Garden Hardy Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum x morifolium

Chrysanthemum x morifolium is an herbacious perennial which adds a pop of color to your garden when the leaves start to fall and the colder days start to come.  Chrysanthemum x morifolium plants will begin to grow in the summer and spring, but it does not flower until the autumn.  The aromatic flowers come in many colors from brownish shades to pastels and vibrant yellows; they can be solid, bi-color, or edged around the petals with another color.  The leaves have a curved edge which add to the attractiveness of this plant.  It can multiply very fast in your garden beds, making it more than just a potted plant for the autumn.  Indeed, you will find this plant next to the scarecrows and calling you to make sure that you add it to your garden.  The explosion of color will bring a freshness as the summer starts to fade and one thinks of hot cocoa and warm winter fires.

Chrysanthemum x morifolium grows best in areas of your garden with full sun and well-drained soil.  To maintain these plants, cut them back three times during the spring and summer– the last cut around August 15– to encourage bushy, compact growth and prevent spring flowering.  They can be divided in the spring to further multiply your plants.  When buying from a store, remember to plant these chrysanthemums in your garden; these plants do not die off at the end of the season and can come back for you to enjoy for years to come.

Family name Asteraceae (Compositae)

Quick ID Hints:

• Leaves variable in size & shape, entire to lobed
• Heads of flowers variable in size & shape

Erect, aromatic, perrenial herb forming mounds 1-3' tall. 

Blooming late summer to frost; needs to be pinched several times in late spring to early summer to promote a compact mounded form; utilized in massing, edging, borders, cut flowers, pompons; responds well to additional fertilization; not cold hardy in north, must be dug up and overwintered in cold frames. . 

Florists variations: 

Cascades: pot plants with trailing growth habit and covered with masses of small daisy-like heads. 

Charms: pot plants with a dome growth form and numerous, small, daisy-like heads. 

Sprays: Outdoor or interior pot plants with many small heads borne on each branched stem. 

Numerous cultivars occur in different cultivar groups: 

Anemone-flowered Group: ray florets in 5 rows or less with central cushion of tubular florets; heads to 6" diam. 

Incurved Group: ray florets turned in toward the center, forming a tight ball; heads commonly 6-12" diam.. 

Intermediate Group: florets loosely & irregularly incurved or reflexed; heads commonly 6-12" diam. 

Korean Hybrid Group: late flowering, bushy plants for the open garden, will perennialize for 2-3 years. 

Pompon Group: ray florets are tightly packed (not curled) forming a tight globular bloom; heads to 6" diam.. 

Reflexed Group: ray florets areturned outward and downwards from center; heads commonly 6-12" diam. 

Single-flowered Group: ray florets in 5 rows or less with conspicuous disc florets; heads to 6" diam.. 

Spidery Group: ray florets elongate, thread-like to spoon-shaped; heads to 6" diam.

Prefer full sun in a well-drained, moist soil; bacterial blight, leaf spot and numerous insects are major problems.