Chrysanthemum bush: types, planting and care

Shrub chrysanthemum must be included in the group of the most beautiful garden flowers, especially since it blooms in the fall, when most competitors are already preparing for winter. If you love planting flower beds, this flower must be present in your collection. Not everyone knows how to properly care for him, but let's try to delve into the details of caring for a bush chrysanthemum.

Shrub chrysanthemum is considered one of the most favorite types of flowers among breeders - today there are about 10,000 varieties of this plant, which means that you need to be an outstanding world-class specialist to navigate this wealth at least approximately! Naturally, with such a variety, the gardener has an excellent opportunity to choose a flower to his taste with the most accurate set of necessary characteristics: you can choose both the flowering time and its duration, not to mention the size of the bush or the color of the petals. Due to the abundance of available options, this culture is suitable for any flower bed, and most importantly, it has long since turned from a purely autumnal to a summer one. Many chrysanthemums continue to bloom even after the first frost, subject to further warming.

A typical bush chrysanthemum, with rare exceptions, belongs to perennial plants. Planted in open ground, it is often able to delight the owners with lush flowering for a good two months - that is why the plant won such mad love of breeders, who made it one of the most important ornamental plants of our time. Intense flowering of bush chrysanthemums can bring a bright accent to the color scheme of the flower bed, divide the flower meadow into fragments, or, conversely, combine disparate parts into a coherent composition.

Separately, it should be noted the so-called container varieties of bush chrysanthemums - they are bred specifically for growing in a pot, so they can be planted in the garden in the warm season, but before the onset of winter it is worth digging up and moving to a more favorable atmosphere. The fundamental difference in appearance is that such a bush grows slightly to the sides - it seems to strive upward, collecting branches in a dense vertical column, which the growers play along with, accordingly forming the "crown" of the bush.

Whichever option of bush chrysanthemum you choose, you can expect that it will perfectly take root not only in the garden, but also on any other open areas, be it a terrace, balcony or loggia. When planting a flower garden in a relatively tight space, pay attention to those varieties that fit into your tightness in the shape of the crown - chrysanthemums are standard (the most common form, considered the standard), spherical, spreading or squat.The place of growth, as a rule, does not affect the timing of flowering in any way - it can be expected approximately from the end of summer to the beginning of winter, although more precise timing depends on the climatic conditions of your region.

The variety of varieties of decorative bush chrysanthemum is so great that it can be difficult to understand it, therefore there is an unofficial division into "national schools" of breeding this flower - it is noticed that breeders from certain countries place significant emphasis on achieving certain specific indicators... For example, a significant part of the varietal wealth is made up of varieties of Indian origin, but it is easy to guess that the local specialists focused on pleasant weather all year round, and therefore their offspring in our relatively harsh conditions take root well only in containers and indoors.

But the Korean breeders chose a completely different path, whose creations are sharpened under completely opposite conditions, which are surprisingly similar to ours. Most of the Korean chrysanthemums are designed for harsh conditions - they take root even where it is really impossible to develop crop production. Short summers and long cold winters are not a problem for such bushes, therefore, in most of our country, it is the Korean varieties of chrysanthemums that are in maximum demand. However, if your garden is located in one of the most southern regions of Russia, you can freely experiment with more thermophilic varieties.

Shrub chrysanthemums, as mentioned above, have a huge varietal variety, but it is clear that most varieties are more experimental, professional, or simply unsuitable for growing in our country. For the average Russian gardener, and even an amateur, the range of available options is limited to a couple of dozen names, but you must admit, this is also not bad, and most importantly, they can at least be productively operated on.

To streamline the thoughts of a person who is just planning to start breeding chrysanthemums, we will briefly go through some of the most famous varieties.

• Celebrate. Garden type of a bush with a height of approximately 70 to 90 cm. This variety blooms with simple and small, but bright yellow flowers, whose diameter usually does not exceed 40 mm. Flowering should be expected from the first days of September to the middle of the autumn season.

• "Optimist". This variety is rightly considered one of the most recognizable in our country - its large flowers of white or lilac color with a pink tint have been widely popular for several decades. This is a bright representative of anemone chrysanthemums, whose height reaches 60-80 cm.

• "Pina colada". A good example of how even a simple white flower can look solemn and beautiful. Bred in Europe, this shrub grows up to 70 cm.

• Bontemi. One of the most luxurious varieties of bush chrysanthemum, which is rarely grown in flower beds, but is actively used in floristry to create unique bouquets.

