Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' · Asteraceae
Single, clear pink daisies with yellow centres cover a loose, spreading mound from late summer, weeks before other hardy chrysanthemums.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early August to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
The planner designed this bed around chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' × 3, pink
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 5, tan
- 3 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 8, red
- 4 Garden phlox 'David' × 3, white
- 5 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 6 Eastern prickly pear × 1, yellow
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Hyacinth × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are spires, airy sprays, dense clusters and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for little bluestem. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only pink.
Why here
- At the back. At 24 in it is seen over coral bells 'Firefly' (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to garden phlox 'David' (3½ ft) and little bluestem (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From early August to early October.
- Closes the season. For its last four weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Coral bells 'Firefly' is planted in two places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The longest in flower is moor grass 'Greenlee': 15 weeks, from mid May to late August.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A true perennial chrysanthemum that comes back every year, unlike the potted mums sold in autumn. Pinch it once in June to keep it compact. It spreads into a broad patch.
- A hardy, returning chrysanthemum
- Cottage borders in early autumn
- Cutting
What to plant with chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for eight weeks, from mid August; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Russian sage: in flower together for six weeks, from early August; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
Does chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' need sun or shade?
Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early August to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid August to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 6 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 7 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 8 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 9 | Late July to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten. Handling the plant can irritate skin.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'?
These come closest to doing what chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- New England aster 'Purple Dome': the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers early September to mid October.
- Coneflower 'PowWow Wild Berry': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in narrower, flowers late June to mid September.
- Coreopsis 'Full Moon': the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers late June to mid September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by creeping roots into a wide patch. Divide it every two or three years.
What flowers after chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'?
Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
What does chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' look like in winter?
Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Chrysanthemum
- Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink' Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink'
- Garden chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum x morifolium
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early August to early October; daisies; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.