DO YOU KNOW WHAT your birth flower is?


Similar to each month having a birthstone, there is also a flower for every month and for November it is the Chrysanthemum.


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hrysanthemums come in a wide range of colours and sizes. Loved by florists for flower


arranging and very much back in favour as a garden plant, they are ideal for putting on a late show of colour in borders and pots in the autumn. If you grow varieties for cutting and bringing in to the house, these will often require staking but if you are looking for a more low maintenance form look for dwarf cultivars that will be suitable for planting in the front of beds or in pots.


Chrysanthemums are tender but they can survive outside all year round in sheltered and mild areas. Protecting with a mulch is a good idea and keeping your fingers crossed. However, if your garden is colder, exposed and wet it is better to lift them and store them in a dry cool place – this is a more reliable method of care in this area


Looking ahead to next year, if you decide to add Chrysanthemums to your planting schemes it pays to plan ahead and now is the ideal time to prepare where you want to plant them by forking in some well-rotted garden compost to the soil. You will want to delay planting out until after the risks of frosts has passed usually around mid-May. Whether you have bought from a shop or catalogue before planting out, it is best to harden your plants off, providing extra cover at night by either placing the young plants in a cold frame or covering with a fleece.


If you are planting a cultivar that will require staking you can put these in the ground at the time of planting so as the plant grows the support is already there. Chrysanthemums can be susceptible to wind damage and breaking at the base of stems. If you are thinking of growing the plants


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for cut flowers that will continue through to Christmas, consider growing in five litre pots with a single stake. These can be planted in their pots outside in sheltered flower beds then, as the weather starts to deteriorate in the autumn, they can be transferred to the sanctuary of a greenhouse and sunk into the ground.


During summer, remember to water regularly until the plants are established and dependent on the weather. Once flowering is over, cut the plant back to about eight inches


to help encourage the root stock. To prepare for storing, lift the plant and shake off any soil, remove any green shoots or leaves and shorten stems to about three inches, then place in a shallow tray on a shallow layer of compost, covering the roots lightly.


Make sure you label the plant with its type and any other description that you might find helpful, such as flower colour, height as they will easily be confused. During the winter do not water the plants, but keep the compost moist, and store them in a frost free environment.


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