Page 41 - Garden News

‘Jon’s Twilight’ is a standout Cuings growing
pom that has already won on a heated bed
awards at the Nationals
Take cuttings

The blooms on ‘Normandie
Frills’ are a lot more weather
of chrysanths
resistant than they look

The weather may still be cold, but it’s
time to get your chrysanths started

he month of John Peace
January is when
T you need to National Early
Chrysanthemum Champion
start taking cuttings of for the past 20 years, John
your early flowering
has also won the best exhibit
chrysanthemums. The award 15 times.
stools you boxed up in
October/November
from last season’s flowers should which will do them for a good
be ready and waiting with some couple of weeks before I need to
good cutting material produced. water again.
This is your cutting material These cuttings should be
A strong-growing ready to root. rooted after about three to four
variety, ‘Westerton Ella I use an ordinary multi- weeks and starting to grow.
Grace’ is a beautiful purpose compost, but it must be This is when I’d remove them
miniature decorative
100 per cent peat. Take cuttings from the heat and place in a
Award. This was ‘Josudi Aurora’, a red of about 5-7.5cm (2-3in) long and cooler part of the greenhouse
and yellow blended miniature semi- root in a standard seed tray, with to prevent them from getting
cactus raised by the late Peter Greenway about 40 cuttings per tray (eight too tall.
of Falmouth. This prolific variety will be rows of five). I’ll then place the Don’t worry if you’ve no
available from Halls of Heddon. All the trays of cuttings onto a heated cutting material yourself
blooms were of good exhibition quality bed, set at 16C (60F). At this stage because you can buy the stock
and were held on strong stems. I’ll give them a good watering in, from known suppliers as rooted
The Silver Award was given to ‘Grace cuttings of various varieties. Try
Wood’, raised by Derek Cave of Barlestone. A good example of the following suppliers:
cuing material
This is a lavender-pink, medium semi- Chrysanthemums Direct:
cactus with excellent blooms. All the www.chrysanthemumsdirect.
blooms were exhibition worthy and held at co.uk.
a very good angle. Three Bronze Awards John Peace Chrysanthemums:
were made: ‘Rosemary Dawn’, a large pom; www.johnpeace.co.uk.
‘Josudi Andromeda’, a miniature cactus, Frank Charlton
and ‘Spennithorne Georgia Mei’, a Chrysanthemums: www.
medium semi-cactus. miniaturebulbs.co.uk.
The committee will be glad to receive Ivor Mace: www.ivormace.com.
nominations for the 2018 trials at Leeds, and Halls of Heddon:
these should be with the organiser Mike Cunningham well www.hallsofheddon.co.uk.
before May 1, 2018. Forms will be available on the NDS website Woolmans
(www.dahlia-nds.co.uk) and Mike can be contacted at mhlc@ Chrysanthemums:
blueyonder.co.uk or via the NDS website. www.woolmans.com.

Subscribe and get 4 issues for just £1! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn January 27 2018 /Garden News41