Chrysanthemum rubellum Last Sun

Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Last Sun' is an autumn daisy that perfectly lives up to its name. This old variety blooms abundantly for a long time, with many large yellow flowers with coppery-orange edges and salmon tones that change as the flower opens. With the warm colours of autumn, this hardy, perennial, bushy chrysanthemum which spreads slowly from its crown, will bring life to flower beds from August until late in the season. It will thrive in ordinary soil and a sunny exposure.

Chrysanthemum rubellum is a deciduous and rhizomatous perennial with a woody crown, belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is a hybrid obtained through cross-breeding between species from East Asia and Siberia (C.zawadskii). The 'Last Sun' cultivar forms a bush that grows rapidly to 50-60 cm (20-24in) tall and 50 cm (20in) wide. The flowering period extends from late August to late October/early November when the plant is covered with numerous daisy-like, semi-double flowers,  5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter in small clusters at the top of leafy stems. The centre is yellow, and the 'petals' on the outer edge are yellow with orange tones that evolve as the flower matures. The heart-shaped to ovate leaves are divided into 5 lobes and can measure up to 5 cm (2in) in length. They are toothed, dull green with hairy undersides.

Garden chrysanthemums offer immense resources during a less floriferous time of the year and blend remarkably well with autumn colours. They can be paired with asters in complementary colours or their blooms can be lightened by cosmos, Japanese anemones, shrubby salvias, gauras, Magellan fuchsias... These plants go particularly well with grasses such as stipas, miscanthus, carex, eragrostis, and foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum).