Chrysanthemum X 'Gethsemane Moonlight' - SFA Gardens

Chrysanthemum X ‘Gethsemane Moonlight’
Common Name: Garden mum
Zone: 5 to 9
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Texas Native: No
Origin: Garden origin
Height: 2’
Bloom: yellow, semi-double flowers in late
October and early November
Water: Medium, well-drained soil
Maintenance: cut back before mid-summer to
keep plants compact
Propagation: Mist propagation of cuttings taken
in spring or summer, division in winter
There’s a distinct difference between garden
mums and florist mums. The latter look best in
6-inch pots wrapped with cellophane and
displayed in your local grocery store. They look
fabulous on the porch or table-top for a week
and then make wonderful compost after that.
Garden mums are meant to be planted outside

and enjoyed year after year. These easy going perennials make themselves at home in any sunny
location with a moderate amount of water. They border on drought tolerant, but definitely
appreciate a weekly drink in the summer. Cut back foliage by no more than one third
periodically throughout spring and early summer to encourage branching and sturdier stems.
Stop shearing by mid-July so as not to delay fall bloom.
‘Gethsemane Moonlight’ is one of our better performing garden mums, and definitely the best
yellow we’ve trialed thus far. Flowers are excellent cut flowers and will attract a host of very
unusual pollinators. This is our last mum to bloom in the fall.
Dawn Stover, SFA Mast Arboretum Research Associate, SFASU, Nacogdoches, TX, USA.
Email: dparish@sfasu.edu