anyone know of a supplier here in Canada who supplies these? I'm looking for the big blooms that you see in florists shops, looks sort of like dahlias, various kinds, incurved, etc, not the smaller "cushion mums" that are the only things that seem to be available from plant places on the island here. Anybody have cuttings? Anybody a chrysanthemum fiend?
fall-blooming perennial chrysanthemum seeds or plants
Hi Daylily
well I am certainly a chrysanthemum fiend. No year goes by that I don't buy one or two or nine, but alas, I don't have much in the way of good news as it pertains to spider and decorative types. I understand that Thompson & Morgan offer a seed mix, but I can't get their page to open on my Mac.
Chilterns did offer a mix, and I like their service a lot, but when I looked in the 2005 catalogue; and on line http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/banner.asp?companyid=211
I couldn't find it.
Nothing on suttons either. I think part of the problem is that they are mighty mutants and usually grown from cuttings, as well, the bigness of the flower is a function of disbudding and food food food.
Having lived with a similar craving for some time, I finally bit the bullet this year on alstroemeria and just bought the plants as florists/indoor plants. I planted them in a warm place and they have thrived, touch wood for the winter. That might be the best way to go with the chrysanthemums as well. Buy them where you find them, I mean and keep them in or out, then take cuttings when the weather warms up.
Let me know how it goes -- you've reminded me that that is yet ANOTHER of my long standing dreams. I'll keep my eye out too, and give it a shot. We're close enough that maybe we can share little plants if we have success.
M
changing thread topic - something that we do regularly over here - but noticed you mentioned the alstroemeria. have you ever grown the 'princess lilies' in your outdoor garden
they would still be blooming throught the frost for me if i hadn't wanted to save the tubers
i think with mulching they would be hardy at the coast; bloom from spring to fall, very little care other than food
I gave up on trying to grow those lovely mums here - or any mums for that matter - even ones said to be hardy here never lasted long. And when I have seen lovely huge ones in yards I discovered they are bought like that and the pot sunk in the ground! So I too buy several big post and put them in the front flower bed or the steps and enjoy until freezeup.
Love the alstoemeria - need to try them next year and just treat as annuals - I dont have a good spot to store bulbs ithru the winter.
I have two alstomeria plants in my Victoria garden, one having a varigated leaf, which is still blooming. They have survived the last two winters, without mulching, which is just as well as I didn't know they might not be hardy !
Heather
those alstromeria are beautiful, where do I get those?
Hortensia, I got some seeds from Chiltern about 5 years ago, and the germination rate was pitiful, but I did get one lovely pale pink huge bloom, incurved cactus type, which promptly croaked over the winter! We can definitely try exchanging cuttings next year, even just to increase our stock of the bush type!
Fancyvan, I laughed to hear that is what people do - makes me wonder if that is why I've seen these fabulous chrysanthemums in yards on my trips to Victoria.
Here, the green house where I volunteer brings in the dwarf alstroemeria in February. They are marketed under the name 'princess lilies'. Slow growing but can be divided by the tuber; don't know if cuttings would work. Anne and I divided one of mine last spring as an experiment and tried to take pieces of the tuber and start from that (failure) which is not to say it can't be done just that i wasn't successful the first time. We will try again as I have saved all my tubers. They will likely have to be brought back in December or so since they grow slowly. Will keep everyone posted.
I have brought inside two of the astro....s to try and overwinter as a plant. Lynn is doing the tuber thing and I'm doing the plant thing. My mom in Calgary also uprooted her potted one and has brought it inside as a plant so we have a few different things going. I let mine freeze back a bit so they don't look too happy at the moment but we will see. I also found some good looking seeds on them and have saved to see what happens. They look nice and plump and I will check on how to store and give it a go in the spring.
They are great plants.
Ann