Description and characteristics of maiden chrysanthemum, 8 best varieties and their cultivation

Garden chrysanthemum is a compositae plant of the Asteraceae family. It has a long flowering period and excellent decorative qualities. Several species are known, some of which grow for several years, and some are annual crops. You can often see chrysanthemum (pyrethrum) maidenhair in areas. This unpretentious perennial is loved by flower growers, because it looks great both in a flowerbed and in a bouquet. In addition, the flower has medicinal properties.

Description and features

The birthplace of the maiden chrysanthemum is Northern China. The plant has several varieties. Flowering begins in June and continues until the first frost. During this period, the plant is a highly branched bush with a height of 20 to 80 centimeters, covered with many small white inflorescences up to 3 centimeters in diameter. Depending on the variety, the flowers have the shape of double or semi-double balls, resemble snowflakes, snow flakes, or are collected in voluminous inflorescences. The plant has a pleasant bitter aroma.

In folk medicine, infusions of chrysanthemum maidenhair are used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agent.

Popular varieties

There are many varieties of maiden chrysanthemum, each of which has its own shade of inflorescences, stem height, and crown shape.

Schneebal

Schneebal is a low-growing variety, reaching a height of no more than 20 centimeters. It has double flowers of white or yellowish shades and a green core. The crown of the bush has a spherical shape with a diameter of up to 25 centimeters.

Virgo

A tall plant with a stem reaching 80 centimeters. It has small double white flowers, up to 1.5 centimeters in diameter.

Silbeoteppich

This variety has small, double white inflorescences.

Snow ball

A small-flowered plant, its inflorescences have a round shape, the snow-white core is surrounded by a kind of skirt of short petals. It is distinguished by lush flowering.The name of the variety is justified by the shape of the crown, reminiscent of large snow globes.

Double White

A bushy plant with small white button-shaped flowers. The height of the stem is no more than 25 centimeters.

Goldbal

Globular small bushes with double flowers, 2.5 centimeters in diameter. The height of the bush is small - only 35 centimeters.

Golden ball

A low plant with spherical double inflorescences of a white or yellowish tint. Each flower is decorated with a lace skirt.

White stars

A fast-growing plant with branched bushes up to 25 centimeters high. Has double flowers. The apical inflorescences form a beautiful lush crown.

Growing through seedlings

Chrysanthemum maidens is a perennial plant, but is often used as an annual crop. Growing an annual is much easier, although it blooms later. An overwintered perennial plant with last year's dry shoots does not look very aesthetically pleasing. The annual plant boasts fresh green stems and a lush snow-white crown.

Preparing the container and soil

Seedlings are grown in boxes specially prepared for this purpose. You can buy soil at a flower shop or make it yourself. To do this, mix equal parts of garden soil, peat and humus. The containers are filled with this mixture, having previously laid a drainage layer in the form of pebbles or expanded clay on the bottom.

Temperature

Germination should occur indoors at a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius. After the first shoots appear, the boxes are placed in a cooler place and grown at a temperature of 15 to 18 degrees Celsius. This is necessary in order to prevent strong stretching of the shoots.

How to plant

Seeds are sown for growing seedlings in late March or early April.Having prepared the containers, bury the seed into the soil at a distance of 1 centimeter, after moistening it. Then the plantings are covered with film, glass or placed in a plastic bag in order to create greenhouse conditions.

The soil should always be moistened. But it is recommended to soak it not by watering, but by spraying, so that the seeds do not go deep. For good germination you need:

• regular ventilation of the room;
• good lighting for plants.

Picking

Approximately 2 weeks after the seedlings germinate, with the appearance of 4 developed leaves, picking is carried out - planting in separate pots. Before starting the procedure, moisten the soil abundantly. After finishing, spray the sprouts with a growth stimulator (Epin or Zircon). This will shorten the survival period of plants.

Hardening

10-14 days before transplanting seedlings into open ground, hardening is carried out by exposing the pots to fresh air.

Planting in open ground

Before planting in open ground, careful preparation is carried out. Choose a place for planting, improve the quality of the soil.

Selecting a location

The maiden chrysanthemum is light-loving, so choose a place for it on an elevation, illuminated by the sun most of the day. At the same time, the plant should be located on the leeward side. Frequent winds negatively affect the decorative qualities of plants.

Soil requirements

Chrysanthemum feels comfortable in limed, well-warmed soil. Air must flow to the roots in sufficient quantities, so you need to think about a drainage system. In addition, the soil will need to be loosened periodically. The soil is prepared in the fall: it is dug up, fertilized, and limed.

Deadlines

Plants can be planted in open ground only when there is confidence that frost will not return.In central Russia this is approximately mid-May.

