Chrysanthemum houseplant/gardening advice

January 10, 2009 8:36 AM

My girlfriend rescued a sorry-looking Chrysanthemum from a bargain bin at a garden centre and is determined to keep it alive and well. She says she hasn't found clear answers via searching so far, so I've got a few queries on her behalf...

When purchased 7 weeks ago it was in flower with buds & flowered continually but has now been deadheaded, leaving 6" of stem with new flower buds emerging on each stalk, but I'm unsure what’s best to do next.

The pot is about 5" diameter. The plant appears to be made up of 5 individual stems, with new off-shoots already forming at the base of some of the stems. I'm not sure if it's an annual or perennial. We're in the UK.

Questions are: Should I...
- Keep watered & plant out in Spring into garden border (will it be frost hardy in the Winter though?). Does it prefer full or partial sun?
- Plant out as above but split into 5 individual plants at planting time (assuming this plant has a bushy habit).
- Split into 5 individual plants now and keep as a houseplant?
- Split into 5 plants now, grow on and plant out in Spring?

posted by malevolent to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Best answer: They're perennial.

Keep the plant in it's current pot until Spring arrives. Keep it moist, but not too much water unless it's flowering. Bright but indirect sunlight is best, especially if there are flowerbuds.

In Spring, when the frosts are past, plant it outside. You can split it into 5 individual plants, but you will disturb the roots a lot doing that. If you're gentle, go for it. If you're going to rip it apart, leave it in a clump. They tend to form a loose clump anyway.

They're fully hardy, but the one you have now hasn't been exposed to frost, so any new growth will die off. As Autumn approaches next year, the plant will develop growth that will handle the cold, before dying down in winter. You might find that it flowers in late Summer/Autumn this year. It will be dormant over Winter.

You can keep it as a houseplant, but they tend to be treated with various growth hormones to keep them small and bushy. They wear off after a while, and new growth tends to assume it's normal size. The new growths that are appearing now should stay small, but don't expect them to in six months time.
posted by Solomon at 8:50 AM on January 10, 2009

Best answer: Commercial growers cut off the new shoots, dip them in rooting compound, and grow them as new plants. That gives younger, more vigorous plants (the older roots and stalks you have now are less active) but it's more hassle and what you have will flower again.
posted by airplain at 12:01 PM on January 10, 2009