Other Names:  Garden Mum, Korean Mum, Dendranthemum

Description:

Showy, double, bronze-orange blooms cover a mound of strong, flexible stems; blooms late in the season; adaptable to various conditions; best in full sun

Ornamental Features

Gretchen Chrysanthemum is covered in stunning orange daisy flowers at the ends of the stems from early to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its fragrant ferny leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Gretchen Chrysanthemum is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Gretchen Chrysanthemum is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Gretchen Chrysanthemum will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 inches. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Gretchen Chrysanthemum is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.