Chrysanthemums are those flowers that continue to delight us with their unpretentious beauty until late autumn, when all the other plants have surrendered to the onset of coolness. How do they winter and whether they winter at all? open ground chrysanthemums - learn from this article.

Frost-resistant varieties of chrysanthemums

In pursuit of large-flowered varieties and breeding them for commercial purposes, people over time have come to appreciate the resistance of some varieties to frost. Thus, gradually Korean chrysanthemums managed to displace many other species and take a leading position not only in frost resistance, but also in early dates flowering, color, shape, size of flowers.

Here are the main varieties of chrysanthemums that winter in open ground:

• "Oak";
• "Korean";
• "Chamomile";
• "Purple Haze";
• "Malchish-Kibalchish";
• "Red Moscow";
• "Everest".

Preparing frost-resistant chrysanthemums for wintering

Despite their exceptional frost resistance, chrysanthemums overwintering in the ground still need proper preparation for the winter period. This is especially true for the middle and northern regions, where weather conditions are more severe.

Preparation of chrysanthemums for wintering should begin in late August-early September. They must be fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, which help increase the frost resistance of plants.

As you know, the healthier the plant, the better it overwinters. Therefore, regularly inspect your bushes for various diseases in order to take action in time.

Before wintering, all chrysanthemums must be cut at a height of 10 cm from the ground. This should be done with the onset of persistent cold weather. Then the bushes need to be well hilled on all sides, without leaving holes around in which water could accumulate, causing the plants to get wet.

Many winter well without additional shelter, but in conditions In winters without snow, even the most frost-resistant varieties can freeze. To avoid this, it is better to additionally cover your flower garden with spruce branches or dry foliage. However, this should be done only after the onset of stable frosts. Otherwise, the plants may dry out. Light frost, on the contrary, is beneficial for chrysanthemums, hardening them and making them stronger and healthier.

Another covering option is to construct a “roof” from slate or iron sheets. To do this, you need to lay several layers of bricks around the flowerbed, lay a sheet of iron or slate on them, which will protect the chrysanthemums from moisture, but not interfere with normal ventilation. Such shelter is optimal for the safe wintering of plants in open ground.

With the onset of autumn, the garden becomes more and more boring - some flowers have already faded, while others were caught by the first frosts. Only after shaking off the light frost do they raise their flowers to the sun again!
It is impossible to imagine an autumn garden without these bright flowers...

IN last years Severe frosts come later in the fall. And many cold-resistant chrysanthemums can withstand significant cold temperatures (down to -5 degrees) without losing their decorative properties.

In my flower collection there are about thirty varieties of chrysanthemums that manage to bloom in our area (Udmurtia). Basically, these are sustainable.

I’ll immediately make a reservation that the mentioned names of varieties may not correspond to reality, because my main goal is not to compile a serious collection, but to grow resistant varieties of chrysanthemums suitable for local conditions. I purchased some chrysanthemums from flower shops or grew them from seeds, and some varieties were purchased from other gardeners at the market.

Flowering conditions and color changes of chrysanthemums

Many varieties of chrysanthemums respond to duration daylight hours, and depending on this they lay flower buds. For this reason, no matter how early you take cuttings from such varieties, they will not have time to bloom at our latitude.

The usual flowering dates of chrysanthemum varieties may significantly shift under the influence of weather conditions.

Chrysanthemums will bloom profusely only with sufficient moisture and...

Of the representatives of my collection of chrysanthemums, the varieties “Cream” and “Raspberry Early” are the first to bloom. Usually their flowering begins in mid-July.
Interestingly, the “Cream” chrysanthemum, which blooms in July, has almost White color, and in August its opened inflorescences become soft pink!

Many varieties of chrysanthemums are capable of changing the color of their flowers depending on the established temperature and the composition of the garden soil.

Needle chrysanthemums are not always obtained in our area. In my collection there is only one needle-shaped variety, “Perlinka pink”. This chrysanthemum winters well, but blooms only towards the end of September.

Chrysanthemum variety "Gift" almost does not react to the length of daylight hours and can bloom as early as desired (depending on when these plants were cut). Specimens that have overwintered in the garden bloom at the end of July.
This variety produces wonderful large flowers up to 12 cm in diameter. And with the onset of cold autumn nights, the lilac-pink chrysanthemum inflorescences acquire a beautiful silver tint!
The bush of the "Gift" variety grows up to 80 cm high, but does not fall apart; This chrysanthemum does not require pinching.

Some varieties of chrysanthemums lay so many flower buds that if you don’t pinch them off, you won’t be able to wait for the garden to begin flowering!
For example, such abundantly flowering varieties include the Lipstick chrysanthemum. Therefore, from a bush of this variety, you need to mercilessly pluck out the side shoots (i.e., shoot the plant, like tomatoes) and pinch out excess flowers at the beginning of their development.
Red chrysanthemum "Lipstick" winters well in open ground without shelter.

Wintering chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums need to be planted on a high, dry ridge, as they are susceptible to getting wet. From correct landing health and success depend.

However, even when growing winter-hardy chrysanthemums, you must always remember: we are often more to blame for the death of these plants than abnormal weather conditions. Some gardeners are in no hurry to appear in the spring garden plots- waiting for the earth to dry out better. As a result, weak shoots of overwintered chrysanthemums die under the bright sun and drying spring breeze.
If your wintering mother chrysanthemums have not been covered with spruce branches since the fall, then in the spring you need to cover them with covering material immediately after the snow melts! This shelter can be removed only when the strong young shoots of chrysanthemums acquire a rich green color and begin to grow.

Korean chrysanthemums manage to bloom in the middle climate zone. They winter safely provided that the snow cover is at least 30-40 cm.
If you are not sure about the successful wintering of chrysanthemums in your garden, then in the fall the plants can be transplanted into a pot and transferred to a cold basement for the winter.

The main difficulty in growing chrysanthemums in our area is the problem of their wintering. There is no absolute guarantee that plants will overwinter safely in open ground. I consider it frivolous to even give recommendations on this matter. After all, in different years in winter the weather conditions are very different. There are winters when the ground does not freeze at all, but there are times like today (winter 2009-2010) - when the ground froze two meters. How can this be predicted and the plants properly prepared for wintering?

If you want to be guaranteed to have chrysanthemums every year, then the most reliable way- take the uterine bushes for the winter in a cold place (in the basement, home or just in a vegetable pit). I don't find this method difficult or time-consuming.

In late autumn, and sometimes after frost - when the chrysanthemums freeze on top - we dig up part of the bush and place it in any suitable pot.
If you plan to have many cuttings from the plant, then you can plant the dug up chrysanthemum in a 5-liter bucket. If you grow flowers just for yourself, then a small pot with a capacity of no more than one liter is enough.
In this case, it is better to cut off the entire above-ground part of the chrysanthemum. You can leave lignified stems 10-15 cm high, but remove the leaves from them.

We treat the dug up plants and soil with some fungicide (for example, “Maxim”) and lower them into a vegetable pit. We store all our vegetables in this same pit. The temperature here in winter stays at +1..+1.5 degrees Celsius.
If the temperature in the storage rises above +4 degrees, chrysanthemum mother plants begin to germinate intensively, which winter period undesirable.

Propagation of chrysanthemums and preservation of the variety

We transfer overwintered plants home at the end of March, and after 2-3 weeks we begin.
However, if you are not concerned with the task of propagation, then there is no need to bring chrysanthemums into the warm weather so early.

I am considering growing chrysanthemums using cuttings. But not because chrysanthemums do not winter at all in open ground, but because this crop is not stable. There are years with favorable winters, when in the spring all the ridges of chrysanthemums in our garden are completely covered with young shoots. But, unfortunately, there is also a complete loss of many varieties of chrysanthemums in open ground; Flower growers were convinced of this after the little snow and cold winter of 2009-2010.

A profusely flowering chrysanthemum bush overwinters in the garden much worse than a weakly flowering one. For this reason, for successful wintering and preservation of the variety, it is desirable to have young chrysanthemum bushes grown in the summer from the axillary shoots of such a bush.
We root them anywhere, not allowing them to bloom. Here we leave these young plants for the winter, and at the end of May we transplant them into the garden in the desired place. Such strong plants eventually develop a good root system, which contributes to a successful winter in the future, and many strong root buds are formed.

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Many gardeners are often interested in how to preserve chrysanthemums in winter. Most varieties of these flowers have good cold resistance and can overwinter directly in the flowerbed. However, for the winter, some varieties need to be dug up and stored in a basement or cellar. In total, there are four ways to winter chrysanthemums, which we will talk about.

Preparation of chrysanthemums for wintering begins in the fall, when the first slight frosts have already occurred. IN middle lane The first frosts occur already in October, and sometimes at the beginning of November. This criterion depends on the climatic characteristics of the growing region. The main thing is that the plant must be hardened.

Prepare the bushes as follows:

Further work continues only before the soil freezes directly. At this time, the bushes need to be trimmed so that “stumps” 10–20 cm high remain. This height is convenient for making varietal designations.

