Chrysanthemum Seeds | Dwarf Chrysanthemum
LATIN NAME: Chrysanthemum
COMMON NAME: Dwarf Chrysanthemum
Plant Profile
Dwarf Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum) covers the compact garden forms of this famous genus of the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to East Asia and cultivated in China for well over two thousand years. These bushy plants stay low and dense, flowering heavily in autumn in a wide range of colours and flower forms. Their late season of bloom, long after most perennials have finished, is their great garden virtue.
Science & Biotechnology
Chrysanthemum sits in the Chrysanthemum group, a group that keeps botanists, horticulturists and plant breeders busy with questions of classification, adaptation and ornamental potential. Chrysanthemum is a major research crop for ornamental breeding, flower development, pigment biology and tissue culture. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Dwarf Chrysanthemum has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Dwarf chrysanthemums are valued for compact ornamental displays, containers, borders and seasonal bedding. Their wide range of flower colours and forms makes them especially useful in breeding collections and horticultural teaching gardens. Getting it going is easy; keeping it going is easier still.
Chrysanthemum flower, Ju Hua, is one of China’s great beverage herbs, brewed for cooling, eye-brightening teas, while the crown daisy leaves are a beloved vegetable and pyrethrum relatives gave us a major natural insecticide.
Growing from Seed
Dwarf Chrysanthemum grows readily from seed. Sow seed in a fine, well-drained medium and keep it lightly covered or pressed into surface according to seed size. Provide bright light and even moisture during establishment. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Among the Chrysanthemum group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Sun and good drainage cover most of its demands.
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