Anemone Centred Culture

Cause for concern

With attrition taking its toll over the years, the decline in cultivar numbers in the Anemone Centred section was a cause for much concern in New Zealand as the 1970's drew to a close.

Limited choice of cultivars

• Those wishing to exhibit Anemones had a very short list from which to make their selection and it was a fact that some of the few still remaining, so reliable in the past, were now becoming suspect as regards performance. 

• Replacement cultivars were not available and as far as we could ascertain there was nothing forthcoming in the pipeline, nor likely to be so in the foreseeable future.

• However, Anemones had previously been raised in New Zealand. Mr R.McC.Miller of Wanganui, who was the very first Patron of the N.Z.N.C.S., raised a very popular Yellow Anemone named Esmond Drake, which lasted for over 40 years, and Mr Don Cameron , an executive member of the Society and long time stalwart, also of Wanganui raised two cultivars - Therese and Avon,- both grown and shown for many years.

All set to try my hand

• So having in mind the precedent that had been successfully set by these two great N.C.S. personalities and receiving encouragement and guidance from an exceptionally fine article written by Dr. Allen Langton of, Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Littlehampton, West Sussex entitled 'Techniques of Chrysanthemum Breeding' and published in the 1976 U.K. National Chrysanthemum Society's year book, I was all set to try my hand with Anemones to see if by my intervention, something wonderful could be made to happen. I had already discovered that the blooms on 'Claudette', which I believe was of Australian origin and was a several times champion of this section in New Zealand, produced an absolute abundance of pollen, so I duly selected flower heads from one or two top cultivars to trim back in preparation to receive some of this magical substance and a day later carefully made this application. Two months later I was delighted to find that a small number of seeds had ripened. These were stored away in a warm dry place till springtime. 

Germination

• I determined that I would germinate these, as recommended in the article mentioned, by setting them out on plastic screw top jam jar lids laid flat side up and covered with filter paper overlaid with muslin, a rubber band round the edge keeping this in place. The filter paper retaining moisture evenly by wick action from the water in the tray in which the lids have been placed. This tray had a plastic cover thereby providing ideal humidity at room temperature. This I did very successfully and pricked them off later into seed trays of prepared seed raising mix. I found this so successful that I have never employed any alternative method for chrysanthemum seed germination since that time.

Initial success!

• When large enough, seedlings were planted out in open ground to grow on to maturity. At flowering time, one of the seedlings resulting from the cross made with Bridgette, a lovely pink anemone of Dutch origin, produced a bloom, light mauve pink in shade, that appeared to have all the attributes required for it to become a future winner. This flower which was to win Champion Anemone award the next year at the N.Z.N.C.S. Convention Show held in Kapiti, which I named Dorothy Mechen, gave me the incentive to continue and every year since then, beside growing for show as usual, I have managed to maintain a modest hybridisation programme which within the first three years of experimentation had made quite a difference to cultivar numbers.

Radiation treatment

• To kick start this rejuvenation I was fortunate enough in 1981 to be able to organise radiation treatment to effect colour changes on a number of plants of Dorothy Mechen and within two years there were six distinct Dorothy's on offer. There was Dorothy Mechen, Cameo, Lilac, Sunburst, Reward, and Light Yellow. I was also fortunate to have Edith Mechen (outstanding record of successes since that time) show up as a seedling in 1981 and Adrienne Mechen (white ray florets lilac centre) show up as a seedling the following year. The advent of these cultivars and the prospect of further introductions by means of hybridisation ensured a bright future for this section which was to provide some outstanding competitive displays as the cultivar numbers increased and the section became extremely popular with the enthusiastic growers and the viewing public alike.  Of the 60 Anemones raised so far through this programme only about half are still being grown as far as I know. However cultivars such as Cloverlea Classic, Mainland Miss and First Light which were good cultivars but flowered too early for me under natural conditions, and were sent away for trial in other areas could be still flourishing somewhere unbeknown to me. Once the new seedlings have been grown the second year and approved by the classification committee they are then freely available to any enthusiast wishing to grow them for show who are prepared to pay cost of postage etc. 

