Gardening with Peter Bowden: September Gardens & Fall Favorites

The many petal shapes and colors that chrysanthemums (mums to you, “kiku” to the Japanese) exhibit have made them a fall favorite for years…. many, many years. When you decide to grow chrysanthemums, you become involved in a gardening pastime that spans many centuries.

Chrysanthemum culture started in Imperial China over 3,000 years ago.  They were highly prized by the emperors of China who considered them more valuable than gold.  

The Japanese also revere the chrysanthemum.  In fact, the origin of Japanese culture is wrapped in chrysanthemum legend.  It seems that one of the early emperors of China became quite ill.  In his quest for a remedy he learned of the “herb of youth” that would restore his health.  The search for the “herb of youth” was entrusted to twelve male and twelve female virgins.  They sailed out onto the Pacific Ocean with a bamboo basket filled with the Emperor’s beloved “golden daisies” to trade for the “herb of youth”.  They didn’t make it too far before the quest was ended by a typhoon that left them shipwrecked on a rocky archipelago.  With their journey at an end, the survivors planted the revered mums and set about exploring their new home.  Over the years, the survivor’s descendants populated the islands we now know as Japan.  Japanese reverence for chrysanthemums continued, and they were considered the exclusive property of their Emperor.  The Japanese word “kiku” represents both the chrysanthemum and the office of the Emperor.  The royal crest is a traditional sixteen-petal chrysanthemum design.

European interest in Chrysanthemums budded with the arrival of plants brought back from the orient by Dutch traders in the early eighteenth century.  The Dutch are known to have produced several new varieties from the original plants, but it was the horticulturally adept French Huguenots that are credited with real improvements in flower size and color.  The Huguenots developed “Old Purple” which became a favorite all over the continent.

Chrysanthemums came to North America in 1798 in the hands of John Stevens, a nurseryman from Hoboken.  In 1850, the Chrysanthemum Society of America was founded, and they held their first show in 1902.  

Lately, perennial asters have become a popular contender for champion of fall color in the flowerbed.  Compared to the venerable chrysanthemum, asters are a relatively recent upstart.  Their appeal to American gardeners may have been limited since they were a common sight along the roadside every fall.  To early Americans, there was nothing special about this common plant.

English gardeners, visiting their colonial cousins found asters to be quite lovely and brought seeds back to the British Isles with them.  So, even though asters are a native North American plant, they became a popular fall-blooming plant in the gardens of England long before Americans learned to appreciate them.  It’s a classic case of one man’s trash becoming another’s treasure.

Asters are an easy-to-grow alternative to mums.  They’re now available in an amazing assortment of colors and styles.  Asters branch heavily without all the pinching mums need.  They’re quite insect and disease resistant (as are mums).  Like mums, asters should be planted in full sun.  The fine, dark green foliage of asters is quite attractive, making a lovely background for lower, summer-flowering annuals or perennials.  Mums and asters mature quickly and should be divided in early spring every two or three years.   Whichever you choose, you’ll enjoy great fall color for many years to come.  Heck, why choose?  Grow them both!

Thanks for the read!