Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' · Asteraceae
Single daisies of soft straw yellow that blush apricot as they age, with a greenish-gold centre, in early autumn.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late August to mid October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
The planner designed this bed around chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' × 3, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 5, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 8, white
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 6 Eastern prickly pear × 1, yellow
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Red spider lily × 7, red
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is seen over eastern prickly pear (10 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to false sunflower 'Summer Nights' (3½ ft) and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ 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 8 weeks. From late August to mid October.
- Closes the season. In its last week nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Hot colours (yellow and red) with pink and purple as the cool notes, and white to calm things between them. Yellow is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 'Mary Stoker' 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.
The gentlest colour among the hardy chrysanthemums, and easy to mix with the purples of asters. Like 'Clara Curtis' it is reliably perennial and spreads at the root.
- Soft autumn colour
- Partnering with asters
- Cutting
What to plant with chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': blue against orange, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for four weeks.
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Sedum 'Matrona': in flower together for seven weeks, from late August; bold leaves against its medium ones.
Questions about chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker'
Does chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' need sun or shade?
Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late August to mid October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Late August to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late August to mid October |
| Zone 6 | Late August to mid October |
| Zone 7 | Mid August to mid October |
| Zone 8 | Mid August to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Early August to mid 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 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker'?
These come closest to doing what chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Coreopsis 'Full Moon': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers late June to mid September.
- New England aster 'Purple Dome': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, purple, not yellow.
- Black-eyed Susan 'Goldsturm': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in narrower, flowers late July to late September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Mary Stoker'?
Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' is over by mid 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.
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
What does chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' look like in winter?
Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' 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 'Clara Curtis' Chrysanthemum 'Clara Curtis'
- 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
- Late August to mid October; daisies; yellow, orange
- 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.