Video “Preserving chrysanthemums in winter”

From this video you will learn how to properly preserve chrysanthemums in winter.

Wintering in the ground

Since chrysanthemums are perennial flowers, they have good cold resistance. Therefore, garden soil is a normal wintering environment for such plants. However, in order to preserve flowers in open ground, it is necessary to take some steps to protect them from the cold.

• mulching;
• shelter;
• trenches.

Let's look at each option in more detail.

Mulching

This method is suitable for varieties that are highly cold-resistant. When the first frost occurs, it is necessary to hill up the bushes. For this you can use shavings, sawdust, humus, compost, peat, etc.

If the region is characterized by frosty winters, then the plants must be covered with spruce branches or branches, which should be sprinkled with dry leaves on top.

Shelter

This wintering method is considered more reliable than mulching, so it is usually used in areas with harsh winters.

In autumn, supports should be installed around chrysanthemums. Ordinary bricks can play their role. Slate or board is placed on top of the supports. On top of this structure is covered with a covering material, which must be fixed. You can cover the flowers with spruce branches or special materials (for example, lutrasil or spandbond).

It is worth noting that such a shelter must be ventilated. Otherwise, the chrysanthemum may die during the cold period due to the accumulation of excess moisture inside such a structure.

The shelter is dismantled in the spring, when the night frosts have already passed and the weather is relatively warm outside. If the risk of frost returning is high, then a plastic bag is placed over the plants.

Trenches

Another way to winter chrysanthemums is in a trench. The method involves digging a ditch 70 cm wide and deep. The length of the trench is determined by the number of bushes that need to be protected from the cold.

It is worth noting that until the first frost appears, plants are stored in open form. They are covered only after a significant cold snap. After frost, roofing felt/slate is covered with sawdust, dry leaves or peat. The bulk layer must have a thickness of at least 50 cm. A plastic film is installed on top of the embankment.

Of all the options, this method is the most labor-intensive. You can remove flowers from such trenches for planting when good weather in the spring has settled and the ground has warmed up sufficiently.

Digging

In autumn, chrysanthemum bushes are dug out of the ground. To protect seedlings from rotting, they must be treated with a fungicide. After this, the chrysanthemums are placed in the basement, garage, veranda or cellar.

For effective storage, these rooms must be within a certain temperature range (0...+5 °C). If the temperature is higher, then the flowers will “wake up” ahead of time. However, the humidity should not be high, otherwise the plants may begin to rot. There should also be lighting in the room - without light, chrysanthemums are depleted.

The dug up chrysanthemums just need to be laid out on the floor, from where the flowers will take the necessary moisture to survive until spring.

You can store flowers in boxes into which peat and sand have previously been poured (proportion 1:1). Seedlings can also be planted in a pot.

There is no need to bring plants into the cellar immediately after digging them up. Chrysanthemums should be left in the cold for a while so that they can harden.

It is important to know when to take out chrysanthemums after winter. Usually, flowers begin to be taken out of the cellar in the spring, when the weather outside is warm enough.

If the chrysanthemums were stored correctly, the flowers will quickly take root in the open ground and bloom.

In late autumn, private traders sell chrysanthemum planting material at the market. Is it possible to buy them at this time of year, and what to do with them: plant them or store them in the cellar until spring? How do large-flowered chrysanthemums winter?

Fall-blooming perennials are best divided and replanted in the spring. However, autumn purchase planting material has its advantages. In autumn, chrysanthemum bushes are often sold along with flowers, so you can’t go wrong in choosing a variety. In the spring, when only the leaves of the plants are visible, you can purchase late-flowering chrysanthemum species, which in our conditions do not have time to bloom in the ground. In September, their buds are just forming, and for flowering the bushes have to be grown in a greenhouse.

HOW TO BUY. If you decide to buy chrysanthemums in the fall, choose plants that do not have buds on the stems, but withered flowers. This increases the likelihood that this variety blooms in the ground and not in a greenhouse. As a rule, these are small-flowered Korean chrysanthemums. They winter well, grow quickly and form a lush flowering bush.

Large-flowered varieties are very beautiful, but in mid-latitudes they are more labor-intensive. Their growing season is long, the buds are formed late, so they need a film shelter or a greenhouse to bloom. For the winter, bushes of large-flowered chrysanthemums must be dug up and stored in a frost-free room with a low temperature.

It is no secret that on the market private traders sometimes pass off small-flowered species as large-flowered ones and vice versa. To avoid mistakes, pay attention to the leaves and stems when purchasing. Large-flowered chrysanthemums have larger and denser leaves, strong, woody stems, and pencil-thick peduncles.