• Chick. Such a chrysanthemum, perhaps, will appeal to avid lovers of daisies - the similarity between the two flowers is significant, but the chrysanthemum has a core not so much yellow as green. This is a product of Spanish breeders, growing up to 65-70 cm.

• "Memphis". Another extremely popular floristic plant variety, characterized by rich lilac or dark purple petals with a contrasting yellow core.Like most other European varieties, Memphis grows on average up to 70 cm.

• "Stress". A popular decoration for exquisite bouquets that is not even one particular variety, suggesting color variations. Recognizable should be considered a variety that has white petals with a lilac tint with a rich lilac core. Such a bush is lower than all the relatives described above, reaching only 50-60 cm.

• Serenity. Another variety that is loved by florists - this flower seems especially delicate due to its characteristic lilac-white petals in a barely discernible strip, while the core is yellow with a greenish tint. Despite the relative ease of cultivation, in many ways this anemone variety is found only in flower shops.

• "Haydar". This Indian and Dutch variety at the same time, in our conditions often altered as "Gaidar", because of its thermophilicity, is grown mostly indoors and is used to create bouquets. It is easy to identify it - large (up to 7 cm) baskets of flowers, similar to daisies, rest on a vertical bush up to 80 cm tall. The core, as expected, is yellow (may be greenish), but the petals are bicolor - wine, lilac or purple with a contrasting outer border of white or yellow.

• Kennedy. A Dutch variety named not after the American president, but after his wife. Belongs to the category of chamomile and looks like chamomile, but the core here is exactly green, without any claim to being yellow. The flowers are large (up to 10 cm) and silky, the growth of the bush is 80 cm.The variety appeared only in 2017 and continues to be considered a novelty.

• "Veronica". In terms of color, it is a typical chamomile chrysanthemum with a yellow center and white edges, but the shape of this double flower is completely different. The compact shrub is suitable for growing both in the garden and indoors.

• Stellini. The yellow-green core of the flower is framed with long elongated petals, which are bright purple in the middle, and white along the entire contour.

• Talita. Chamomile chrysanthemum with petals of accentuated burgundy color, looks great in a bouquet, without even requiring any additions in the form of other flowers, suitable for any celebration.

• "Grand Salmon". The unusual name of the variety ("big salmon" in translation) is due to the special appearance of chamomile chrysanthemum - with a standard yellow-green core, its petals have a color that really looks like salmon meat. On a flower bed, the length of the stems reaches 65-70 cm.

• "Joy". A whole family of simple chamomile chrysanthemums of a relatively small size, which differ from each other only in the color of the petals - white ones are in special demand, but there are also yellow and purple ones.

• "Coconut". A relatively original variety, "copying" chamomile only in color, but not in the shape of the petals. The latter are stacked in such an unusual order that from the outside they really resemble coconut flakes, which is where the name of the variety comes from.

• "Romance". One of the most recognizable and common varieties, it looks like the same chamomile with petals ranging from pale pink to lilac. The yellow core is relatively small, but the petals are lush and grow abundantly.

• "Vip". A popular bouquet variety, the core of which is not visible due to the abundantly growing petals. The latter, closer to the center of the flower, have a lilac hue, and along the edges - white with a barely noticeable lilac bloom, the transition from the edges to the center is not abrupt, but gradual.

A flower bed of chrysanthemums is a great idea for landscaping, but a garden cannot consist of them only. If you decide to plant an autumn flower bed of only chrysanthemums, think about the correctly selected background - experts indicate that fruit trees are perfect as such. The chrysanthemum substrate in the orchard adds brightness and attractiveness to the plantings.

However, the requirement for the fruiting essence of trees is not so mandatory - as a background, you can also use wild trees with shrubs, including hawthorn, mountain ash and elderberry. Against the background of low wild-growing crops, dwarf chrysanthemum bushes look especially interesting.

Often, chrysanthemums of medium and tall varieties are combined with other low shrubs, typical for the garden - first of all, it is worth noting barberry, raspberry and sea buckthorn. The foliage of these bushes is quite picturesque, and bright berries can additionally decorate the flower bed and give it a special unique charm, making your garden stand out from any competitors.

Many gardeners also prefer growing chrysanthemums together with ornamental foliage plants, which are also planted for decoration, but show off the beauty not so much of the flowers as of the leaves. These garden plants include Chinese magnolia vine, ivy and hydrangea.

Finally, blooming chrysanthemum can be part of a more complex flower garden, collected from several types of attractive flowers... Most often, dahlias, asters and even asparagus are in the company with her, which together create good compositions. In the bouquets, you can see a somewhat unusual combination of chrysanthemum and rose.

