Chrysanthemum Growing Guides
How to Grow Chrysanthemums in South Africa
Chrysanthemums are one of those flowers that quietly grow all summer and then completely steal the show when autumn arrives.
Our Chrysanthemum Growing Guides are here to help you grow healthy, productive mums in South African conditions — from the day your little rooted plant arrives to those first spectacular autumn flowers and eventually dividing your established plants for another season.
Chrysanthemums are perennial plants, which means this isn't necessarily a one-season adventure. Look after them well and they can return year after year.
If you are growing chrysanthemums for the first time, start at number one and follow their journey through the season.
1. Getting to Know Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums — or mums, as we usually call them — come in an extraordinary range of flower forms, sizes and colours.
Some varieties naturally produce masses of smaller flowers, while others can be grown for tall stems and spectacular individual blooms.
Understanding the variety you are growing is important because not every chrysanthemum should be treated in exactly the same way.
Why Grandma's Favourite Mums Are in Fashion Again
Heirloom chrysanthemums are making a comeback.
Discover why these wonderfully old-fashioned flowers are finding their way back into South African gardens and cutting gardens.
[Read: Why Grandma's Favourite Mums Are in Fashion Again]
2. Your New Chrysanthemum Plant Has Arrived
Unlike a dormant dahlia tuber or gladiolus corm, the chrysanthemums we send you are young, living plants.
They have just spent several days travelling in a dark box and need a little care before being planted straight into the garden.
Unpack them as soon as possible, check their moisture and give them time to recover.
How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa
Our complete Garden Mum guide begins from the moment your plant arrives and takes you right through potting up, establishing roots, planting, feeding, pinching, flowering and caring for your plants after flowering.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
3. Potting Up and Establishing Your Chrysanthemums
I recommend starting your new young plant in a small pot before planting it into its permanent position.
At this stage, we aren't interested in flowers.
We want roots.
Give your chrysanthemum time to establish a strong root system and gradually adjust it to sunshine before moving it into the garden.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
4. Planting and Caring for Growing Chrysanthemums
Once your plant has established a healthy root system, it can move into its permanent growing position.
Chrysanthemums enjoy plenty of sunshine, fertile soil and good drainage.
During spring and early summer, the aim is to build a strong plant capable of carrying all those autumn flowers.
Watering and Feeding Chrysanthemums
Mums like consistent moisture while actively growing, but they don't enjoy waterlogged roots.
They are also hungry plants and benefit from good nutrition while building all that foliage and developing flowering stems.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
5. Pinching and Shaping Chrysanthemums
This is where knowing your variety becomes important.
Some mums benefit from pinching because it encourages branching and creates a fuller plant with many flowering stems.
Others are grown for tall stems and large individual flowers and should receive very little pinching — or none at all.
When to Pinch Chrysanthemums in South Africa
Pinch while you are building your plant, but know when to put the scissors down.
In South Africa, we stop pinching well before the end of December so that the new growth has enough time to mature and produce flowers.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
[Coming Guide: How and When to Pinch Chrysanthemums]
6. Supporting and Protecting Your Plants
Some compact chrysanthemums support themselves beautifully.
Others can become surprisingly tall and heavy once they are covered in flowers.
Staking or supporting tall varieties before they need it is much easier than trying to rescue a mature plant after wind or a summer thunderstorm has flattened it.
This is also the time to watch for aphids, thrips and spider mites and to maintain good airflow around your plants.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
7. Chrysanthemum Flowering Season
And then comes autumn.
In South Africa, Garden Mums can begin flowering from around Easter and continue through May, depending on the variety and your local growing conditions.
Some varieties are early flowering, some mid-season and others late.
Growing varieties from different flowering groups can give you a wonderfully long chrysanthemum season.
Growing Chrysanthemums for Cut Flowers
Chrysanthemums aren't only beautiful in the garden.
They are exceptional cut flowers and can last remarkably well in the vase.
[Coming Guide: How to Grow and Harvest Chrysanthemums for Cut Flowers]
8. After Your Chrysanthemums Have Flowered
When the last flowers fade, your plant isn't finished.
Allow it to move naturally towards dormancy. Reduce watering as growth dies back and eventually cut away the old stems.
Then wait.
When conditions are right again, new shoots will begin appearing from the base.
Those little shoots are the beginning of next year's chrysanthemums.
[Read: How to Grow Garden Mums in South Africa]
9. Dividing and Propagating Chrysanthemums
This is one of the best things about growing mums.
Established chrysanthemums multiply.
As your plants mature, they can be divided, and suitable new shoots can also be used to propagate more plants.
One little plant can eventually become the beginning of an entire collection.
[Coming Guide: How to Divide and Propagate Chrysanthemums]
10. And Then We Start Again
Spring arrives, fresh shoots appear and another chrysanthemum season begins.
Pot up or divide your plants, allow them to establish, feed them, pinch the varieties that need pinching, support them as they grow...
…and then wait for autumn to put on the show.
These Chrysanthemum Growing Guides will continue to grow as we add everything we learn from growing mums ourselves in South Africa.
[Shop Chrysanthemums]
Happy growing!
She who loves dahlias — and mums too,
Mareli
Love Dahlias