Planting Location

Chrysanthemums require well-drained soil and full sunlight to grow and successfully bloom. This means generally 6 hours of sunlight or more each day during the summer period. Plants grown with less light will become weak, spindly and produce few flowers. Avoid locations which are exposed to street or porch lights as this will interfere with the flowering light response to shortened days. The best location is a southern or southeastern exposure preferably against a foundation or wall where additional protection is given from frost. Improve the drainage before planting by elevating the bed with a good mix of garden loam and compost.

Soil Preparation and Planting

Garden soil which is good for growing vegetables will be satisfactory for growing mums. If particularly high in clay, additions of organic matter including peat, composted leaves, rotted manure or straw will improve the drainage and aeration. While working the planting bed, collect enough soil for a soil test and follow the recommendation for amounts of fertilizer to be added. Containerized plants should be planted at the same depth at which they were grown. Do not bury the root ball. This will promote a lack of root aeration and root rot caused by fungal pathogens. Chrysanthemums are shallow rooted and do best if planted high. This means that frequent watering may be necessary during times of high heat and little rainfall. Space plants generally about 18 inches apart. Spreading varieties may require larger spacing.

Pinching

To generate a plant full of flowers and control growth, chrysanthemums require some pinching of the tips. This encourages branching and more compact growth. It also will stimulate more flowers to be produced. Pinching is done by removal of about an inch of the tip of each branch or shoot. This is snapped out with the thumb and index finger. The first pinch should be done when the plant is 6 to 8 inches tall and repeated when new branches become 6 inches tall. A third pinch may be necessary on fast-growing varieties. If plant are not properly pinched, they will become tall, leggy, easily blown over by winds and have few flowers.

The most important thing to keep in mind when pinching the growth back is the timing of the last pinch. For early flowering varieties which bloom in mid-September, the last pinch should be around the middle of June. Varieties which flower in the early part of October should be given a last pinch on July 1. Later flowering varieties should be pinched for the last time no later than July 15. Overall, about 3 months is required between the last pinch and bloom. This is a general rule which can guide you in controlling the growth and stimulating more bloom production.

Fertilization

Most mums will require fertilization several times during the spring and summer to stimulate good growth, produce thick stems and maintain a healthy green color. Chrysanthemums are not heavy feeders like vegetables so, it is best to use a dilute fertilizer applied several times prior to bud set. Nitrogen has the greatest effect on flower production and general growth. If too much is applied, vegetative growth will be hard to control, fewer flowers will be produced and overall, flowering will occur later in the season. Before planting a bed in the spring, about 4 pounds of 5-10-5 per 100 square feet can be worked into the soil to a depth of 6 inches. This gives about one-quarter pound of nitrogen per 100 square feet and should be enough fertilizer for the season if abundant organic matter is present. A second application around August 1 may be beneficial especially on poorer soils.

Apply about 2 tablespoons of 10-6-4 or 4 tablespoons of 5-10-5 fertilizer spread over a 2 foot circle at the base of individual plants. Alternatively, broadcast about 2 pounds of 5-10-5 per 100 square feet. No more than about a tenth of a pound of nitrogen should be applied at this time.

General Care and Maintenance

During the early part of the summer, a layer of mulch material should be applied to the soil after it has warmed up as this has definite advantages to conserving and regulating moisture to these shallow-rooted plants. Besides the benefits of water control, mulch protects the bed from erosion, compaction and retards weed seed germination. Use a 2 to 3-inch layer of coarse peat, leaf mold, compost, nut hulls or lawn clippings mixed with leaves. Mulches composed of chipped wood, sawdust and straw may consume nitrogen fertilizer and rob the root system. If you use these materials as mulch, double the fertilizer applied to the bed.

If you cannot control the growth of the plants to the point that they have become tall and begin to drop over, then some support may be necessary in the form of wire frames or upright stakes. Wire peony or tomato frames work well and should be put in place before they are needed, otherwise these will be more difficult to position without damaging the plant.

After the plants have flowered, the stems should be cut off close to the ground. Leaf, flower and stem debris should be collected and composted provided they are not disease or insect infested. If that is the case, the materials should be composted separately and not used for mulching or soil improvement around the plants. Disease or insect infested materials can be buried and left out of the garden.

Often chrysanthemums listed in catalogs are noted as being winter hardy meaning that the plants will overwinter and grow the following season. The term “hardy” has been used sometimes inappropriately and gardeners should be cautious about believing that all mums are winter hardy when stated so. The fact is that many mums are not reliably hardy depending upon the climate conditions presented and even the most hardy varieties may not make it through a severe winter of subzero temperatures.

