers sell blooming potted mums in the fall, they are usually used as annuals and discarded when the blooms fade. And when gardeners try to transplant these mums into the ground late in the season, chances are they won't make it through winter and become perennial. Most mums planted in August or September are planted too late in the season. They are in bud or flower, and all their strength is going to those flowers and seed production, said Columbus garden consultant Deb Knapke. There isnt enough time or energy to produce roots that go out into the garden soil before the heavy frosts hit.
Without strong roots in the soil, the plant will probably die over the winter. This is why fall mums can be called annual mums. Whenever possible, irrigate garden mums automatically .
Overhead irrigation is satisfactory and inexpensive; but the umbrella effect caused by the leaves and the effect of wind results in a lot of wasted water. To prevent foliar diseases always water early enough in the day to allow the foliage to dry before evening hours. Regardless of the watering system you use, do not allow plants to wilt particularly during the time before the lateral shoots from the second pinch are at least one inch long.
It is critical to keep plants actively growing in the early stages. Plants that undergo water stress are more likely to initiate premature flower buds. Fertilizing your mums gives them an added boost of essential nutrients for the best growth. The primary growth of chrysanthemum plant varieties takes place in spring and early summer. If you plant fall mums, wait to begin their fertilization until the spring.
Fall fertilization can actually reduce the hardiness of chrysanthemums to survive cold winters. Perennial mums, on the other hand, should be planted directly into your garden bed in the spring. Though they sometimes have smaller flowers, they'll provide autumn color to your garden year after year. However, they do require more maintenance throughout the summer.
Like annual mums, you'll get the best blooms if they're planted in full sun, but they will tolerate partial shade. This encourages them to grow fuller and bushier, and flower later into the season. Most seed propagation is done solely to create new mum varieties and it is not advantageous to home gardeners.
We have all had the experience of buying fall mums, planting them in the garden, and having a few of them come back for a year or two. It isn't guaranteed to come back every year like a shasta daisy but in our experience, it has the best chance of over-wintering for any multi-color mum that you can grow from seed. Plants grow to a height of 2 feet and are covered with 2-inch blooms, several 100 per plant. If you start in late winter you will get blooms the first Fall. While it's not a foolproof way to get the exact color garden mum you want, you can save some money and enjoy the journey of starting mum seeds.
Garden mums cross-pollinate freely, so when you're growing chrysanthemum seeds, you're never certain what type of flower will result. Commercially, garden mums are most often started from cuttings, which ensures growers get the exact type of flower in the precise color they want. Snow Lady is the earliest Shasta daisy to flower on a dwarf, petite plant. A profusion of large flowers on low, mounded plants, ideal for garden's edge. Attractive in butterfly gardens, cutting gardens or combined with other perennials or annuals.
Remove faded flowers for continued bloom and best appearance. Grows about inches tall and speards to about 15 inches. It is wise to shear Clara's faded flowers after bloom so it puts energy into growing its sparse roots. I wait until spring to clip off the dead stems and replant them. Clara likes sandy soil mix dearly to put its sparse roots into.
While most growers view garden mums as a fall commodity, the possibility of enhancing spring and summer sales should not be overlooked. In the spring, garden mums can be sold as green plants along with perennial crops, or as flowering plants where they can be planted by the consumer to flower again in the fall. Garden mums can also be shaded and grown for markets in July and August. The most common market for garden mums continues to be late summer and fall which will be the focus of this fact sheet. The chrysanthemum growing rate depends on many variables. Different varieties feature different growth rates and mature size.
Plants grown from seed may take several years to reach their full growth potential. Mums grown from already-established garden center plants and division have a head-start on the growing season. Taking proper care of mums through watering, fertilizing and pinching increases the fullness and growth capabilities of the plant. While many of these Mum varieties are indeed hardy, they are unlikely to overwinter in our northern gardens. This is because they are entering the winter in a weakened state.
Growers pamper them in greenhouses throughout the season. In fall, when the plants are supposed to divert energy into root development to survive the upcoming winter, growers pump them with fertilizer to produce a profusion of flowers. Mums grow best with full morning sun, at least 5-6 hours daily. Water when the soil feels dry and add more mulch before your average first fall frost date. You can prune the mums in the late fall or in the spring. It's also adviced to pinch off the tops of stems in the spring to ecourage bushier growth and more flowers.
Add some compost and/or aged manure to the soil in the spring. Planting these specimens in the garden in late summer or early fall does not guarantee sufficient time for the plants to become established. The repeated freezing and thawing of the soil will heave the plant out of the ground and kill the roots. The whole plant has a very distinctive aromatic flavour and is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly potassium. The open flowers and unopened flower buds can be used to make a beneficial herbal tea.
Chrysanthemum tea is a beautiful yellow colour with a very pleasant aromatic flavour. Finely incised leaves and an abundance of flowers, make this a flower bed must. Another double with slightly smaller, 1-inch-wide flowers is Chrysanthemum 'Mei-kyo' (Z 4–9). The flower petals start out medium lavender-pink on the outer edges with darker shading around the yellow flower center. As the flowers age, the petals fade to pale pink with dark tips. The flowers are tightly clustered on 3-foot-tall stems, and plants grow to resemble small shrubs without pinching.
'Mei-kyo' blooms in late October and combines well with 'Emperor of China'. If you need a break from pink, try Chrysanthemum 'Bronze Elegans' (syn. C. 'Bronze Elegance', Z 4–9), which appears to be a sport of 'Mei-kyo'. Its flowers open to a lovely coppery bronze with pinkish undersides. As the flowers fade, a striking yet subtle stripe of pale yellow and orange becomes apparent. For a more traditional-looking mum with a diminutive form, look to the species Chrysanthemum weyrichii (Z 5–9), which is sometimes called Miyabe. The single flowers of this 8- to 12-inch-tall gem are 2 inches wide and open with pink or white petals and yellow centers from August until hard frost.
The cultivar 'White Bomb' has somewhat fleshy, dark green leaves and purple-stained stems. It displays white flowers that become blushed with pink as they age. Most gardeners plant mums too late in the fall for the plants to survive over winter. Some of the mums may come back the next year if they are mulched.
