Mums The Word!
By Bob Chapman
November is the month that chrysanthemums show their full glory. Many a Thanksgiving table will be graced with a brilliant display of these very popular flowers.
Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century B.C. An ancient Chinese city was named Chu-Hsien, meaning "chrysanthemum city." The chrysanthemum was introduced in Japan and an emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. The flower was brought to the Western world in the 17th century. It was named by Carolus Linnaeus from the Greek prefix chrys-, which means golden (the color of the original flowers) and –anthemum, meaning flower.
Chrysanthemums are a member of the Compositae family, a large diversified group of plants, containing both annual and perennial plants and shrubs. Included among the group and part of the chrysanthemum genus are such common popular plants as the Shasta daisy, Pyrethrum (a insecticide is made from the leaves), Marguerites, Feverfew, Dusty Miller, Yarrow and ox-eye daisies.
But all these wonderful flowers pale in significance when compared with the popular florist mums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium). Breeders, growers and hobbyists have been able to develop some fantastic flower forms and colors over the past decades and you can find many of these on the market today. No garden should be without these easy-to-grow perennials.
What mums need to grow into showcases of blooms
-Light. Mums need to grow in full sun to develop properly.
-Soil. Mums prefer a soil with lots of organic matter worked into it prior to planting. A well-drained soil is desirable.
-Fertilizing. Fertilize your mums two or three times during the growing season, making the last application a couple weeks before blooming. Using a low-nitrogen fertilizer seems to work the best. Use a fertilizer/insecticide combination (see "pests" below) if aphids are a problem.
-Watering. Give the plants enough water to wet the soil twelve inches deep. Water them again when the soil one inch below the surface is just barely moist. Too little water can cause stems woody stems and the loss of the lower leaves. Too much water can cause the leaves to turn yellow and then turn black and drop off.
-Pinching. Start pinching back mums when the new shoots in spring reach about six inches in length. Cut off the shoots just above a leaf junction. New shoots will appear. When these new shoots reach a few inches in length, pinch again to increase the bushiness of the plant. If single, huge blooms are desired, remove all buds as they develop except one or two per cluster. Some hobbyists construct wire "fences" and tie the single shoots to the wire, removing all extra shoots, to achieve show-quality, single blooms from one clump. 
-Going dormant. After your mums have finished blooming, cut the stems back to within eight inches of the ground.
The many flower forms of mums
The National Chrysanthemum Society has categorized the different forms or shapes that have been developed over the years since they have been introduced to this country. They note that the bloom which appears as a single flower is actually hundreds of flowers called florets. Two kinds of florets are present in a single bloom, disk florets and ray florets. For ease of identification the bloom forms are divided into 13 different classes of blooms.
Shown below are representatives of the 13 classes and brief description of each. Most of us don't know about these classes and once you've seen the various forms you'll be aware of the vastness of the kinds and the beauty of the mums you can grow in your garden.
Class 1 Irregular Incurve
These are the giant blooms of the chrysanthemum genus. The florets (petals) loosely incurve and make fully closed centers. The lower florets present an irregular appearance and may give a skirted effect.
Class 2 Reflex
The florets in this class curve downward and overlap, similar to bird plumage. The tops of these blooms are full, but somewhat flattened.
Class 3 Regular Incurve
A true globular bloom equal in breadth and depth. The florets smoothly incurve and form a ball.
Class 4 Decorative
A flattened bloom with short petals. As in classes 1-3 the center disk should not be visible. The upper florets tend to incurve, but the lower petals generally reflex.
Class 5 Intermediate Incurve
This bloom class is smaller than the irregular incurve, with shorter florets, only partially incurving with full centers, but giving a more open appearance. Many of the popular commercial incurving types are in this intermediate class.
Class 6 Pompon
A small globular bloom, somewhat flat when young but fully round when mature. Size ranges from small button types to large disbudded blooms almost 4 inches in diameter. The florets incurve or reflex in a regular manner and fully conceal the center.
Class 7 Single and Semi-Double
A daisy-like flower with a center disk and one or more rows of ray florets.
Class 8 Anemone
These blooms are similar to the semi-doubles, but have a raised cushion-like center.
Class 9 Spoon
Essentially the same as the semi-double, except the ray florets are like spoons at the tips. The center disk is round and visible.
Class 10 Quill
The florets in this Class are straight and tubular with open tips. The bloom is fully double with no open center.
Class 11 Spider
Spiders have long tubular ray florets which may coil or hook at the ends. The florets may be very fine to coarse.
Class 12 Brush or Thistle
Fine tubular florets which grow parallel to the stem and resemble an artist's paint brushes or in the thistle form the florets are flattened, twisted and dropping.
Class 13 Unclassified
These are blooms which fit in none of the other classes. They are often exotic, with twisted florets. They may also exhibit characteristics of more than one bloom class.
Pests of mums
-Aphids, spider mites and thrips can attack mums. Control these pests by using an insecticide/fertilizer combination, usually known as rose and flower care product. It contains a systemic insecticide and a small amount of fertilizer, thus feeding your mums and protecting them for about six weeks. A systemic insecticide is one that is absorbed by the plant roots and spreads throughout the entire plant, killing any insect that bites into it or sucks the juice from it.
-Slugs and snails can be controlled using "Sluggo," an effective product that is safe to use around pets and children.
-Borers sometimes attack the stems, but using the rose and flower fertilizer/insecticide combination will keep them away.
Dividing old mums
After several years an old clump of chrysanthemums will need lifting and dividing. Lift the entire clump when it is dormant, cut off the healthy outer sections and discard or compost the old, dead centers. Plant the divisions (or give some to friends and neighbors, letting them share in the beauty of the flowers!) in carefully prepared soil. To prepare the soil for planting mums, mix generous portions (from 30-50%) of organic matter into the native soil. You need to do this now as the planting bed will not need any tilling until is time to lift and divide your mums again.
Specializing
Disbudding, cascading, pinching to a single stem, propagation and other special treatments are given mums by hobbyists and specialists desiring to display or exhibit these fascinating flowers.