MUM’S THEWORD

Chrysanthemums are gorgeous and misunderstood, says Leigh Bramwell

THELANDSCAPER was stricken with man-flu three weeks ago. He coughed, sneezed, whimpered, groaned and went to bed for two days, but he was a good and undemanding patient so, wheniwent to the supermarket to buy him lozenges, I also grabbed him a bunch of chrysanthemums. I chose them because they were the only white flowers on the stand and they were really big but not expensive.

Cometomorrow they will have been sitting in their vase on the window sill for three weeks. Yes, I have changed their water. Their leaves eventually died off but the flowers soldiered on, touches of blue tingeing their petals, followed by a blush of pink.

‘Clever things,’ I thought admiringly, never having had any sort of relationship with chrysanthemums before. ‘Must plant some.’

Wedon’t have manypicking flowers in our garden apart from arum lilies, dietes and agapanthus, and you can probably tell from that wee list thatmytaste in flowers has been somewhat limited. Striking, yes. Pretty, not so much. But something that lasts three weeks and comforts a flu-ey partner had got to be a good thing, socome autumn I’ll be planting chrysanthemums.

I haven’t started looking for any yet, but Auntie Google has informedmethat chrysanthemumsmay just be the most misunderstood and mis-labelled plants in the gardening world. Millions are sold as annuals every year, planted in pots and set on terraces, their beautiful blooms enjoyed only until the weather turns frosty and they are then thrown away.

It’s not inmynature to throw plants away so I was relieved to discover that chrysanthemums are not annuals but herbaceous perennials. The stems die back at the end of the growing season andnew growth emerges from the rootstock every spring, creating a bigger chrysanthemum every year until it reaches itsmaximumsize. What a very good idea. Even better, somegarden hardy chrysanthemums will naturalise and keep spreading indefinitely.

There are literally hundreds of types of chrysanthemums— with variations in height, spread, colour, size of flower, bloom time, and type of bloom.

For smaller gardens there are cultivars like Metrosideros collina cv ‘Tahiti’ that grow to about 1.5m.

There are also hardy garden mumsand non-hardy show mums.

Obviously I won’t be up for growing show chrysanthemums so getting someof the garden varieties going here shouldn’t be too difficult. Here’s what they like.

■ Well-drained, moist, fertile, sandy or loamy soil with a pharound 6.5. Wecan do that.

■ Full early sun, at least 5-6 hours daily.

■ Plenty of air circulation, water drainage, and morning sun to dry the dewon the leaves and stems. Don’t plant in low-lying, wet, areas.

■ Chrysanthemum bloom in response to shortening days and longer nights, so avoid planting near night time light sources or you might confuse them.

■ Light and frequent feeding with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season.

The best times to plant— for you and the chrysanthemums— is early in the morning or in the early evening, so they’re not immediately exposed to the heat of the day. Give them a good watering before planting and let them drain. Dig a hole about twice the depth and width of the root ball of the plant, loosen the root ball a bit and put the plant in the centre of the hole. Press soil gently around the base of the plant and add soil to the same level as it was in the original container. Water well, and remember to water regularly.

Apparently they flower generously for ages and give you heaps of colour and joy. Nowonder they’re called Mums.