Chrysanthemums as Bonsai, or Kusamono or Sanyasou

Leo in N E Illinois

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Those that know me, know I tend to keep too many projects going at once. Chrysanthemums, or Mums for short, are a project that have held my interest to a degree, but I have never had the time to do them justice. I bring the topic up again, in the hopes that someone with more energy than me, will find them a worthy subject and really do them justice. As a subject for Bonsai, or for Kusamono, depending on the size you are shooting for, mums require a fair amount of input to get them to come out looking tree like or well shaped when they bloom in autumn. Not many plants flower in autumn, and mums are emblematic of fall blooming flowers.

I tried picking up a few cuttings in 2014, & 2015. I posted a thread on IBC http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t17097-chrysanthemums-for-bonsai-or-kusamono

I lost all my mums to mis-handling, neglect, and forgetfulness by the summer of 2016. Was very busy with the blueberry farm. Then King's Mums, one of the very few who stocked "Gnome type" Chrysanthemums closed down. The founders decided to retire. The business was sold, and after a few years, the new owners have King's Mums up and operating. So I decided to order myself a new round of cuttings and see how I do this year. If you want to try your hand at Chrysanthemums, definitely purchase cuttings from King's Mums. The new owners have kept most of the "Gnome" and "Cascade" varieties of mums that the original King family had assembled. These woody stem cultivars of Mum are hard to find outside of Japan, you will not find them at Home Depot, or Menard's Garden Centers.

Again, I have been thwarted by lack of time, but I thought I'd share a few flower photos, as it is pretty dull and grey here.

First up is 'Yukari' definitely my favorite, or in my Top 3 of Gnome types. It is an old cultivar originating in Japan many decades ago. Nice woody stems, blooms begin usually October 18 to 28, which is right in time for my Zion, IL average first frost. But in a more normal year, the "in and out" dance. It's best traits are small leaf and small flower size. Nice strong upright growth. Yellow centrals, ray florets are a nice light pink. Pretty.
IMG_20191103_210900492cropped.jpg and after pruning for winter IMG_20191106_130557224 cropped.jpg in a 4 x 4 x 5 inch pot, the width of photo is about 4 inches.


Next up is 'Hatsune'
This is another Gnome, yellow central flower, ray florets are yellow. Very similar growth habit to 'Yukari' starts blooming a few days later.
my phone camera is messing up, smeary.
IMG_20191109_125352078.jpg IMG_20191109_125352078 (1).jpgand a shot of it in a @sorce Pot, thanks Sorce. IMG_20191107_120758893.jpg

and a photo from the 2015 effort.
DSCN3376 (2019_10_20 19_42_16 UTC).JPG
 
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Warpig

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I can see the 'if it can be done it would be kill' beauty to it. If nothing else this has got me about to go read up on them for hardiness and general info. If things look promising i think i might know my next project pickup 😁.
 

Underdog

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Don't know if you remember this one. LOL
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I introduce both Yukari and Hatsune, and a few more over 40 years ago in 1972. Ted King purchased them and kept them available. They were hybrids of Tamiji Nakajima who wrote THE book on bonsai chrysanthemums.

Good luck!

Bill

The folks who bought Ted King's business have kept them going. Every few years I try to make the time to do something with them again. I'd love to see more people raising these types of Chrysanthemums. I'm not that good at it, but I like to encourage what I think are a good idea. Thanks Mr Valavanis for bringing them to the USA. I know you have promoted mums off and on over the years.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Don't know if you remember this one. LOL

I liked that one, nice "found art" type pot. Very creative.
 

James W.

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This is so cool!
I found a book on mums at the library when I was 12 or 14 and spent several years collecting and growing. Even tried to make some bonsai type plants. I haven't thought about them for years. I used to order cuttings from a nursery called Thom's (I think)
I should try it again.
 

Silentrunning

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My wife is unable to go to the store without coming home with a plant. Most of the time it is a mum. Consequently we have a lot of potted Mums around. Unfortunately they require a lot of time when it comes to dead heading spent flowers. I decided to try an experiment and just hack all the flowers off with the top growth. I spent less than a minute on the plant on the left and almost an hour on the one on the right. In a few weeks I will see how both are doing but right now it doesn’t appear that the one on the left is doing too well. Also the one on the right is a single plant and if it survives the winter I may try to turn it into a tree.

D35D3C04-D754-40EE-A9C9-D069E21430E6.jpeg
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Chrysanthemums are generally long lived die back to the ground perennials. It is the root system that is long lived. They produce stolons that run just under the soil surface late autumn and early spring, and it is from these stolons the new growth comes in spring. I

The Gnome types of mums, these have woody stems, that if kept from a hard freezing, will be perennial much in the same way that sage, or rosemary will have stems survive the winter. If you want to have the above ground stems (trunks) survive, they need to winter above freezing. Cool, but above freezing. The Gnomes will produce below ground stolons, and spread that way too. The root systems of the Gnomes are probably hardy to zone 7b, not much colder. It may vary depending on individual hybrid ancestry.

If you overwinter trunks, in spring when you repot, remove the stolons from the roots to pot up separately. Prune several times in spring and early summer. If you want flowers, all pruning must stop about a week or two after the summer solstice. I have pruned as late as one month after the solstice, but then blooming was later than normal. When I pruned after August 15, no blooming would happen. I suggest not pruning after about July 25 if you want flowers. The later you prune, the later the plant will bloom. Most Gnomes bloom middle of October to middle of November.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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'Rose Maiko'
This one is listed as a cascade type mum, but is noted for woody stems capable of being trained upright.

IMG_20191114_100728234.jpg

after pruning - ready to winter in the well house.
IMG_20191115_102229083.jpg

My 2015 photo of that year's cutting, in a Sara Rayner pot
Rose Maiko Nov2015c (2019_10_20 19_42_16 UTC).jpg
 

rockm

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The late great Dale Cochoy worked with them for a while.
Miss ya Dale!
 

Djtommy

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so im going to give these chrysanthemums bonsai a try.
this is what I’m starting with. 5 different types Let’s see how it goes.
53AE2828-D9BC-45D9-91A9-761117E3E12A.jpeg
and these supposed to be the flowers of these 5 types.
90F1A678-4CD0-4138-9D43-6F55373D5610.jpeg
 

Djtommy

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Those flowers look like gnome types, it will be a fun project.
They are gnome types yes, I think for bonsai these are the only useful ones.
im growing some pom pom mums too, from cut flowers I got end last year and they started rooting in the vase.
Chrysanthemums require some effort but very rewarding when they flower. And probably the most easy plants to start from cuttings
 
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