Brought Small variety of Chrysanthemums from Asda-withered...

Hi,

I brought a few packs of Chrysanthemums from Asda and they were a lovely dark maroon. Within one week all the flowers had gone and i was just left with green leaves. Is this common for this type of flower or was it just poor Asda quality? Oh they then developed a white fungal like mildew on leaves after 2 weeks.

The second thing is i can never seem to get Cyclamen to contnue flowering vigorously when i buy those £5 packs of 4 from garden centres around October time. They are in bloom when i buy them and then the leaves just remain. Is this common for Cyclamen? I was thinking it's the wrong climate for them in Leeds n September/October. I'm hoping they last till December as there's not much in bloom then. Cheers

 

There's different cyclamen. Some are for indoors only. What did you buy.
Mildew suggests the plants were dry and not watered enough.

 

Not sure. I will have to check the label but i'm pretty sure the ones i buy from Garden centres are for outdoors. I know they have indoor varieties too in those tacky looking pots ha . I was in Leeds Botanical gardens in Roundhay and notices the Cyclemen growing under trees were lush with lots of flowers, there leaves looked a slightly different shape too. Interestingly there were no red or magenta colours, which is what i buy along with white and pink in the garden centre and now Asda. Maybe it's a weaker strain of Cyclamen. Oh the Chrysanthemums looked lush when i brought them and i watered them well. This has happened twice now! Don't think i'll buy them anymore.

 

If you get flowering cyclamen, the type florists sell, they should last a fair time, most of the winter, but as pot plants they need cool airy conditions, too hot and they dont like it, too cold, frost, and they die .
An unheated porch tend to suit them if frost free.

Garden cyclamen are a different proposition, and flower late summer early autumn, and over winter with just leaves, although there is a spring flowering type.