Annuals & Biennials

Chrysanthemum
chrysanthemum

Height 1/2-3 ft (15-90 cm)
Planting distance 1/2-11/2 ft (15-45 cm)
Flowers late spring to early fall
Ordinary garden soil
Sunny site
Hardy or half-hardy annual

Chrysanthemums are familiar groups of garden plants. Botanists have recently reclassified many, giving them new botanical names, but the traditional names are used here because they are listed in catalogs. Some chrysanthemums are grown as hardy and half-hardy annuals and greenhouse plants; others are true hardy perennials. Most annual species are hardy and free flowering. They form well-branched, bushy plants and produce an abundance of daisylike flowers from early summer to early fall. Grow them in informal beds, as border edgings, in tubs or hanging baskets, or for cutting.

Popular species and cultivars
Chrysanthemum carinatum (now Ismelia carinatum) bears single flowers from early summer to early fall. These have purple central disks surrounded by ray petals banded in different colors. The plants reach 2 ft (60 cm) high and should be spaced 1 ft (30 cm) apart. Popular cultivars include 'Court Jesters' (red, pink, orange, yellow, maroon, and white banded with red or orange). 'Polar Star,' up to 3 ft (90 cm), bears showy flowers of pale yellow banded with golden orange on stiff stems, and is ideal for cutting. 'Rainbow Mixture' has 21/2 in (6 cm) wide flowers brightly banded in various combinations of yellow, scarlet, red, rose-lavender, bronze, orange, and white. 'Zebra' is a branching plant with brilliant scarlet flowers. Chrysanthemum coronarium has double, semidouble, or single flowers ranging from white to golden yellow in mid- and late summer. 'Golden Gem,' the most popular cultivar, reaches 1-11/2 ft (30-45 cm) high and has golden yellow flowers. Plant 15 in (38 cm) apart. 'Primrose Gem' is similar, but has pale yellow flowers. Chrysanthemum frutescens (now Argyranthemum frutescens) is really a perennial, but is grown as a half-hardy annual for containers and summer beds. It bears large and summer beds. It bears large white or pale yellow flowers from late spring to midfall and reaches 1-11/2 ft (30-45 cm) high. Space the plants 1-11/2 ft (30-45 cm) apart. Chrysanthemum multicaule (now Coleostephus multicaule) and its cultivar, 'Gold Plate,' have small, single golden yellow flowers. Growing 1/2-1 ft (15-30 cm) high they are useful for window boxes, tubs, and rock gardens. Plant these 9 in (23 cm) apart. Chrysanthemum paludosum (now Hymenostemma paludosum) has an abundance of small white flowers with yellow centers, like mini marguerites, throughout the summer. Use the 1 ft (30 cm) high plants in window boxes or tubs, or as edging. Set them 9 in (23 cm) apart. Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew; now Tanacetum parthenium) is popular in pots and window boxes and as edging for summer beds. It is a compact half-hardy plant, up to 1 ft (30 cm) high, studded from midsummer to early fall with masses of small flowers. Its light green leaves have a pungent aroma. A popular cultivar is 'Golden Ball,' with small, rounded gold flowers.Chrysanthemum segetum bears single yellow flowers with brown central disks from midsummer to early fall. Plant this 11/2 ft (45 cm) high species and its cultivars 1 ft (30 cm) apart in a border. 'Eastern Star' (also known as 'Prado') has primrose-yellow flowers.

Annuals
and
Biennials