Selection for trials

• Only a very small percentage of the seedlings raised each year are selected for further trial and assessment from the large numbers that have been nursed through from the initial time of pollen application that become seeds which become seedlings and it is these small few that become the rare plants bearing the rare blooms of great potential that justifies the time and effort involved that lights up our life at those wonderful times of epiphany.

Flourishing on the show bench

• Flourishing in response to the steady increase in cultivar numbers since the 1980's the Anemone, gathering momentum with each passing season, was soon to be seen as equalling and in some cases even surpassing Singles and Fantasies in the number of blooms tabled at many of the shows and exhibitions held each year throughout the country. People seemed to have always loved it, enjoyed growing it and seeing it on display and in a relatively short number of years, with a broadening selection of cultivars so readily available to the growers it has assumed a prestige and importance in the scheme of things Chrysanthemum in New Zealand that a few years previously had certainly been undreamed of.

Controlling height

• Generally Anemones do not present very many problems to the grower although there are a few quite tall cultivars that need to be firmly cut back during the stopping process or treated two or three times with Alar (B Nine) to limit the length of lateral growth during development. Alar seems to be a very beneficial substance which induces stronger and sturdier growth on most treated cultivars. Elongation of the neck once the bud has been secured leaving the bloom with a bare length of stem and no complementary foliage also occurs on some cultivars given certain conditions and can be overcome on any cultivar by application of Alar a few days prior to securing the bud. Only the top portion of the plant needs to be sprayed for this to take effect.  My situation on this planet is at just over 40° latitude in the southern hemisphere enjoying what is classed as a moderate climate. Anemone cuttings are rooted in sharp river sand and transferred to small planter bags to allow roots to establish further, then they are planted out first week in November into rings in an uncovered frame where they grow on to maturity. Covers are erected around about mid March. 

Stopping technique

• The plants are given two stops and with the first stop the plant is taken back by 1/3rd of it's height to ensure even branching. The time of stopping of course varies according to geographical situation and the response group category of the individual cultivar being processed. That is why my second stopping varies, beginning from the third week of December on into the second week of January to time the blooms to reach maturity around about the 25th April a close approximate date of the New Zealand North Island National Show each year. 

Allow six or sevens blooms per plant

• Many growers limit their plants to carry four or five blooms but a well grown plant should carry six or seven quality blooms and give the grower two good vases of three for exhibition purposes. As the flowers are reaching maturity supports similar to those used on exhibition singles to protect the ray florets is a good idea to avoid accidental damage when working near or around the plant. Polystyrene I find is excellent. Can be held up under the flower by a spring peg attached to the stem. Some rubber foam first wrapped around the stem before the peg is applied is a wise precaution .

Attributes for Judging

• The Chrysanthemum Judging and Exhibiting hand book compiled and distributed by the National Chrysanthemum Society (U.K.) which we have meticulously followed over the years outlines for us the features of the Anemone and how they should appear at maturity. So from what we read our aim should be to produce Anemones with dome shaped cushions , even in texture and floret development of nice depth and circular when viewed from above. These should ideally have just reached the peak of their development. The ray florets can be broad, flat and even in length; sharply pointed and uneven in length or tubular with flat spoon like tips.  As with Singles they should emerge at right angles to the stem , though they may reflex or incurve at the tip. The outline formed by the tips should be circular when viewed from above. The ray florets should be fresh to the tips and of good colour for the cultivar.

How many rows of ray florets?

• Although the features of the Anemone and the standard of quality outlined are quite comprehensive. I have often puzzled over the omission of any reference to the number of rows of ray florets considered desirable as is intimated in the requirements for Exhibition Singles.

• To my mind unless there are at least two or three rows of ray florets to better present and compliment the cushion the bloom assuredly is lacking in substance and generally suffers in visual appeal as a consequence.

• While the Mundials with their perfect cushion look lovely viewed from above (which is an exception to the general rule with regard to blooms with a single row of ray florets) they are obviously thin and insubstantial when looking for all round perfection.

Tom Mechen