Planting scheme

Having determined the planting site, make holes at a distance of 23-25 ​​centimeters from each other. The holes are shed with an aqueous solution of the root formation stimulator Kornevin (3 grams of product per 3 liters of water). Plants should be taken together with a lump of earth and buried in the ground along with the cotyledon leaves (1.5-2 centimeters below ground level).

With this method, a lush, beautiful bush will be formed.

Rules of care

The plant does not require complex care. In addition to the usual measures of watering, loosening the soil, weeding, it needs to remove faded inflorescences. This will help maintain the beautiful spherical shape of the crown.

Watering

Watering should not be too frequent, as chrysanthemum does not tolerate waterlogged soil. The frequency of watering is increased only in the case of hot summers and in the absence of precipitation. Maiden chrysanthemum also requires more moisture during the period of active growth and flowering.

Top dressing

Plants are fertilized 3 times a season. The first application of fertilizers is carried out three weeks after planting (take a preparation based on ammonia nitrogen). The second feeding is done two weeks before flowering, and the third in the fall, at the end of the growing season (mineral complex fertilizers are used). This scheme will ensure long and friendly flowering.

Weeding and loosening

After watering, the wet soil must be loosened for good breathability. At the same time, weeds and plant debris on which pathogens and parasites can live are removed. After this, mulching is done - covering the moist soil at the roots with a layer of mulch (tree bark, sawdust, hay).

Preparing for winter

Chrysanthemum maiden belongs to crops that overwinter in the ground. When preparing a plant for winter, immediately after the onset of cold weather, it is pruned, leaving shoots of 14-15 centimeters. The trimmed bushes are carefully hilled up, sprinkled with earth. Then the plants are covered with spruce branches or sawdust.

Reproduction

Plants are propagated by seeds or cuttings.

Seeds

The timing of introducing seeds into the soil varies depending on how it is intended to be sown in open ground. In March they are sown in greenhouses for growing seedlings, and in May they are sown directly into open ground.

There are advantages to the method of sowing seeds in open ground:

• adaptation of seedlings to the external environment is much easier;
• the plants do not need to be replanted, which means there is no risk of damage to the roots.

Shallow furrows or holes are made in the soil at a distance of 30-40 centimeters from each other. Place 3 seeds in one hole at a time. They are covered with earth and watered. Before the first shoots, you can cover it with film, creating greenhouse conditions. After the seedlings are strengthened, they are thinned out, leaving one sprout in each hole. After another 10 days, the first feeding is done.

Cuttings

Cuttings are another way to propagate perennial plants. Overwintered bushes intended for cuttings are planted in a greenhouse and often watered so that the shoots become more powerful. By the end of March, they are cut off, planted in boxes with a nutrient mixture consisting of soil, humus, sand and covered with film. After rooting (after a month) they are transplanted into open ground.

Diseases and pests

For the maiden chrysanthemum, the main dangers are fungal infections that affect plants due to waterlogging and poor ventilation.

Septoria

One of the common infections.White spots appear on the leaves surrounded by a dark border. The causative agents of the disease are fungi of the genus Septoria. The spots grow, causing the leaf to die. At the initial stage, they fight the disease by removing the affected leaves. An advanced form of the disease can only be defeated by treating the plant with fungicides.

Rust

The disease appears on the leaves in the form of pustules of various shapes and sizes. They crack, releasing fungal spores in the form of a rust-colored powder. The plant loses its strength. Remove diseased leaves and replant bushes. If necessary, use fungicidal preparations.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is also a common fungal disease. It appears as white spots on the upper side of the leaf. Gradually they increase, covering the entire leaf.

A risk factor is moisture on the leaves. Make sure that when watering, water does not fall on their surface.

Leaf nematode

Nematodes are phytohelminths, microscopic roundworms. The disease appears as brown spots on the leaves that get larger over time. Penetration of helminths into leaves and roots threatens rapid death. Prevention will help avoid infection. To carry this out, insecticides are used in the form of sprays.

Spider mite

It is an arthropod herbivorous pest, measuring 0.2 to 1 millimeter in size, living on leaves. It feeds on the sap of plants, causing them to get sick and die. The tick becomes active in hot weather. When fighting the parasite, remove it by watering with a stream of water. If this does not help, then treat with a solution of laundry soap and copper sulfate.

Use in design

Maiden chrysanthemum is actively used both in landscape design and in floristry.When creating garden ensembles, low bushes are planted in the foreground, and tall ones are used in prefabricated compositions. White inflorescences can be cut to create lush bouquets. They look no less impressive in mixed bouquets. Cut flowers remain fresh for quite a long time.

If you regularly change the water and trim the stems, they will last at least two weeks.