Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Featured Plant: Potted Chrysanthemums



Potted chrysanthemums are the most popular year-round flowering plant in the world. They are long flowering, long lasting, easy to grow, relatively disease and pest free plants that can produce flowers at any time of the year by light manipulation. So it is not surprising that chrysanthemums are also Ontario’s largest volume flowering potted plant.

Grown as hardy outdoor plants until the mid-1800's, the development of glass greenhouses allowed for the culture of non-hardy mums, too. They came to be known as florist mums, grown for cut flowers and later as potted plants. Today potted mums are so popular that they are grown for sale 12 months of the year.

Potted chrysanthemums are one of the best plants for keeping indoor environments healthy by removing toxins from the air. They are listed in NASA’s top 12 “green” air cleaners. Florists recommend combining up to 5 plants together in a large container – the sweet grass scent of chrysanthemums combined with their natural air cleaning abilities will freshen any room for weeks.

To maximize the life of the plant, pick Ontario chrysanthemums with lots of buds open to the point of the color being clearly visible. Place in a bright light, cool location without direct sun. Keep soil moist to the touch but do not allow pot to sit in water. Pinch spent blooms and yellow leaves. With proper care, an Ontario grown potted chrysanthemum will last 4 to 6 weeks.

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