Many mum selections will survive the winter if the plants gradually become frozen and remain that way until spring. Deep snow cover will assist this and protect the frozen soil if it remains intact throughout the winter. The best defense against adverse weather conditions is to provide good drainage so that water does not accumulate around the plants and promote ice formation. After the first frost, mound a few shovels of soil forming an 8-inch layer around the base of each plant. Cut the branches back to 10 inches above the soil line and apply a 2 to 4-inch mulch layer as soon as the soil surface freezes. This means loosely layering evergreen branches, straw, or other lofty materials around the plants. Avoid using materials like leaves or peat moss which will pack down and retard emergence of leafy shoots in the spring. After the last danger of frost has past, this mulch and soil can be removed. If leafy growth has already started and the possibility of frost is still present, apply another layer of loose mulch to protect the growth.

As an alternative to overwintering plants in the bed, they can be dug and placed into cold frames to better ensure survival. This means a little more work, but for those varieties which are more tender, it is often the only way to keep plants from one year to another.

• Mums in the Garden (PDF)

In time for the Garden’s Moonviewing celebration, our gardeners have raked the familiar “rice paddy” design in the sand of the Flat Garden—this year choosing a dynamic angle that directs the eye toward the symbolic stone bridge arrangement.

photo: Jan Vreeland

Denver Botanic Gardens

“The garden is named Shofu-En, meaning ‘garden of the pines and wind,’ both of which are typical of the natural environment of Colorado.”

Denver Botanic Gardens

The Japanese Garden of Denver Botanic Gardens is an authentic traditional Japanese garden reflecting the unique environment of its Colorado setting. The garden is named Shofu-En, meaning “garden of the pines and wind,” both of which are typical of the natural environment of Colorado. The main feature of this garden is the abundant use of beautifully aged character pines, Pinus ponderosa, collected and donated by members of the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Club. The boulders used in the garden came from the mountains nearby.

Shofu-En was designed by Professor Koichi Kawana, President of Environmental Design Associates in Los Angeles, California. The garden construction started in August 1978 with the dedication on June 23, 1979.

The basic style of this garden is called Chisen kaiyu shiki, which means “wet garden with promenade.” All facets of the garden aim to instill a feeling of tranquility. The evergreens symbolize longevity and happiness. These are complemented with plantings of deciduous trees and shrubs symbolizing the rhythms of nature as they bloom in spring and change color in the autumn. Water flows from east to west beginning with the large waterfall on the east side of the garden, which is in keeping with the Japanese garden tradition.

Denver Botanic Gardens

Another important feature of this garden is the Japanese Tea House. Constructed in Nagano-hen, Japan, by the Kumo Construction Company, each piece of the tea house was carefully disassembled, numbered and shipped to Denver. Mr. Toshitame Hirabayashi, president of the company, and eight Japanese co-workers reassembled the tea house along with the bridge and entry gate in 14 days. The tea house is used from mid-April to mid-October to demonstrate the tea ceremony.

Thanks to staff and volunteers, the garden is maintained at the highest design standards, creating a peaceful retreat for relaxation, contemplation and meditation in the heart of Denver.

• Denver Botanic Gardens on the web

The presentation of the sake cup and gourd (fukube 瓢) have been planted with a variety of mosses. We will carefully cultivate the most vigorous forms and develop a sense of which moss serves this arrangement best. The site presents certain challenges with the amount of exposure to sunlight and reflective heat generated by the white shira kawa type sand.

A diligent fertilization regimen has been initiated to replenish soil nutrient values and microbial activity. For many years, organic material had been removed in order to cultivate moss as a preferred groundcover. This had been depleting the soil of adequate humus for sustaining plant and soil microbe health. A series of soil tests are being performed throughout the Garden to determine specific needs in each area according to the species of plants under cultivation. Soil amendments such as compost, compost tea, enriched soil, and green sand have been added to rebuild the soil. Applications of organic compounds have been incorporated to stimulate root development, vigor, and stronger immune responses in the plants. These slow-release, natural compounds will have long-lasting affects in improving overall plant and soil health.

Recycling and composting have long been established practices here. All of our organic debris is delivered to the Washington Park Maintenance Facility where it is composted and made available for reuse in Washington Park and the Garden. Our janitorial supplies and facilities maintenance materials are selected for eco-awareness and “green-friendly” aspects. The Garden has also been reducing energy usage and costs by converting all interior and exterior lighting to energy efficient forms.

To cut down on noise and air pollution, we have evaluated the equipment used in the Garden, including blowers, mowers, and other small engines. Where low-emission and noise-reduction models are available we have purchased them as replacements. The turf areas in the Garden and parking lot area are being converted to low-maintenance grass types and are undergoing renovation to improve drainage and reduce irrigation needs. We plan to replace the gas-powered mowers with push-reel mowers this spring.

To be continued in May…

“Fallen cherry blossoms floating on the surface of a pond … suggests the concept of the fleeting nature of life itself.”

