naturally full and dense to the base. In
fact, pinching or cutting back ‘Mei Kyo’
may delay the flowers too much in the
North, since this is a late-blooming
cultivar anyway. For trial purposes, I
sheared plants by half in mid-June,
and they started flowering in early
November, rather than late October.
They grew 15–18 in. tall, rather than 2
ft., and the floral display was a bit
weaker than that on unpruned plants.
Plants sheared by 4–6 in. on August 15
(these were not previously pruned)
also flowered in early November, but
the floral display was greatly reduced.
These late-pruned plants experienced
damage to the foliage tips from an
early October frost, but the flowers
were not harmed. A single plant can
spread quickly, covering a 5 ft. × 5 ft.
area in about 4 years. Division is
seldom needed, but plants can be
thinned by pulling out bunches of
spent flowering stems, root and all, in
the early spring.
Chrysanthemum ‘Venus’ has single
soft pink flowers. Plants can be cut
back by half to two-thirds in early to
mid-June for 3-ft. compact growth and
mid-October flowering. As a test to see
if August pruning would be too late for
flower formation in the Midwest, I
sheared plants again by about 4–6 in.
on August 5 and August 15. The plants
flowered about 1 week later and at
about 2 ft. high. Their habit was more
desirable, their flowers delayed, and
the floral display was only slightly
reduced.
Chrysanthemum ‘Viette’s Apricot
Glow’ has single apricot flowers in
mid-October. It is a compact 18- to
24-in. form that doesn’t need any
pruning to look spectacular.
Chrysanthemum rubellum ‘Clara
Curtis’ has pink flowers in mid- to late
summer and is more readily available.
May require pinching or cutting back
to control height, particularly if the
soil is rich. Pruning for height control
is usually not required in clay soils. If
later flowering is desired, plants can be
sheared by 4–6 in. after the buds form
to delay flowering by 1 or 2 months,
depending on the weather conditions
for the year. Sporadic bloom may
occur in the autumn if plants are
allowed to flower in the summer and
are deadheaded or cut back to basal
growth. Very floriferous; may actually
bloom itself to death. Divide every 2–3
years to maintain vigor and control
spread. Very cold hardy.Chrysogonum
virginianum
golden-star
compoSitaeDaisylike golden-yellow flower heads on
prostrate stems
6–8 in. high; 12 in. wide
Part shade–full shade
Blooms May–June
Zones 5–9
pruning Periodic cutting back of old
flowering stems down to basal foliage
will tidy up the plant and prolong the
bloom, but it doesn’t seem to be critical Chrysogonum virginianum