Hardy or not?

Hi guys. I was given some minature chrysanthemums earlier this year. To be honest they flowered very little. Are they 'hardy' or a one season only plant? Starting the tidy up ready for autumn and not sure if I should leave them in the ground or not. Thanks as Always

 

Not sure what you mean by miniature chrysanthemums. I have bought cuttings in June of the kind that make a big low dome in the Autumn. These have proved hardy, done the job, and indeed have regrown the following spring to 2' and flowered all summer! Not what I expected but great value.

 

By miniature chyrsanthemums, are we talking about 'pot mums'?

If we are, then bought some earlier this year to go in my front garden that gets all the sun. They've hardly flowered, while other flowers in the same bed have gone crazy. The lady that sold me them did say they preferred to live in pots on a sunny windowsill, and that while they are perennial they are not very hardy, so if they live outdoors, they should come in for winter.

Sorry, I can't offer any wisdom from experience, as this is the first year I've tried them, I can only go by what I was told by the lass that sold them.

 

I always think of Chyrsaths as short day plants, ie. autumn or late summer flowering.

Unless some breeding has gone on that makes them early flowering, I'd wait and see what happens in the next few weeks.

 

Hi Dave. I'd say they are definately not hardy, unless we have a very mild winter. My father used to grow 'regular' chrysanths, and he would put them in his cold greenhouse during the winter months allowing them to go dormant in the relative cold, whilst never allowing them to become frosted. In the early spring he would introduce some heat, sparking them into life, and then take cuttings. I guess in a way they can be treated like Dahlias. Of course, you said they are 'miniature', but I'm guessing that they can be treated in the same way. One thing to bear in mind is that if they are what are sold as 'pot mums', then I THINK (not sure on this point) that they may well have been 'messed' around with, to produce flowers out of season, so I'm guessing that you may well have to get them back in sync somehow. Another thing that occurs to me is that the plants might not replicate what you already have, ie being dwarf. No doubt someone more knowledgeable can advise you further. Hope this helps.

Cheers...Freddy.

Edit: "regular" = exhibition

 

Heh heh, mine were dwarf last year, this year they're not.

 

Hi Dave. I can't say that I know much about or even grow Chrysanths. But with most plant types you get a range - some are hardy and some not.

I took this from Wilkipedia :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums are broken into two basic groups, Garden Hardy and Exhibition. Garden hardy mums are new perennials capable of being wintered over in the ground in most northern latitudes. Exhibition varieties are not usually as sturdy. Garden hardies are defined by their ability to produce an abundance of small blooms with little if any mechanical assistance (i.e., staking) and withstanding wind and rain. Exhibition varieties on the other hand require staking, over-wintering in a relatively dry cool environment, sometimes with the addition of night lights.

I have always assumed that plants sold as Garden Mums are relatively hardy, but those sold as Pot Mums are not.

As Pete says - they are late flowerers so I wouldn't normally expect them to be in flower yet. However they have probably been messed about with. I do know that they can spray them with growth retandants, so that the small compact plant that you liked so much becomes three feet tall the following year.

 

I read in a horticultural science book that I have that many flowering plants are 'messed about with' to produce the desired result for sale.

In the book, Chrysanthemums feature specifically.

It says that as they are naturally an autumn flower, but the general masses look for their flowering plants in spring, flowering is induced artificially in spring to coincide with the main 'period of demand'.

Flowering plants are apparently divided into two main groups, 'short day flowering' and 'long day flowering'. Most popular plants are 'long day flowering' but some, including chrysanthemums, are 'short day flowering'.

The book defines long day flowering plants as those that pick up on the steadily increasing exposure to light (as you get in spring), and use that as their signal to bloom. Long day ones are those that pick up on the steadily decreasing light levels (as you get after mid summer) as their cue to bloom. This group includes chrysanthemums.

In commercial production, chrysanthemums are exposed to artificial light at steadily decreasing levels throughout late winter so that by spring they have been tricked into think its autumn, and so they flower early. Then you see them in the shop in May in full bloom and buy them, take them home and plant them. The flowers on them die off as you expected they would, but no new blooms replace them even with dead heading. Hopefully when real autumn comes they will realise, but that's never happened for me, hence why I don't buy them any more (except when I got tricked again this year when they weren't sold as chrysanthemums but this time as 'pot mums' and I foolishly failed to make the connection).

 

Yes Clueless - there is a lot of manipulation that goes on with plants. A prime example is the Poinsettia that has to be ready for the Christmas market.

 

Some very interesting replies here. Thanks everyone.

 

I think I missed the point here.

I thought we were talking about chrysanths grown for garden use:o

Must have miss read somewhere..

The pot grown plant bought in flower at any time of the year are definitely manipulated to grow short and flower at the wrong time of the year.
They always grow tall once potted on or moved into the garden.

I 've come across the dwarf bush types that flower in early autumn, they usually form a large dome and are quite impressive around late September or so.
I had a feeling we were talking about this kind, which tend to be fairly hardy, but a real cold winter like we have had recently, will finish them off.

No need to lift until November at the earliest I would say.

 

I had chrysanth 'Big Wheel', which has masses of very small rust coloured pompom type flowers. I had it in a pot outside for five years, moved it into a bed last year and lost it in the hard winter (although it had survived the previous hard winter.)

 

Dave, I think what you have are Yoder `Mums. When you bought them you should have removed all the flowers and buds, however, take cuttings off them and you will soon get your money back. I would leave the actual plants in the ground as they are quite hardy. I will take some pics on friday of ones I planted 3 years ago and which have been left to their own devices.