Pruning Chrysanthemums

The patchy rainfall and chilly air aren’t really conducive to getting out in the garden, but sometimes I’ve just got to bite the bullet and get out to the jobs that are screaming at me through the windows. Pruning this particular Chrysanthemum is one of those jobs.

In my latest podcast episode I talk a little about some jobs that can be done in gardens of SouthWest Victoria at the moment. Jobs like pruning this chrysanthemum, lifting and dividing Dahlia tubers (to be covered in another blog post), and rose pruning (I’ll get in to that later in the month or even July). My podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, is available at Spotify, Apple podcasts, Anchor, and Acast; episode seven will be available soon!

Anyway, back to pruning this chrysanthemum. The Kikuyu has been running rampant so the first thing to do is get rid of as much as you can. This will let you see what’s going on.

Now you can see properly, you can see the old growth at the top of the old stems and fresh, new growth at the base of the plant. All you need to do now is take your clean, sharp secateurs and cut the old stems off to just above the new growth. In episode seven of The Flowerpot Pen podcast I go into why you need to keep your tools clean and sharp.

In this particular case I’ve also managed to uncover some daffodil (or Jonquil?) growth. They should grow better with a little more light. I’ve left the stake in, so as the stems grow again, they can be tied up to keep the stems straight. Leaving the stakes in also keeps me from forgetting to putting them in at a later date.

If the basal clump has become too large for its position, or if you want to share the plant around, it can be divided by gently prying off a section of the basal growth with some good root growth. Sometimes there are pieces that have grown separate to the main growth, but you can also use a sharp shovel and cut a piece off. Dividing the clump every couple of years will keep the flower growth strong and discourage diseases.

Chrysanthemum can suffer from both viral and fungal diseases so it’s important to make sure there’s no signs of disease if the piece is going to end up in a new garden. This plant unfortunately has suffered from Chrysanthemum Rust so I won’t be giving any of it away or selling it until I’m sure it’s ‘clean’.

The piece I have pictured above (and the original plant) that will go back in the ground will be treated with a baking soda anti fungal spray and grown on. If the rust appears on it again, I’ll know not to share it. Any pieces I’ve cut off will also need to be sent away in the rubbish, not composted and returned to the garden.

I’ve got four or five different chrysanthemums in my garden, so I’ll have to duck out between showers and get them cut down before they start to grow again!

Don’t forget to look up, and listen to, my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, and Acast. Subscribe to it so you never miss out, and leave a review as that helps with the algorithms!

Til next time!