Identification

• Chrysanthemums are comprised of two types of flowers. The central florets, or disk flowers, don't have petals, while the outer florets, or ray flowers, have only a single petal. The full flower has any combination of these two types. Colors for this flower include white, yellow, orange, red, pink or purple.
  
  

Day Length

• Unlike other flowers, mums are ruled by the length of the day and night. They don't begin to bloom until nights last at least 11 or 12 hours. This usually occurs in late summer, though some cultivars won't bloom until October.
  
  

Disbudding

• Each mum has shoots that produce small flowers that crowd each other causing them to distort. To stop this, remove all but the largest bloom after the buds begin to appear. This will allow the remaining bloom to develop into a fully formed flower.