CCC photo

Excerpted from Blueprints magazine, a publication of the National Building Museum

…We asked landscape architect, Sadafumi Uchiyama, who designed [Blossoms in a River of Sand], to talk with us about Japanese gardens in the world today.

NBM: What is a Japanese garden today?

SU: In Japan, many garden designers today are experimenting with ways of adapting traditional forms to accommodate the contemporary lifestyles. Instead of blindly accepting the traditions of the past, Japanese designers are trying to redefine those traditions and develop new styles and practices. As the Japanese way of life changes, so must the garden. Generally speaking, designers in Japan are taking a less formal approach than in the past, developing innovative ways to strip away the clichéd forms typically associated with a “Japanese” garden—the stone lanterns, water basins, and bamboo fences for example—to see what is left at the core.

Outside Japan, the traditional forms still tend to define the popular image of what constitutes a Japanese garden, although increasing familiarity with Eastern philosophies of Zen, yoga, and Eastern medicine has made people more aware of the spiritual qualities that underlie the Japanese garden. There are now a number of American designers who have been trained in Japan and some of them have begun to redefine what constitutes a Japanese garden in terms of its relationship to the American landscape and lifestyle—a very positive development.

NBM: What are the focal elements of contemporary Japanese gardens?

SU: The creative use of basic natural materials—rock, water and plants—constitutes one element that remains constant with the traditions of the past. A more naturalistic approach to garden design prevails in Japan today, rather than some of the more formal and rigid styles of the past. Another important element is attention to the relationship between interior and exterior spaces—the ongoing conversation between man and nature.

NBM: What role does the Japanese garden play in the world of contemporary Japanese architecture?

SU: Japanese designers are now re-inventing the traditional forms of Japanese gardens for use in roof gardens, wall gardens and other confined urban spaces. Maintaining the close relationship between man and nature is more difficult in modern urban life, so finding new ways to bring “green” to urban environments through creative use of balcony and rooftop spaces is important. Some really innovative work is being done with container gardening, which has great precedence in bonsai cultivation for people who have little space to garden.

NBM: As a traditionally “green” culture, how do Japanese gardens play a role in Japan looking to be “greener”?

SU: The traditional small courtyard gardens (tsubo niwa) of urban townhouses in Japan are great models for bringing the green outdoors inside in contemporary urban settings.

NBM: What concepts do Japanese gardens represent?

SU: The importance of finding tranquility, of appreciation for simplicity (less is more), of taking special care to live in harmony with nature and others—these are important concepts that are manifest in Japanese gardens. The sand-and-stone (karesansui) style of Japanese garden that was born from the Zen Buddhist tradition presents a simplified, abstract space in which to contemplate the greater questions of life. In the case of the garden we built for the Cherry Blossom Festival, the design created on a simple flat expanse of raked gravel represents fallen cherry blossoms floating on the surface of a pond, suggests the concept of the fleeting nature of life itself.

NBM: What is the influence of Japanese aesthetics on contemporary garden design?

SU: Simplicity, naturalness, variety of textures and shapes, and asymmetry in design are all Japanese aesthetic qualities that inform contemporary garden design.

NBM: What is the philosophy of gardening in contemporary Japan?

SU: Rethinking the relationship between inside and outside in contemporary architecture, remaining sensitive to the use of natural materials, and careful attention to details, fine craftsmanship, and careful construction and maintenance are all part of the philosophy of gardening in contemporary Japan.

photo: dmcobbphoto.com

American landscapers Franklin Brett and George D. Hall planned out the grounds in 1912, organizing the estate into nine formal “garden rooms”. In that day, up to 100 gardeners and groundskeepers tended to the site. In today’s reality, a garden staff of fifteen manages all 565 acres during the high season—the garden areas that receive the most attention are the Japanese, Rose, and Italian themed gardens.

The Edwardian era was especially fond of Japanese gardens, and Hatley Park featured one even before the grand plans of Brett & Hall. The designer of this 1909 garden was Isaburo Kishida of Yokohama, whose son Yoshitaro had taken interest in the Hatley Park Japanese Teahouse as a business venture. While in Vancouver, Kishida also designed the Japanese garden at the world-famous Butchart Gardens.

photo: dmcobbphoto.com

Many of Kishida’s plants and structures were brought from Yokohama, assuring the garden’s authenticity. The result was a modest strolling-style garden, surrounding the Teahouse with carefully arranged pathways. In a few years, the American landscapers Brett & Hall complimented Kishida’s garden with a strolling pond complete with multiple bridges and tortoise and crane rocks, the perennial symbols of long life and good health.

The gardens are open to visitors year-round, with tours of Hatley Castle offered in summer months. More information is available at www.hatleypark.ca, including a complete inventory of their Japanese garden plants.