Culture
Best grown in humusy, fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates very light shade, and appreciates some afternoon protection from the hot sun in southern climates. Plants tend to sprawl with too much shade. Pinch stems back (as with garden mums) from late spring to mid-summer (e.g., Memorial Day to the 4th of July) to control height, encourage bushy vegetative growth and delay the onset of flowering from mid to late summer. Leave stems unpinched for looser plants with bloom onset occurring in mid-summer. For best bloom, feed plants several times during the growing season. Divide as needed (usually every 2-3 years) in spring or fall. Cut plants back to 6” after flowering. In cold winter climates of Zones 4-5, leave the top growth in place to protect the crowns and apply a loose mulch such as straw or evergreen boughs. Plants will spreads by rhizomes in optimum growing condition to form colonies.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Chrysanthemum zawadskii, commonly known as Zawadzki chrysanthemum, is a compact, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial that typically grows from woody purplish creeping rhizomes to 12-18”. It is native to a variety of habitats including alpine slopes, streambanks, forest understories, grasslands, and open places from eastern Europe (including in particular the Carpathian and Ural mountains), to Siberia, Japan, Korea, and northern China. Solitary (infrequently appearing in a loose corymb) daisy-like flowers (to 2 3/8” across) feature white rays and yellow center discs. Flowers bloom in July-September, but with mostly a late summer to fall bloom if plants are cut back in June to promote compact form and delay flowering. Bipinnate, long-stalked lower leaves (to 1 1/2” long) are broad ovate, slightly pubescent to glabrous, glandular-dotted, and dark green. Pinnately lobed upper leaves are smaller, less divided, and sometimes entire.
Species plants were hybridized with cultivars of C. x morifolium (Dendranthema x grandiflorum) to produce the frost-hardy Korean chrysanthemums.
Genus name comes from the Greek words chrysos meaning gold and anthemon meaning flower.
Specific epithet was named after Alexander Zawadzki (1798-1868), Polish-Hungarian botanist and naturalist, by Franz Herbich (1791-1865) who discovered this plant growing in the Pieniny Mountains (western Carpathians) in 1829 and subsequently first described it in 1831.
Problems
Aphids, thrips and spider mites may cause significant damage. Potential disease problems include Botrytis, leaf spots, rust, powdery mildew, stem and root rots, verticillium wilt, aster yellows and viruses.
Uses
Mass or group. Edgings. Borders. Containers.