Tips for Growing Chrysanthemum

Fall mum show at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Plant Profile

Chrysanthemums

The “Golden” Flower

By Kathy Jentz

I’ll confess I had a longtime aversion to chrysanthemums. Both their smell and commonness turned me off. But recently, I had a change of heart. I discovered a whole new world of mum-growing that goes far beyond those boring mums sold in cheap bunches at your local supermarkets.

The flower is significant in many world cultures. The name “Chrysanthemum” is derived from the Greek, chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. In many countries, it is associated with funerals and grief. In the United States, mums are generally seen as a cheerful bloom. The flowers have medicinal, culinary, and insecticidal properties—aside from their ornamental attributes.

According to Gary Mangum, president of Bell Nursery, who supplies plants to Home Depot throughout the Mid-Atlantic, “Yellow is the most popular mum color for us.” Bell Nursery has taken the love of mums to the next level by breeding giant mums that are upward of 3 feet across! “We find that people get instant gratification by covering a lot of area and getting a lot of color with fewer plants,” said Mangum. “We have seen a huge growth in the popularity of the giant mums each year they are in the stores.” Home Depot expected to sell 30,000 of the giant mums in the region this year.

Whether giant or mini or in between, mums deserve a place in your garden. Here are some mum-growing tips.

• Mums are ideal container plants and can be planted in the ground after blooming.

• Be sure you select plants that are cold-hardy and healthy.

• Plant in full sun and give them space. They need good air circulation.

• Every three years, divide the plants in spring and move them to a new spot.

• They need good drainage.

• A light mulching in spring helps keep down weed competition.

• Pinch them back before July to create compact, bushy plants with more blooms.

• Provide extra mulch in fall for winter protection.

• After the first flush of early fall blooms, sheer off just the fading flowers and you may get a second bloom flush before the end of autumn.

• A hard frost will turn the blooms brown, so if you know a freeze is predicted, you can give them protection to prolong the bloom life by covering with a frost blanket.

Both Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, and Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, hold chrysanthemum shows each autumn. The displays include a variety of chrysanthemum colors and forms—from cascading baskets to topiary to single, large blossoms. Plan a visit to one or both to get an overview of the mums available to you.

If you find yourself growing more interested in breeding and cultivating chrysanthemums, you may want to join a local mum enthusiast group, such as the Potomac Chrysanthemum Society (PCS). The club holds an annual plant sale each May in various locations around the Beltway. All plants are just a few dollars each and the selection is wide. The club also hosts monthly meetings at the Twinbrook Library in Rockville, MD, and other regular events such as a plant exchange. For more information, contact PCS President Kathy Jackson at Potomac@mums.org.

The Old Dominion Chrysanthemum Society is based in Alexandria, VA, and meets monthly at the Falls Church Community Center in Falls Church, VA. For details, contact Todd Brethauer at jim. OldDominion@mums.org. o

Kathy Jentz is editor of Washington Gardener.

Spider mum.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Spider mum.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Daisy mums.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Football mum.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Football mum.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

Quilled mum.

Photo by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine