Chrysanthemum morifolium

Japanese name: 大菊
Scientific name: Chrysanthemum morifolium

[Overview]
A group of garden chrysanthemum cultivars; perennials.
The head flowers are very large, 18 cm or more across.
The leaves are simple, alternate and pinnately lobed.
By flower form, they are divided into atsumono: hundreds of petals overlap neatly toward the center and bloom in a raised hemispherical shape; atsubashiri: long protruding petals called hashiri-ben extend from the outside of the flower head; ozukami: among the atsubashiri, the hashiri-ben hang down and the center of the flower rises like a fist.
Developed in Tohoku and also called Oshu-giku or Tsukami-giku; kudamono: tubular petals called kanben radiate out, giving a flower form like an open umbrella, and these are divided by the thickness of the tubular petals into futokan, aikan, hosokan, harikan and so on; ichimonji: single-flowered, with broad boat-shaped petals blooming flat.
Also called Gomonsho-giku; Mino-giku: developed in Gifu, with broad flat petals that curve inward; and so on.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from shoot cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, fertile site with weakly acidic to neutral soil.
Poor sunlight or too little fertilizer reduces flowering.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface in the pot has dried.
If it runs short of water while in bloom, the flowers fall early.
Moving it to a place sheltered from rain during the flowering period keeps the flowers from being damaged.
Apply slow-release fertilizer from spring to autumn, and giving extra phosphate when the buds are growing larger improves flowering.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, gray mold, leaf blight, rust, black spot, brown spot, Awadachi-gunbai, Kikusui-kamikiri, aphids, cutworms, thrips and spider mites.

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