According to reports from test gardens and breeders across the country, chrysanthemums are better than ever this year. In addition, test varieties show marked improvements in hybridization, in keeping with the natural trend for better color and form.
However, expert selection is equally as important. Although the color and form may be satisfactory, the flowers may not be produced in sufficient quantity for the greatest effect.
Two Chrysanthemums Novelties
Introductions of Connecticut chrysanthemums specialists for this year show remarkable improvement in the larger flowered types, which grow on compact plants. Roderick Cumming, the successful breeder of this nursery, has listed two novelties of this type.
Coppersmith
Coppersmith, a rich bronze with flowers over three inches without disbudding, bloomed in my garden on September 29, despite an extremely late season. When fully opened, the flowers were flushed copper.
Fifteen-inch plants had a 22-inch spread. Although the plants were heavily loaded with large flowers, they withstand high winds and driving rains that flattened those less rugged ones.
Tuneful is a rich shade of rose with a deeper center, much admired in the garden, and one of the most appealing cut flowers. Plants are equally stout and upright.
Star Series of Cushion Chrysanthemums
A well-known Pennsylvania nursery offers the Star series of cushion chrysanthemums.
- Star Bright, silvery amaranth pink, is one of the most popular
- Maroon Star and Moonlight Star, pale yellow, are among the newer varieties.
The breeder, Sidney B. Hutton, Jr., has other promising seedlings.
A New Jersey nursery is introducing Davy Crockett, a new double-decker in gay marigold orange. Omar S. Coles, Sr., the breeder, will be remembered for prize-winning spoon chrysanthemums Wilma Lee, Grand Canyon, Remember Me, and others.
Bird Chrysanthemums
There are five new “Bird” chrysanthemums listed for 1956. E. S. Boerner, a New York State nursery hybridist, continues to add to the list of large-flowered garden chrysanthemums named for songbirds.
- Giant Kingbird, larger flowered than the original
- Kingbird is a rosy pink. Blooming from September until hard frost, its foliage is clean and luxuriant.
- Silver Thrush was a symphony of silver and delicate pink when it opened its pink buds in early October. The four-inch flowers were borne on spreading plants with frosty stems among silvery, gray-green foliage.
- Macaw, a test plant for more than one year, has been winter hardy when many others perished. It is a strikingly vivid red-orange.
- Titmouse, a four-inch lavender pink matures lavender. The golden yellow blooms of Baltimore Oriole are flat with center incurved petals and outer petals slightly curled.
New Chrysanthemums
Oregon nurseries offer new chrysanthemums bred by Dr. E. J. Kraus. They are large-flowered kinds that have resulted from crossing small early hardies with early large-flowered English chrysanthemums.
- Grace Bradshaw, one of the finest whites named
- Mt. Hood is another white in-curve
- Ruby Breithaupt, double cream white
- Helen Bogue, double rose-purple
- Ruth Scott, double bronze orange
- Gregg Alden is a lowgrowing, small white pompom with petals tipped lavender
- Nancy Scott, similar in growth and flower to the preceding, is lemon yellow with an orange center.
Fine Pink Chrysanthemums
A Minnesota breeder noted for discriminating selections is bringing out two fine pinks. Adorable is a double rose pink without a trace of magenta and is in bloom in late September.
According to this breeder, Evelyn Deveney is the nearest to shell pink of any of his selections.
The two golden bronze selections, Bronze Giant and Companion, are particularly interesting for cut flowers. The latter is especially noteworthy because it produces perfect flowers even in hot weather.
Indian Red and Purple Spoon
Indian Red, an unusual rust shade, has unopened petals whorled in the center. Purple Waters has had plenty of advance publicity because of its deep unfading purple coloring, which has not been too plentiful in good chrysanthemums.
Two-foot plants are a mass of two-inch flowers in late September. A “beetroot” purple spoon with a yellow center, called Purple Spoon, adds another good spoon to the list.
De Petris Hybrid Chrysanthemums
Then there are new De Petris hybrid chrysanthemums to add to an already distinguished number.
There are two dwarf cushions:
- Morocco is a red bronze midseason cushion
- Benora, with somewhat smaller flowers, starts to bloom on September 20.
Five October flowering decoratives have exceptionally large blooms:
- Caprice is apricot bronze
- Gladiator, a free-flowering orange-red
- Michigan, clear yellow
- Arlora, bright lemon
Breeding Program
For many years the University of Nebraska has conducted an extensive breeding program for chrysanthemums.
Hundreds of thousands of seedlings have been grown under the able direction of Glenn Viehmeyer. Only a few of those grown and appraised have met the rigid standards of excellence.
The few have been carried over for further testing under various climatic conditions; if worthy, a limited number are chosen for the introduction. Finally, the stock is sent to several nurserymen for propagation and sale.
The latest introductions from Nebraska are North Platte, an early large-flowered yellow-flushed orange, and Kiowa, wind-resistant plants with orange-red flowers which will withstand frost.
Ohio Nurseries
Several recent introductions from England have been added to the list of Ohio nurseries, as well as a few well-tested sorts which have become popular. Superlative is a very large white, slightly incurved to form, and blooms in September.
Effective is golden amber with a lighter gold reverse to its petals. Brighton Yellow is early flowering, a brilliant yellow; Ancaster Peach has pointed petals similar to the cactus flowered chrysanthemums.
A good midseason garden variety with pink flowers is called Film Star. Glen Star is purple with red lights.
California Nursery
Introductions from a California nursery will be unusually appealing to growers whose hobby includes the large-flowered exhibition types and graceful spiders, quills, and threads.
All of these may be grown outdoors, usually under cloth houses or temporary protection, and are produced by “stopping” and “disbudding” to produce one very large flower with a stem.
- Pale Moon, a tremendous new white in curve exhibition with creamy tints, was one of the highlights of a West Coast fall show.
- The Swan, a pure white exhibition variety with drooping petals, is in early flowering.
- Sunshine is a large ball-shaped yellow
- Top Flight, also fine, is considered tops in the spidery class
- Sierra has thin, dainty petals which are straight with fish hook tips. The chartreuse center is unusual.
Spider Varieties
Belair is an orchid spider with petals of different lengths. Woodwind, red bronze, has fine petals hooked at the ends. Unique coloring sets Frontier apart. It is a large spider in shades of old gold bronze.
Hit Parade is a Japanese exhibition in deep red with gold reverse. It is of specific interest to outdoor growers as it blooms on October 5. Spring Mist has numerous petals only one-eighth inch wide in a good shade of orchid with spoon-tipped curls of the darker shade.
Its center is made up of a mass of shorter petals. Disbudded, the blooms may measure as much as 9”inches across.
Novelties of 1956
The novelties of 1956 offer such a wide range of all sizes, types, and colors in chrysanthemums that choice seems almost unlimited.
Since the demand for good varieties is ever-increasing, it is thought that many of these fine newcomers will be found blooming this fall in gardens from coast to coast.
44659 by Mary C. Seckman