The chrysanthemum is grown commercially across the world and its many colours rank among the most traded cut flowers. It buds in October and blooms in the cold months — the season Bangladesh grows it best.

A cool, sunny site; well-drained loam rich in organic matter.

Seed gives poor flowers and takes long; suckers and stem cuttings are the way. Root cuttings of healthy shoots in sand and transplant when established.

Move seedlings once into a nursery bed or pot before the final planting to strengthen them; plant out at proper spacing in beds or pots.

Two parts soil, two parts cow dung, one part leaf mould and one part bone meal, with 3 g TSP and 3 g muriate of potash per pot; add 8 g urea in two doses as the plant grows.

Remove unwanted early buds; for large exhibition blooms, keep one bud per stem.

• Aphids, small, soft and black-green, multiply in winter and suck the sap of leaves, shoots and flowers. Pick off and destroy infested parts early; spray 5 g of soap per litre every 7–10 days, two or three times.
• Fungal spots and mildew: space plants for air, water at the base, and use a recommended fungicide when attack is heavy.

Cut the flowers in the morning when fully open, and the plants give a second flush.

Photo: A red chrysanthemum with dew drops — Ermell / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)