Enjoying your garden is more than a spring or summer pastime. The golden days of September and October are among the most inviting for both working in the garden and just relaxing in comfortable outdoor furniture. And who wouldn’t want to recline amid this rich harvest of autumn foliage and bright chrysanthemums?
To enjoy hardy garden chrysanthemums in autumn though, means planning and planting in the spring. If you haven’t got your order together for chrysanthemums at one of the many nurseries that feature them, do so at once so that you will soon be able to set out young plants or rooted cuttings.
Hardy chrysanthemums head the list of perennials that you can buy in the spring as small plants which grow rapidly and produce a beautiful display of flowers three or four months later. (Many perennials don’t hit their flowering peak until the second- year after planting.) There are two ways you can handle them. One is to set the young plants in rows in the vegetable or cutting garden, about 12 inches or so apart, leaving them there until late summer. Then transplant them to more conspicuous positions where you can enjoy their flowers. The second way is to set the plants directly into their permanent positions. Either way, pinch back the growing tips two or three times to induce sturdy, branching growth. Next spring, you will want to divide each plant purchased this year. You’ll be amazed at how many new plants you will obtain from each variety.
