On 24/09/2016 17:28, David Hill wrote:
On 24/09/2016 13:01, Mrs_AB wrote:
We bought a pot of chrysanthemums from Morrisons this summer and they
have given us a wonderful display on our patio.
They are now beginning to fade so I'm wondering if I should bring them
indoors and keep them in our basement for the winter. Will they flower
again next year or do we get rid of them and buy a new pit next year?


You don't say where in the UK you are.

You ask about a pot of chrysanths you bought from Morisons, this is
almost like the piece of string question.
In the last century almost all comercialy grown chrysanths were single
stem blooms, then along came a new thing, Spray chrysanths where instead
of removing all but the crown bud , you did the reverse you removed the
crown bud and left the rest, they were new varieties , but several of
the old bloom varieties; and new varieties as well; were grown as pot
Mums, they were treated with a growth retardant to dwarf them so they
could be grown with daylight control; blackout, or extra lighting; to
produce short plants ideal for house plants. Most of these varieties
were not garden hardy having been breed for growing under glass.
The growth retardant would still have a dwarfing effect, but once the
roots grew out into fresh soil then the new growth would grow taller.
There were also hardy Korean; mostly single flowers about 2 inches in
diameter, and Pompom chrysanths that ranged from around 12 inches high
to around 2 1/2 ft tall they has small compact flowers 1 inch to 1 1/2
inches in diameter.
Both of these types were garden hardy.
Then in the later part of the 20th century a new breed appeared, the
"Garden Mum" these were self branching so don't need stopping or
disbuding, They grew from 1 ft to 1 1/2 ft tall and could be 18 inches
across, though if started early and grown on under glass they could
reach 2 1/2 ft high and 3 to 4 ft across.
These are available as either pack plants or small plants in 3 inch pots
early summer, already in bud , or later in the season as much larger
plants in 6 to 8 inch pots 12 inches or more wide and heavily in bud or
even in flower.
These Garden Mums are garden hardy in much of the UK, certainly in the
southern parts.The reason for being able to get the plants in flower in
early summer or late summer is due to the fact that their bud formation
is dependant on day length, so they have that as the day's lengthen and
as they shorten again.
You will also come across small pots with with very short stemmed
"blooms" in them. These are cuttings taken when the flower bud has been
initiated so they have almost stopped their vertical growth.
Try searching for Garden Mums
Hope this brief history of Domestic Chrysanths is of use.
David @ the wet side of Swansea Bay