Expert: Long Island Gardener - 8/9/2006

Question
I would like to purchase the above flower.  They are absolutely beautiful.  Are they perenials and where/when do I plant?

Thanks so much.

Leslie

Answer
Leslie, I agree with you, they are "absolutely beautiful". Whe the rest of the world is snapping up chrysynthemums for fall, they all pale next to the exhibition-quality, large, utterly gorgeous large-flowered, show-stopping, specialty hybrids.  You won't find these at Home Depot.  You probably won't find them at your garden center.  They are the ultimate mums.

The Smithsonian has posted a web page for further indulging your new passion (www.gardens.si.edu/horticulture/res_ed/fctsht/mum.html).  Whether or not the mums you want are hardy really depends on the mum and where you live.  The grower should be able to tell you that.

From my own personal Zone 7 experience, I must warn you that it is possible they will not be as long-lived as we would like, hardy or not.  You can tip the odds in your favor if you follow the Smithsonian's advice: "For the best luck with the survival of hardy mums, purchase them in the spring with other perennials and allow them to establish themselves before the fall."  On this matter, they have hit the nail on the head.  And regrettably, given the timing of your note, although I have looked high and low for evidence to the contrary, it appears that you may be off schedule here.

And yet they are really irresistable.  Most people don't know anything about them because it does take a real gardener to come across these uncommon gems.

Drainage is absolutely necessary for these perennials, as with so many others.  If you lose the roots, you will most certainly lose the plant.  Wherever you decide to grow these, make sure your soil is not inclined to collect water when it rains.

Your next stop should be the National Chyrsanthemum Society (www.mums.org), which will probably have at least a few members listed in your neighborhood who are cultivating successfully certain hybrids.  They can also steer you away from the ones that they can't grow.  And when you're nearby, you can drive past their gardens to gaze at their chrysanthemum canvases and find some inspirations about placement and colors, even the way they may light their mum beds at night as the days grow shorter.

Any questions?  I'm here.