Make sure that the roots of the plants are not overdried and that the young shoots do not show signs of rot. Give preference to plots with a lump of earth.

HOW TO STORE. Planting material for small-flowered chrysanthemums can be stored in the cellar or planted in the ground. To store the purchased bush, plant it in a pot of soil and lightly moisten it. Do not water too much, otherwise the roots may rot. Mulch the soil with sawdust or moss to reduce moisture evaporation.

In winter, make sure that the soil in the cellar does not dry out. But you shouldn't water the plant. It is enough to sometimes sprinkle the soil in the pot with water or moisten it with snow.

The roots of large-flowered chrysanthemums are stored in the same way. At large quantities queen cells, they are buried in boxes with soil. And here V plastic bags You can’t keep the roots, much less tie them to preserve moisture. From waterlogging in a cold cellar, fungal diseases develop and the plants die.

In April, chrysanthemum mother plants are brought out into the light and germinated in a cool room. This procedure allows you to speed up flowering. The first shoots are selected for propagation and rooted. Planted in mid-May.

HOW TO PLANT. If it is difficult to monitor chrysanthemums in the cellar, then it is worth growing only small-flowered species. They winter well in open ground. In autumn they can be planted before frost. When planting at a later stage, the planting hole is made larger than a ball of earth, and the roots are covered with loose compost. The root collar is buried 4-5 cm. The plants are watered abundantly and then covered with earth.

Additionally, they are insulated with leaves and pressed against the wind with branches. At least one bucket of leaves is used per plant. The planting site is marked with a peg so that it is not accidentally dug up in the spring. In the future, there is no need to insulate Korean chrysanthemums.

In harsh winters, chrysanthemums planted late may freeze. In spring they wake up reluctantly. Sometimes it seems that the bush is completely dead. But you shouldn't pull it out. Most often, shoots grow from dormant buds on the roots or stems, and the plant recovers. To speed up this process, in the spring all chrysanthemums are watered with a urea solution, even those that do not show signs of life. Good results are obtained by watering with growth stimulants, “Zircon” or “Epin”, and humic preparations.

You can find this article in the newspaper "Magic Garden" 2007 No. 21.

Chrysanthemums in Russian gardens with different climatic conditions.
Winter-hardy chrysanthemums are not very afraid of cold weather, but are more afraid of getting wet.

If the winter has a lot of thaws or rain, then there is a greater chance that the chrysanthemum wintering in the open ground will die.

Many gardeners leave their chrysanthemums in the ground in the fall. Some additionally cover chrysanthemum bushes to protect them from the cold. Someone digs up their favorite chrysanthemums and puts them in the cellar for the winter. Some people prefer chrysanthemum mother plants. Each gardener adapts to preserving his chrysanthemums in winter based on the climatic conditions of the garden and personal preferences.

In the photo: Korean chrysanthemum varieties “Vyshyvanka”, “Key Largo”

The most important rule for covering chrysanthemums in the garden: cover the plants late - in case of frost; and we open it early so that the chrysanthemum bushes do not get steamy under cover.

Chrysanthemums should be covered no earlier than the soil begins to freeze.
Cut off the chrysanthemum branches and place a low box on the bush. If the box is foam plastic, then you don’t have to cover the chrysanthemum with anything else.
The good thing about a foam box is that when properly covered (that is, on frozen soil), it works like a thermos, and in the event of a thaw, it does not allow heat to pass through to the wintering chrysanthemum bush. This is especially important for those regions where winter frosts often alternate with thaws.

If there is no foam box, then you can use any suitable box to cover the chrysanthemum.
The point of such a shelter is to ensure that there is sufficient air space above the wintering chrysanthemum bush.
If snow has already fallen, then such shelter will be enough.

If there is no snow, and the frosts are getting stronger, then throw all the plant debris that is at hand (fallen leaves, straw, sawdust, etc.) onto the box above the covered chrysanthemum. And then you cover it all with a bag. It is better to take white woven synthetic bags for flour, sugar or cereals, which, unlike plastic film, allow air to pass through.

In the spring, melt water should not accumulate in the place where chrysanthemums are planted.
Chrysanthemums are more afraid of dampness than frost. Therefore, make drainage for chrysanthemum bushes and build drainage grooves.
If your site is located in a lowland, then in order to avoid waterlogging of the soil, it is better to immediately plant chrysanthemums on the ridges.

In the photo: multiflora chrysanthemums of the varieties “Chelsey Coral”, “Miasto Orange”

Wintering experience of chrysanthemum multiflora

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