Chrysanthemum Book

[Lesley Jay]

Can anyone recommend a good book on growing chrysanthemums please. I have searched Amazon and all the books they have are old secondhand ones from the 50s and 60s. I don't mind buying old books but there are no details of what the books contain so if you have a good book can you please tell me the title so that I can search for it. Many thanks in advance.

[sewer rat]

Possibly what you're after?

Hi LJ
Try logging into "The Book Place" - they seem to have a book "Chrysanthemums - The Complete Guide" thatmay fil your requirements. The ISBN is 1852238909 and the cost is approx £14 incl p&p.
Hope this helps
Rat

[Lesley Jay]

Thanks Rat I will try them out and let you know.

[nick the grief]

Hi Lesley,

I can recommend this book, mine is well thumbed. The NCS do some good books as well, Peter Fraser looks after the sales try his website:-
http://www.fpeter.fsnet.co.uk/

I'm sure he has a page on there with what they sell. Are you looking for anything in particular?

[Lesley Jay]

Nick thanks for the site - what is the name of the book? We grew chrysanthemums last year for the first time and this year we want a book that covers everything to do with growing and showing chrysanthemums. We had loads of fantastic flowers and gave lots away.

[nick the grief]

Hi lesley,

They have quite a few some more techy than others. The one I'm thinking of is called "Chrysanthemum Guide" and is a nice glossy job with pictures and drawings (mines well thumbed) and covers everything from Earlies to lates & showing to cut flowers. Can I suggest you make a date in your diary for September & November and have a look at the National Show at Stafford & there is also one held in Chester I think at Barry Walkers (Oakfield Nursary 7 Garden centre). I'll find the dates and let you (and anyone else ) know on "the Vine"

[Lesley Jay]

Thanks Nick I will go to the Chester show as it's only an hours drive away. You say September and November - I thought ours flowered late because the order was late arriving but those dates prove me wrong.

[nick the grief]

it depends on the stopping date for the varieties you grow and if you want them for showing or cut flowers. Stupping is just pinching out the top 1/2 inch . Then you get earlies which flower around August to september, Mids which flower around October and lates that you normally flower in the greenhouse (I can really bore on this subject ). If you save the stools of the ones you like, dig them up, trim back the tops and the roots and put them in seed trays of fresh compost you can start them of around now and the new growth that comes up from the bottom, you take as a cutting (like fushias) and fill your lotty with them. Saves you a fortune and you end up with 2 greenhuses & 2 cold frames like me

If you see one at the shows that you like, try and fing some one who's grown it and ask them if they'll do you some cutting's. Most folks will do them for around £1 + postage if they have to go by mail. If you're interested, I can e-mail you a catalogue of one of our local nursaries to have a look at to give you some Idea of the dates or you can buy the Northern groups Stopping guide at the same time from Peter and adjust it a bit for yourself. A lot depends on how you grow them as it can vary with your next door neighbour if he does things slightly different.
Told you I could bore!!

[Lesley Jay]

They were dug up, trimmed and stored in the greenhouse in trays in compost but I didn't realise that they need to be started about now. I also didn't know that you could get earlies and mid season. I will have to check the catalogue because I'm sure it didn't say.

[nick the grief]

Depends what sort they are as to when you take the cuttings. If the calalogue doen't tell you let me know the varities and I'll look them up fo you