Autumn daisy, a festival of colors

Autumn daisy

The autumn daisy is famous for its ornamental value on tombs, but it is also a magnificent plant to flower our gardens and terraces.

Key Autumn Daisy facts

Name – Chrysanthemum
Family Asteraceae
Type annual and perennial (depending on the variety)

Height
16 à 28 inches (40 to 70 cm)
Exposure full sun

Soil: ordinary    Flowering: June to November

Planting and care, read these key points to know to have nice daisies.

Planting autumn daisy

Autumn daisy is planted ideally in spring because even if it will only bloom at the end of summer or in fall, it will have developed a great root system and will resist the harshness of fall and winter much better.

  • Position the young plants in spring in soil that has been amended and that drains well.

Chrysanthemum, autumn daisy plantingAutumn daisy that has been purchased in pots in fall can be planted directly to the ground, to larger pots or garden boxes, preferably with soil mix but its hardiness won’t be as good.

  • You’re advised to find a sunny spot that will embellish the blooming.
  • Snip off withered stems before replanting it to the garden.
  • Water after planting.

Pruning, caring for and watering autumn daisy

Autumn daisy requires relatively little care, mostly only watering regularly when there’s no rainfall.

  • Autumn daisy careRemove wilted flowers as they appear, since this increases production of new flowers.
  • Water when the soil is dry, especially if using a pot, because chrysanthemum call for moist soil to grow properly.
  • You should endeavor not to wet the leaves to avoid appearance of diseases such as rust or powdery mildew.
  • After the first frost spells, when flowers start to turn black, cut the stems back to ground level and cover with a thick cover of dried leaves.

Diseases that are commonly found on autumn daisy

Autumn daisy falls victim to several diseases and parasites that are nonetheless avoidable, especially if care is taken to avoid wetting the foliage and space each plant sufficiently so that they don’t touch each other.

  • Powdery mildew – a whitish growth covers leaves and stems.
  • Rust – blisters appear on the underside of leaves.
  • Aphids – leaves curl up and fall off.

All there is to know about autumn daisy

Origin of autumn daisyAutumn daisy is native to Korea but is has been raised to cult status in Japan where it has become the Japaneses’ favorite flower.

Over there, it is called the Autumn flower and it symbolizes joy and pleasure.

There are a great many chrysanthemum varieties.

They are known for their pink, red, orange, yellow or white hues.

They have the advantage of blooming late, until the month of November or December, and thus come garnish our gardens right when flowers start to become rare.

They are also planted in pots to adorn balconies and terraces.

  • For that, choose good flower plant soil mix over any other, because it has the advantage of retaining the moisture that the plant needs.

Chrysanthemum is very versatile and will fit in perfectly in a flower bed, in a pot or garden box, and also simply to decorate any portion of the garden.

Smart tip about autumn daisies

If you wish to choose a specific color, purchase it in a pot (container) just as they begin to bloom, and transplant them to your garden.


Images: Pixabay: Anh Tuan Nguyen, Sirounian Armen, RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ, Melanie