Proven advice for growing gorgeous chrysanthemums

Without a doubt, chrysanthemums are the benchmark annuals for fall, whether grown in containers or in beds. Here is some indispensable advice if you're keen to cultivate these breathtaking flowers in your garden.

With so many varieties of chrysanthemum, deciding which one to grow can be tough. It helps to look at where you intend to plant them.

• The "garden mums" sold in late summer bloom outdoors with enthusiasm and also make long-lasting cut flowers, staying fresh in a vase for two weeks or longer.
• Many chrysanthemums make fine garden perennials. These are usually different varieties from the mums that have been bred to provide instant fall colour on leafy, well-branched plants. Perennials that are popular include the many-coloured 'Prophet' series, 'Red Bravo,' dark lavender 'Debonair,' and numerous yellows including 'Jessica.'

Generally, the longest-lasting bloomers will have the word "decorative" on the plant tag.

• This describes the flower form, a dahlia-type blossom packed with petals.
• The new petals emerging from the centre of the blossoms gives week-old flowers a freshly-opened appearance.

Because they're so care-free, there's almost nothing you can do to harm chrysanthemums – so plant them with full confidence!

• When buying fall-blooming mums, select plants covered with buds.
• Looking to water less frequently? Move your mums into slightly larger pots.
• You can display mums in a shady spot, but shade sometimes causes the flowers to open unevenly.
• If you want to overwinter a potted mum, let it dry out and turn brown, but don't trim off the dead stems. Move the pot to a cool place and water it just enough to keep the soil barely moist. If the plant survives, small green shoots will appear at its base in early spring. Trim off the dead stems just before setting out the plant shortly after your last spring frost.

To encourage maximum flowering and keep growing plants compact, cut them back to half their height in midsummer.

• For more mums, simply insert the cuttings into a pot of damp potting soil, set it in a shady place, and keep the soil moist until the cuttings show new top growth. Then, transplant them into the garden.

If plants begin to set buds before you want them to, you can delay flowering by pinching off the buds up until the middle of August.

• If your plants become crowded, divide and replant them as you would any perennial.

Other than grasshoppers, small thrips and aphids, mums have few pest problems.

• Handpick grasshoppers and knock thrips and aphids off with a spray of water or by applying insecticidal soap.

Mums growing in hot, humid conditions can contract fungal ray blight, which causes flowers to turn brown and limp.

• You'll need to replace affected plants with healthy ones.

It's vital to choose only the preferred varieties that will survive in your hardiness zone.

• If you live in Hardiness Zones 7 and 8, try growing cold-hardy chrysanthemums as perennials. At 75 centimetres (30 inches) tall, 'Single Apricot' (also known as 'Hillside Sheffield Pink') requires little care and puts on a beautiful show each fall as the temperature drops.

For best results, order starter plants from mail-order catalogues (or your local garden centre) and plant them in early to mid summer. That way they'll be well-rooted when winter arrives.

Chrysanthemums are relatively straightforward plants to nurture that are not only extremely beautiful, but bloom well into the fall for colour and flair to extend your enjoyment of the summer growing season.