Chrysanthemum indicum Bienchen

Chrysanthemum x indicum 'Bienchen' is a bush chrysanthemum in the same vein as the excellent 'Mei Kyo', in a yellow-orange version. It is a compact, hardy plant, very resistant, with exemplary generosity, which at the end of the season produces a multitude of small flower heads in shades of ancient gold and coppery orange. It requires no staking, withstands heat perfectly, and is content with very little. An excellent choice for creating brightly coloured beds or radiant pots, very decorative between late summer and autumn, at a time of year when flowers become more scarce.

Chrysanthemum x indicum is an herbaceous perennial plant with a woody rhizomatous base, belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is a hybrid obtained by cross-breeding different species native to East Asia (Chysanthemum indicum) and Siberia (C.zawadskii). This excellent cultivar 'Bienchen' eventually forms a dense and rounded bush, 50-60 cm (20-24in) tall and wide, composed of solid, branched, leafy stems that become woody at the base. Its growth is quite rapid. Flowering occurs from September to late October-early November. This chrysanthemum produces numerous small flowers organised in heads, well double, reaching 2-3 cm (1in) in diameter, grouped in small clusters at the top of the leafy stems. The disc is a bright dark yellow; the ligules on the periphery, fine and very numerous, change colour as they bloom. At first the heads are a bright yellow, gradually becoming darker yellow, with the centre becoming more orange or even coppery. The overall effect creates an incredibly colourful bouquet on the plant. The leaves are small, resembling miniature oak leaves. Triangular to ovate in shape, they have several lobes. Toothed at the edges, their colour is a slightly dull dark grey-green, and they are hairy underneath. The aerial vegetation is deciduous, drying out in winter and regrowing in spring. Its long-lasting stump will live for a long time in the garden.

Garden chrysanthemums offer immense worth during a somewhat nostalgic time of year, and their colours harmonise remarkably well with those of autumn. They can be associated with asters, of course, by choosing complementary or matching colours. Their flowering coincides with that of shrubby salvias and other gauras. These perennials blend particularly well with grasses such as stipa, small miscanthus, Muhlenbergia capillaris, and foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum). They are easily grown in pots to adorn balconies and terraces and provide excellent cut flowers.