Chrysanthemum Care: Tips for Beautiful Fall Blooms

Chrysanthemums bring color to the fall garden long after many other flowers have faded. They are easy to care for if you follow a few simple guidelines. Here’s how to enjoy a full display of blooms year after year with the right location, careful watering, and smart winter protection.

How do I choose the perfect location for chrysanthemums?

Chrysanthemums love the sun. Plant them in a spot that receives at least six hours of sunlight each day. A full-sun location encourages buds to form and brings out the color of the blooms. These perennials tolerate partial shade, but they will produce fewer flowers.

The soil must drain well. Mix heavy clay soil with sand or fine gravel. Waterlogged soil can lead to root rot. A slightly raised spot in the bed also helps keep plants from sitting in excess moisture during winter. Ideal soil is nutrient-rich, high in organic matter, and neutral to slightly acidic.

Avoid exposed, windy spots. The long stems of late-blooming varieties can break easily. A sheltered spot against a house wall or among other perennials provides support. In our range of garden and plant accessories, you’ll find plant supports and other helpful products.

How do I water and feed chrysanthemums correctly?

Water chrysanthemums regularly and thoroughly. The soil should stay slightly moist, never waterlogged or bone-dry. Check it with your finger. Consistent moisture is especially important while buds are forming from August to September. Drought stress can cause buds to drop.

Water at the base of the plant. Avoid wetting the leaves from above. Wet leaves overnight can encourage fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Early morning is the best time to water. For a convenient watering solution, visit our garden irrigation category.

From April through the end of August, feed every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants. Stop feeding in September. Fertilizing too late encourages soft growth that is vulnerable to frost. In spring, work compost or slow-release fertilizer into the soil. Find suitable products under fertilizer.

Why is proper pruning essential for flowering?

Pruning encourages branching. In spring, pinch back the shoots of young plants by half several times. This encourages bushy, compact growth with more flower buds. Stop pruning in mid-July so buds have time to develop.

Remove faded flowers regularly. Cut off wilted flower heads as soon as they appear. This extends the bloom time because the plant doesn’t put energy into producing seeds. Use a clean, sharp tool. Browse our garden tools for the right equipment.

Shaping the plant in June is the key to a dense, rounded fall chrysanthemum. The more often you pinch it back, the fuller its later display of blooms will be.

After flowering, cut the entire plant back to about a hand’s width above the ground. You can do this hard pruning in late fall or in early spring. The remaining stems protect new buds at the center of the plant from frost.

How can chrysanthemums be overwintered safely?

Not all chrysanthemums are hardy. Check the variety when you buy it. Hardy garden chrysanthemums can survive in the bed with protection. Cover cut-back plants with a thick layer of evergreen boughs, leaves, or fir branches. This insulates them against hard freezes and shields them from excess moisture in winter.

Leave the winter protection in place until April, when the risk of hard freezes has passed. Uncovering plants too early can expose new shoots to frost. If you grow chrysanthemums in containers, move them to a cool, bright, frost-free place (around 5°C). Water sparingly, just enough to keep the root ball from drying out.

Check plants in winter storage regularly for pests. Aphids or spider mites can settle in if the room is warm. If you find pests, isolate the plant and treat it right away. For gardening during the colder months, find sturdy equipment in our garden equipment department.

Which diseases and pests threaten chrysanthemums?

Powdery mildew can appear in warm, humid weather. Look for a white coating on the leaves and buds that you can wipe off. To help prevent it, avoid crowding plants and water at the base. If a plant is affected, remove infected parts and treat it with an approved fungicide.

Aphids suck sap from young shoot tips. They cause leaves to curl and can spread viruses. Spray them off with a strong stream of water or introduce natural predators such as ladybug larvae. For severe infestations, insecticides made with rapeseed oil may help.

The greatest danger to hardy chrysanthemums is not frost but winter wet, which causes rot around the roots. Good drainage is therefore more important than any frost cloth.

Slugs eat young chrysanthemum shoots in spring. Protect new growth with a slug collar or collect slugs in the evening. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that damage roots. Healthy soil that is not too wet helps prevent problems. If a plant is infested, you must replace the soil.

How do I propagate chrysanthemums?

The easiest method is division. In spring, dig up the root ball of an established plant. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide it into several fist-sized sections. Each section must have roots and at least one shoot bud. Replant the sections immediately and water them well.

Take cuttings in May or June. Choose 5-10 cm-long, non-flowering shoot tips. Remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in seed-starting mix. Keep the mix moist and the pots warm and bright. They will root faster under a transparent cover or plastic film. After four to six weeks, you can separate the young plants.

The right accessories are helpful for growing and caring for cuttings. In our Garden + Outdoor section, you will find pots, seed trays and other equipment.

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Growing chrysanthemums from seed is unusual and time-consuming. The characteristics of the parent plant are often lost. Vegetative propagation by division or cuttings guarantees true-to-type offspring with the same flower colors and shapes.

With these care guidelines, you can transform your garden into a sea of fall blooms. Chrysanthemums reward your efforts with months of color well into late fall. They are robust, long-lived and become more magnificent year after year.

Frequently asked questions

When should you plant chrysanthemums?

Plant chrysanthemums in spring so they have plenty of time to establish before fall. You can also plant container-grown chrysanthemums while they are flowering in fall, but they will then need more intensive winter protection. Spring planting is safer for overwintering.

Why is my chrysanthemum losing its buds?

Bud drop is usually caused by drought stress or a change of location. Chrysanthemums are sensitive to a lack of water while the buds are forming. A sudden move from a sheltered greenhouse into the open air can also cause the buds to drop.

Are chrysanthemums perennial?

Many garden chrysanthemums are hardy and perennial when properly protected. Non-hardy potted chrysanthemums from supermarkets usually do not survive frost. When buying, look for the terms 'hardy' or 'garden chrysanthemum'.

How often do chrysanthemums need watering?

Water chrysanthemums regularly so that the soil never dries out completely. On hot days in late summer and early fall, they need water every day. Avoid waterlogging. Check moisture levels more often in pots than in garden beds.

What should you do with chrysanthemums after flowering?

After flowering, cut the stems back to a hand's breadth above the ground. Cover hardy varieties with evergreen branches or leaves. Dispose of non-hardy potted plants or bring them indoors to a frost-free place. Remove fallen leaves to help prevent disease.