There are 3 main ways of propagation of bush chrysanthemums - by seeds, cuttings or by dividing a bush. We will consider each of the methods in more detail separately, but first you should remember that the soil must be loose, well permeable to water and air, and it must also contain a large amount of nutrients and minerals. If your flower bed is located on clay, you can successfully grow chrysanthemums thanks to intensive fertilization. - it will grow without that, but with a high degree of probability it will not withstand winter.

Growing from seed for most flowers is considered a relatively difficult method, and most often this method is resorted to in a situation when it is necessary to breed a breeding species. If you decide to go the hard way, start by pouring the seeds into a pot with soil in January - do not bury, but pour them onto the surface. Take care of the drainage pad - there should be a layer of expanded clay or gravel at the bottom of the pot. At an ideal temperature of + 17 ... 18 degrees, you can expect sprouts to appear in 15 days - when they get stronger, dive them into individual pots. Make sure that the soil in the containers never dries out, regularly restore the moisture balance with a spray bottle.

Propagation by cuttings turns out to be a much simpler task, it is exactly what most amateur gardeners use. For cutting cuttings, you must choose a plant with flawless root growth with at least 2-3 internodes. Cuttings need a nutrient medium, which is formed from sand of the middle fraction, humus and black soil in a ratio of 1: 2: 4. In this mass it is sunk by about 3 cm and kept at a temperature of + 18 ... 20 degrees, so that it takes root. It is advisable to cover the "bed" with a polyethylene dome, which helps to maintain the required temperature and humidity. After a couple of weeks, chrysanthemums that become independent need to be fed with something like "Rainbow" or "Ideal". The cutting usually spends about a month on the formation of a full-fledged root system, and after this period it can be planted in open ground.

Dividing the bush is one of the few ways of chrysanthemum propagation that prevents planting from degeneration. Once every 3 years, it is necessary to completely dig up the bush and divide it into equivalent parts (each must have its own root system), which are planted at a considerable distance from each other. When digging up, it is important not to damage the roots, although too long and simply old roots can and should be cut off. As with cuttings, there are two good seasons for this - late spring and late summer. If you ignore such a requirement, you will become the culprit for thinning bushes and chopping flowers.

Regardless of whether you purchased a seedling in a bag with soil, divided the mother bush, germinated cuttings, grew seedlings from seeds, the plant should be planted in open ground.

For this, it is better to choose a cloudy day, early morning or late evening.

• Prepare a planting hole 30-40 cm deep.
• Pour some sand at the bottom of the hole as drainage. At this stage, fertilization is possible.
• Place the bush, straighten the roots.
• Cover with soil, compact the roots well.
• Trim the bush by 1/3. The main thing is that the roots take root.
• Water well, mulch with humus or peat.

The chrysanthemum bush is unfairly classified as a demanding plant, and yet, like any other domestic culture, it requires some care if you want to get the maximum result. For most perennial varieties, sharpened for our country with its harsh climate, all care consists in regular and timely watering, feeding and pruning.

Chrysanthemum, on the one hand, loves sunlight, on the other, it prefers a short daylight hours. Directional lighting is more of a hindrance to lush bloom, so it is important to diffuse it in the fall. When growing a plant indoors, focus on the eastern and western windowsills. It is recommended to maintain air humidity at the level of 40-50%.

Chrysanthemum is considered a plant that is resistant to an arid climate, but we must not forget that it is also hygrophilous. In the heat, it is advised to regularly spray the trunk and branches of the plant. Watering is done as the soil dries up - in fact, the topsoil should never dry out completely. Water for irrigation should first be defended to settle various impurities, before using it, it should first be warmed up in the sun.

If you originally planted chrysanthemum in soil fertilized with humus and minerals, this is already a guarantee of a lush flowering of the plant, but it will still not be superfluous to use additional fertilizers. Fertilizers are applied for the first time already at the time of planting in open ground - the most successful option would be a combination of organic fertilizers with an admixture of superphosphate, thanks to which the plant will quickly settle in a new place and develop the root system. After 2 weeks, the procedure can be repeated. The chrysanthemum is fed for the third time already at the stage of bud formation, and now it is advised to add potassium and phosphorus in a 2: 1 ratio.

Pinching and pruning are beneficial for the ornamental characteristics of the plant and its overall development. - these procedures promote the growth of both the branches of the aboveground part and the root system underground. If your plant belongs to small-flowered varieties, experts advise pinching it over the fifth leaf, which will help to achieve the formation of a dense crown.If the gardener sets himself the goal of growing large and bright flowers, it is advisable to remove all lateral shoots, directing all the forces and juices of the plant to the development of buds.

Despite its frost resistance, chrysanthemum still needs some preparation for the cold season, and appropriate procedures should be started in most of Russia from the end of August. The gardener's task is to provide the pet with a decent supply of nutrients for wintering, which the chrysanthemum can get from phosphorus-potassium dressings. In addition, after flowering is complete, it is important to cut the plant to a height of only 10-15 cm and spud the remaining stem by mulching the soil above the root system with straw, foliage or dense spruce branches.

Unfortunately, not all varieties of chrysanthemums are frost-resistant, and in order to withstand our winter, hybrids of European origin and most of the beautiful large-flowered varieties must be moved indoors for the winter. To do this, before the first frosts, they are carefully dug up and, together with the adhering earthy lump, are sent to boxes made of wood. It is curious that such bushes hibernate anyway at low temperatures - only 2-6 degrees above zero, but they need an abundance of light and regular moistening of the roots. If you have a cellar or basement, then if there is normal lighting there, it will be the best place for chrysanthemum wintering.

Even your flower is originally indoor and does not grow in the open field in the warm season, you still need to prepare it for winter... The procedure is similar to that in other situations - dried buds and old branches with leaves are cut off, the plant is greatly reduced in size, and the pot with it is moved to cooler conditions than before. The main thing is to protect the wintering chrysanthemum from drafts and excessive humidity, as well as to provide it with a temperature of about 5 degrees above zero, while it does not need fertilizers during "hibernation", and it needs to be watered much less often.

Chrysanthemums are famous not only for their frost resistance, but also for their high immunity against the background of their innate ability to effectively resist diseases and pests. However, he is not a gardener who relies only on the natural defense mechanisms of his wards. An attack can appear unexpectedly - and you need to know what it looks like and what to do. We will consider only the most common problems and solutions for them.

• White rust. On the leaves, characteristic round spots of yellow appear, prone to a gradual transition to brown shades. The affected organs of the bush cannot be restored - they can only be removed, but everything that remains should be treated with antifungal agents.

• Gray rot. The petals are the first to fall under the blow - incomprehensible brownish watery spots appear on them, which in the future can spread throughout the entire visible part of the plant. The main method of struggle is similar to that described above, but often experts advise also to check whether you have chosen the right place for planting the chrysanthemum.

• Powdery mildew. This sore has a telling name - the leaves and flowers are covered with a characteristic white bloom. This phenomenon is especially often observed at elevated temperatures, in a situation when you once regretted calcium and nitrate fertilizers.All parts of the plant are subject to removal, on which at least a shadow of suspicion of infection falls, everything that remains is generously sprayed with soapy water with soda ash.

• Aphid - greenhouse or brown chrysanthemum. The methods of struggle in both cases are identical, although the signs of infection are different, therefore we will combine the two enemies into one point. The main sign is damage to foliage, their deformation and the appearance of holes in them. The consequence may be non-opening buds, and the final confirmation is the identification of tiny bugs chewing chrysanthemum. The problem is solved by treating the plant with insecticides.

• Spider mites. This enemy is not particularly hiding - it can be easily and quickly identified thanks to the abundance of cobwebs that cover the leaves of the bush. Under the influence of an unwanted guest, the foliage gradually turns yellow and dries, then falls off, as a result of which the plant may die. To combat the tick, special products are produced for spraying chrysanthemums.

• Meadow bugs. Another enemy, because of which the leaves lose their shape and begin to swell in a bizarre way, and as a result, the chrysanthemum does not bloom. The method of struggle is still the same - with the help of store-bought means against pests - insecticides.

Thanks to competent planting, a simple flower bed turns into a real work of art. An excellent example of this approach is a photo where the gardener imitated water poured from a bucket, and instead of moisture, chrysanthemums of different varieties were used. As you can see, they do not need any additional flowers - they themselves are quite diverse, and do not need third-party additions.

The expressiveness of chrysanthemums allows them to be used as a bright accent against the background of any other color - here they clearly highlighted the outline of the path on the green lawn in yellow. Thanks to such examples, people understand that autumn is not the end of a riot of colors, and that this time is no less beautiful than summer.

The third example is quite curious in that it imitates natural plantings - a kind of heather, of which there are many in England. Chrysanthemums here are matched in similar tones, and only decorative deciduous plants add variety, but surprisingly, it is this "disorderly" solution that turns out to be a winning one. The resulting recreation area is perfect for immersing yourself in your own thoughts and abstracting from the bustle of the city.

Features, care and reproduction of chrysanthemums in the video below.